How it Began...
​It began when Rising Hope's co-founder, Cindy Kocher had just experienced a life changing event: losing her husband in a tragic accident. To cope with the grief and transition, Cindy turned to her herd of horses and multiple dogs for support, peace of mind and purpose. This led her to a driven heart and a focused mind on providing therapies to individuals experiencing loss, frustrations, loneliness, or any need through connections made between horses and humans.
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"Rising Hope was established and operating by 2016, but years before that, the pieces were falling into place."
- Cindy Kocher, Co-Founder
Meet Cindy
Meet Yvonne
But HOW?!
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At the same time, Rising Hope's other co-founder, Yvonne McCaslin, a PATH International certified instructor and equally driven woman, had a goal and desire to open an Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies facility to serve Centre County's residents with special needs and Military backgrounds. Over the years, Yvonne has been gaining experience as an instructor and volunteer; while being a mother, endurance rider and athlete.
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And so a partnership began...​
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Through unlikely and sometimes surprising connections, Yvonne and Cindy met and quickly became not only friends, but co-founders of our facility with the assistance of our first board of directors. There were no coincidences or random events around the development of Rising Hope. As Rising Hope quickly gained ground and reached further, we now serve more than 40 participants per session, accrue more than 300 volunteer hours, and venture to at least 20 community outreach events a year by...
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We believe every horse and person has potential to do a multitude of great things.