Our LMU! friends come to us from all walks of the community.   Many of our volunteers are local high school kids doing community service.   You don't need to be a “ horsy” person to help out. We provide full training for all volunteers.   We do however, have a minium age requirement of 14 years old.

There will be several volunteer training days upcoming. Call for details.

Pat and Peggy Murray have worked with the program for several years. Both Pat and Peggy have shown tremendous dedication, commitment, and sensitivity in helping out with the myriad tasks of a therapeutic riding organization.

Pat Murray is a lifelong horsewoman, with early riding experience in her hometown of Chicago, later in Michigan, and more recently here in Northern Virginia. In fact, Pat first became familiar with therapeutic riding in Chicago, when a friend afflicted with polio participated in such a program. She worked with another local therapeutic riding program for a while before becoming involved with Lift Me Up! more than six years ago. (During this time, Pat was transitioning into retirement from her position at the Environmental Protection Agency.) Pat became involved with the program simply by coming out to the farm and introducing herself. Since that first visit, Pat has worked primarily with Pam McDorman, and with Mary Jo Beckman.

Peggy Murray first became familiar with the field of therapeutic riding while attending college at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and began working with a program while at that institution. Peggy has been with Lift Me Up! for a total of more than five years, and has worked with Kerry Longenecker and more recently with Connie Kohler and Pam Nolan as well as other instructors. She is a rider herself, having taken lessons at Mrs. Dillon's Full Cry Farm, and occasionally riding the program horses as well. In her spare time, Peggy teaches religious education classes at a local church in Great Falls.

Both Pat and Peggy enjoy working with both the horses and the people in the program. We are lucky to have them, and hope they continue for a long time to come!

Volunteer Recognition Day is coming soon!!!   Come help us thank these wonderful people.