Karen Thomas

2008-2009 Volunteer of the Year

On just about any day of the week, Karen Thomas can be found either in the barn working with our students and horses, cleaning out a closet in the Administration building, attending an event planning meeting in the Board room, or representing Dream Catchers at a local fair.  Karen wears many different hats as a volunteer, and performs her many jobs always with a giving spirit and a genuine desire to share her gifts and talents with others.  It is this kind-hearted spirit and willingness to jump in and do any task needed that prompted the staff to nominate her as the 2008-2009 Volunteer of the Year.

Karen began partnering with us during the summer of 2007.  She has an impressive knowledge and love of horses and is compassionate and nurturing to many of our younger students.  She as been caught going the extra mile over and over again, and takes pride and joy in her work.  She stands out from others in her desire to go beyond expectations and volunteering to do tasks that no one else wanted to take on – such as re-organizing our storage space and restructuring office spaces to maximize their use.  But her favorite part of volunteering is helping our students meet their goals with their horses.  She has been a dedicated cheerleader for many of our regular students, and even rearranges her personal schedule each session in order to be available to help out in her student’s lessons.  It is this passion that sets Karen apart.

You may have called the barn and heard Karen’s voice on the other end as she helped out in the office by answering phones, or you may have witnessed her gentleness with our students as she works as a sidewalker in a lesson, or you may have seen her expertly handle a horse during a difficult mount, or you may have been with her when she has given a tour to visitors.  She wears all of these hats with grace, knowledge and expertise and we don’t know what we would do without her.

We should also point out that Karen is an excellent rider as well.  You can even see her at one of our Dream Catchers shows as she awes the crowd (and usually the judge!) by her elegance and style as she rides her favorite Dream Catchers horse, Indy.

We are proud and honored to have Karen Thomas as a part of our family and can’t thank her enough for her countless hours of service on behalf of our students.  Congratulations, Karen!