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     -- Charities - Special Needs Recreation & Therapy
                                                       
                                                    

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Special Olympics New Jersey (Lawrenceville)
State affiliate of international Special Olympics network. Provides sports training and athletic competition to children and adults with intellectual disabilities. In addition to programs offered on local, county, sectional and state levels, Special Olympics NJ offers athletes free participation in all activities at Special Olympics NJ Sports Complex in Lawrenceville. Organized into 13 area programs with each area of one, two or three counties including community, school or organization-based Local Training Programs, with some training and competing in multiple sports throughout  year while others are seasonal and may only offer one sport. 

New Jersey Youth Soccer / US Youth Soccer TOPSoccer (East Windsor)
Community based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities.  Designed to offer learning and playing soccer to any boy or girl with mental or physical disability. Provides assistance to affiliated organizations with ways to enable players with mental or physical disabilities, emphasizes development, training, and meaningful participation rather than competition.  

Sensory Taekwon-Do (Bergenfield)
Martial arts program for children with such disabilities as autism, attention deficit disorder, Down Syndrome, and other physical or developmental issues. Program custom designed for each child's neurological profile to stimulate areas in brain that incorporate balance, body awareness, muscle coordination, strength and working memory. 

High Expectations (Clark)
Membership organization ($100 annual fee per family) providing developmentally disabled individuals and their families access to athletic, recreational and social activities to supplement their educational and vocational training. Started by parents in 2002, with 7 children aged 8-12 competing in two sports, now grown to over 60 children and young adults aged 8 through adulthood, residing in Union, Middlesex, Somerset, Morris, Essex counties. Soccer, basketball, bowling, swimming and softball teams participate in organized leagues, tournaments and venues provided by Special Olympics of New Jersey. Social activities include dances, craft nights, karaoke nights, movie nights, etc.
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Special Needs Athletic Programs (SNAP) (Morristown)
Created to inspire youth in Morristown area to work together with children with autism and other disabilities through athletics, peer mentoring activities, and educational programs. Incorporates children teaching children model into all aspects of programming to create culture of acceptance of all children. Developed training module for young people that teach ways to interact with exceptional children with goal of forming long-term mentor relationships. Clinics include swimming, tae kwon do, soccer, basketball and baseball. 

​Special Angels Recreation (North Arlington) 
Established 2005 by support group Putting The Pieces Together founded by mother and grandmother of autistic boy. Provides education and social support for disabled children and their families, also offers recreation programs consisting of tee ball,  basketball, bowling and soccer with age appropriate teams open to any child with different abilities and living in any county.

Camp Merry Heart (Hackettstown)
Program of Easterseals New Jersey on 123-acre facility providing variety of recreation and activities to those aged six and older with all types of disabilities and special needs. Served over 30,000 individuals since opened in 1954. Camp offers year-round programs, also fun recreational trips and excursions, and weekend getaways.


Pony Power Therapies (Mahwah) 
3.8-acre ranch with 19 therapy horses and ponies, all donated or rescued. Operating at present location since 2003 serving special needs and at-risk children and adults who ride, care for and interact with horses. Cooperative programs with Hackensack University Medical Center young patients and their families and with special needs students at Waldwick High School and Ridgewood public schools. PALS (Pony Assisted Life Skills) initiative provides  programs for adults with developmental disabilities.

Freedom Horse Farm (Long Valley) 
Serves adults and children with special needs. Therapeutic riding and learning programs along with other physical therapy utilizing  yoga, aquatic therapy and water aerobics. Horses Helping Heroes Veterans program.

TRADE - Therapeutic Riding at Drakestown/Dragunas Equestrian
(Long Valley)
Also separate location at Port Murray in Warren County. Offers year-round lessons in indoor and outdoor riding facilities that combine instruction in both riding and horsemanship. Lessons typically involve grooming, tacking, leading horse and riding with team consisting of rider, PATH International certified instructor and one or more volunteers. Also Theraputic Driving using horse and carriage for those unable to ride mounted. Summer camp.

Rocking Horse Rehab  (West Orange)
Pediatric rehabilitation and family wellness center specializing in equine assisted therapies along with alternative and traditional programs in speech, physical, and occupational therapy from licensed and certified therapists. Located within Essex Equestrian Center, Olympic sized, heated, indoor arena.with seven viewing windows.

Mane Stream (Oldwick)
Horseback riding with PATH international certified therapeutic riding instructors, also provides occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and physical therapy with licensed therapists in each field. Take the Reins program for veterans and service members who have suffered injury or illness coincident with their military service. Horses for Healing program for recovering children and adult cancer patients conducted in cooperation with Cancer Support Community of Central New Jersey. Other partnerships with  Matheny Medical and Educational Center, Daytop School, and Hunterdon County Educational Services Commission. Sponsors competitors in Special Olympics, Paralympics. Summer camp.

