Ed and Nancy Hawfield

When Ed and Nancy Hawfield moved to Williamsburg two years ago from Libertyville, Illinois, they had expected to move to a nice quiet historic town where they could settle down and enjoy their well-deserved retirement.  Being a licensed speech pathologist, Nancy thought she would look for some way to volunteer her time in her field, and was familiar with therapeutic riding from some of her previous clients.  So, when she googled “therapeutic riding Williamsburg Va,” guess what popped up into her search engine?  Dream Catchers! 

Nancy contacted us and inquired about volunteering.  She came out just a few days later, and jumped in with both feet – literally.  Not only did she begin volunteering weekly as a sidewalker, but she mentioned to Melissa Conner, our Program Coordinator, that she had always wanted to learn how to ride and soon found herself taking Academy riding lessons here as well.  Better still, Nancy got Ed involved as well.  She noticed that we could always use an extra set of hands around to answer phones and do data entry, and convinced Ed to come out with her once a week to help in the office.  Before long, they were both hooked.

Now, two years later, they are not only stellar volunteers in very different capacities, but Ed has found a way to use his past business experience by becoming our go-to man for donor database and computer needs, and recently joined the Board of Directors.  Nancy has met the criteria for Virginia state licensure for speech pathology and has pursued her interest in how therapeutic riding benefits speech in children with special needs by attending NARHA’s workshops on hippotherapy.  Both have given countless hours to this organization, and both still claim that they get more than they give. 

Ed and Nancy are the perfect example that there is a place for everyone at Dream Catchers – whether you want to work directly with our students and horses, or more on the office side doing computer work or answering phones…the needs are there and we would love to plug you into what works for you!  They say of their volunteer experiences at Dream Catchers:  “We have made friends, become more a part of the community and helped people along the way.  What more could we ask for?”  If you are interested in volunteering like Ed and Nancy, please visit our website to learn more about it and to submit an online application at http://www.dreamcatcherswilliamsburg.org