Riding with HEART (Pittstown)
Located on 29-acre horse farm, offers activities and therapies to adults and children that may have physical, cognitive, or emotional disabilities. Along with therapeutic riding, participants  encouraged to brush and groom horses, participate in other barn activities. Summer camp. Also riding lessons for parents, siblings, volunteers, and peers.

Heads Up Special Riders (Montgomery)
Therapeutic horseback riding program and equine-oriented activities for children and adults to help students increase physical strength and self assurance. Hosted at Hasty Acres Riding Club just outside Princeton. Established 1990 by Anne Banse, who had been escorting a handicapped rider from Princeton area to program in Pennsylvania, sought to initiate more local program. Since 2013  program run by Clare Russell,  expanded to include Equine Assisted Psychotherapy including clients from Womanspace battered women's shelter and also recovering addicts. Lessons by PATH International certified therapeutic riding instructor.

Riding High Farm (Allentown)
Established 1979 on 10-acre farm. Indoor riding facility and stable, veterans program for returning Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers. Summer camp, sponsors competitors in Special Olympics, Paralympics.

Hoof Prints On The Heart (Millstone)
Located at Golden Gait Farm. Group and individual Equine Assisted Activity and Therapy  sessions.  Session designs focus on education about equine psychology and behavior, as well as participant self-awareness. Introduction to basic safety and horse care, equine-based grounding techniques, mindfulness, horsemanship education, leading, grooming, and trail walks. “Horses Helping Heroes” program works with veterans, active and reserve military members, first responders, and their families. Director Jenni Tevlin certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning and  Therapeutic Riding Instructor.

Special People United to Ride (Lincroft)
Works in conjunction with Monmouth County Park System at Sunnyside Equestrian Center with 16 horses owned by Park System. Serves over 200 students with disabilities annually assisted by PATH International certified instructors and more than 100 volunteers. Summer camp and Horses Helping Heroes veterans program.

Special Strides Therapeutic Riding Center (Monroe)
Located at Congress Hill Farm and equestrian training center. 200 acres of training areas with 15 horses, (outdoor and indoor arenas) and wooded trails with variety of sensory equipment such as trampolines, swings, adventure course with balance beams and variety of playground equipment including trampoline. Individuals can explore farm during therapy, picking vegetables in gardens and visiting other farm animals such as a rabbit, cats, goats, sheep, chickens and alpaca.

Chariot Riders (Manchester)
Also operates second facility in Farmingdale in Monmouth County. In addition to lesson program, also summer camps, in-house and off premises horse shows, year round riding in indoor arena, in-house 4-H club, and group trips and activities. Developing sensory trail with themed stopping points providing riders opportunity to see, hear, smell, touch and talk about items along trail. Sponsors competitors in Special Olympics, Paralympics.

Rein Dancer Therapeutic Riding Center (New Egypt)
Located at 250-acre Laurita Equestrian Center working farm with training and boarding facilities for standardbred horses. Full-service equestrian program with on-site lessons, training, summer camps, experienced-based learning, field trips, boarding, team-building, competitions, volunteer opportunities. Hosts variety of shows and clinics for riders of all ages and abilities. Sponsors competitors in Special Olympics, Paralympics.

HEARTS Therapeutic Riding Center (Egg Harbor)
Located at 13-acre Rolling Seas Farm next to 400-acre Atlantic County Park. Two schooling rings, round pen to learn ground work, nine-stall barn and extensive trails. Outdoor-only facility, lessons offered March through November. Veterans program, Barn Rats program intended for children aged 6 or older teaches lessons on caring for horses, grooming, and horsemanship skills. Sponsors competitors in Special Olympics, Paralympics.

Equine Assisted Therapy of New Jersey (Mannington)
28-acre family farm with new indoor facility and barn specifically  designed for therapeutic services, houses eight horses, outdoor arena and acres of fields. Individual and group lessons, Horses Helping Heroes veterans program, family and couples therapy, leadership and  team-building retreats.
 
Shadow Equestrian (Monroeville)
Riding programs for special needs children only. Four horses, two ponies and one miniature horse. Half acre grassy outdoor arena, lighted indoor arena  for uninterrupted 12-month therapy lessons. In addition to riding, grooming, tacking and handling instruction. Off Routes 55 and 47.

Therapeutic Riding Center South Jersey (Logan)
Located at DREAM Park equestrian event center built and operated since 2000 by Gloucester County with stables for 74 permanent horses.  Riding and driving lessons for children and adults with variety of special needs.  Also offers limited non-therapeutic lessons.
* Special Needs Recreation in New Jersey, KidsGuideNJ.com
* Sports Programs for Special Need Kids, MommyPoppins.com
* Professional Association Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intenational)
* American Hippotherapy Association
* Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA)
​* HRH (Horseback Riding for the Handicapped) of New Jersey
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