Let's make a difference. GodSpeed Equine. Needed!
We need your help now more than ever. The at risk youth we have been working with have been at home with their abusers, they need an outlet
Project Description
Mission
Godspeed Equine provides faith based equine therapy and learning activities to provide hope, healing and opportunities for emotional growth using horses and Jesus.
PROVERBS 21:31
The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.
Why Horses?
A horse’s sensitivity to communicating without words can provide incredible opportunities to learn about ourselves. Horses don’t lie, they don’t hold grudges, they provide honest, clear, and immediate feedback about the effectiveness of our actions. This allows participants to see what works, what doesn’t work, whose needs are being met, whose problem it is, and to take responsibility. Horses live in social groups valuing their relationships and connections with each other and us. They can teach us how to stay in the moment, manage our emotions, and improve self-awareness. This encourages healthier patterns of relating to others and strategies for dealing with the hurt and pain many of us carry in our lives. GodSpeed Equine gives participants the tools to discover effective ways to manage anger, resolve conflict, exhibit responsibility, establish self-care and healthy boundaries.
ISAIAH 61:1
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.
Vision
Our vision is for participants to experience the love of Jesus using horses to teach them how to be authentic and present, seeking open and honest communication with others while learning to give and receive trust and respect.
MALACHI 4:6
He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.
Beliefs
We believe the Bible is the word of God and is our source of truth.
We believe that healing is made possible only by the grace of God.
We believe that behavior is only a symptom of what is going on in the heart.
We believe the horse is a gift from God to be used to impact lives.
We are an Iowa based CERTIFIED 501c3 and.......
We had a big contractor promise the job and back out. Our kids are in need more than ever now. Covid has kept them inside with their care givers who, the kids we work with are abusers. We need them back active in our program. Stalls, wood..... is a huge finisher to this project so we can again start programming right away. Our ranch is being built by the Amish right now and should be done next week. Supplies were to be delivered Nov 1, now they are saying the met their 501c3 max deductions after saying they would take on our project, we are in a bind. We need your help!!!
Godspeed: An expression used to wish someone on a journey or daring endeavor a positive outcome.
GodSpeed Equine is a ministry (501C-3 non-profit) committed to sharing the love of Jesus in Central Iowa through equine therapy, related activities and character-based values training.
Participants in the GodSpeed Equine program will be empowered by going deeper with their horse and by building relationships with coaches and mentors. All program participants will participate in Devotions or Values Roundtables before every equine session. Our weekly RoundTable Methodology (developed by Global Priority Solutions) creates a self-discovery process, which has been proven to bring personal transformation, as well as culture change in organizations. Ideas are not taught; they are facilitated. RoundTables employ two-way communication, in a group of people for a time period of 20-40 minutes. During this time, every participant is given a "voice" and the opportunity for a win. GodSpeed will employ the principles of equestrian therapy while engaging students in a team setting. Students in our barrel racing and horsemanship programs will work toward goals while learning patience, humility, healthy communication, anger management, coping skills and problem solving as they continue to grow and heal.
The GodSpeed Barrel Racing Program will be a positive “daring” journey for young ladies who participate. We are confident that GOD will be at work in the hearts and minds of girls as they form a bond with their horse to achieve SPEED as they navigate barrels. As students’ progress through the program they will be trained to run barrels successfully and can potentially compete in local competitions.
The GodSpeed Horsemanship Program will be a positive, character building journey introducing youth to basic horsemanship skills while learning to care for their horse.
Kelly Lorenzen
Program Director
From a young age, horses have a played a central role in my life. As a youth, I earned many year-end awards, trophies, ribbons and buckles for a variety of events at shows and was a two- time state champion at the Des Moines fairgrounds. Bulls and Barrels event accomplishments include series buckle Champion, National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) Top 5 1D numerous years, World Show qualifications, Super Show and Great Lakes Nationals Top 10, Can Chaser Top 5 1D money earner numerous years and Team Event Greenfield Series Champion.
I began competing in the Iowa Rodeo Association (IRA), Iowa Rodeo Cowboys Association (IRCA) and the United Rodeo Association (URA), qualifying for each association’s finals multiple times on several different horses. I earned Top 5 year-end standings multiple times in both the IRCA and IRA as a go-round winner, average winner and fastest times and was an IRCA Champion. I competed in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), traveling across the Midwest to Pro Rodeos. I also sell, promote, and broker some of the best horses in the barrel racing industry.
All of the saddles, buckles, money, interviews, traveling and selling mean nothing compared to watching God heal through a horse. I love seeing hearts healed, grown and transformed through horses. I thank the Lord every day for the incredible gift that horses are!
Al Lorenzen
Director
I am currently President of The Business Brokers, Inc. providing guidance, oversight and marketing support to our team of Independent Broker Agents. We offer succession solutions to small business owners throughout Iowa. For 9 years I served as CEO of Wildwood Hills Ranch, a ministry that serves 1000 at-risk youth per year using Equine Therapy, Leadership Development and Team Building. I also served as Director of Men’s Ministry at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines where my responsibilities included oversight of outreach, discipleship and programming. It is a privilege to support my incredible wife through this endeavor as we seek to live out the call God has placed on our lives!
If you are willing to help we have a lot of needs…….here are a few. We had hoped to start programming back in Aug, with all the set backs we are looking at spring. As we do not have an indoor either. I know these are huge asks but anything helps. We are a certified 501c3 and anything donated is tax deductible.
water/pipe - labor so far is donated $6000
Mid American - $6,000
Garage doors - $2,600
Hoop barn - $10,000
Fencing - $35,000
Concrete - $30,000
Inside wood materials/stalls etc - $16,000
Other misc for tack rooms/office/conference room for meetings - $9,000 approx
Hay - $5000
Grain $3000
of course there will be vet, shoeing cost, dentist etc....but thats hard to say what that would be.
Contact info [email protected]
515-739-0073
Updates
The Campaign FAQs
What was your journey?
How and why does this work?
Your training?
What will the money be used for?
With that said God’s path lead me to help kids that had been sexual abused, as a sexual assault program coordinator through CIAC. Seeing all the hurt, let downs through our system. I felt really called to get to the healing side.
I then was able to train a therapy dog Daisy, which I took into schools but was also introduced to Wildwood Hill Ranch. There Al Lorenzen allowed me to start a program called GodSpeed Equine. When first being introduced to Equine Assisted Therapy I was very hesitant. I thought this will not work, these kids don’t know about horses. Won’t do things “right” it will just not be what I want to do……well I was wrong.
My first experience taking kids out to Wildwood I was talking with a 5th grader who’s mom had overdosed and she was living with grandma. She was really sad that she didn’t remember her mom. We arrived at the ranch, going over safety with the kids an I was floating around making sure everyone was implementing the safety instructions we had just talked about. When I looked over to this little girl. She was sitting in front Thomas, her horse, on the dirt floor of the arena. Holding on to his legs and I could tell she was crying. I ran over worried he had her pinned or she had been stepped on. I bent down and said “oh my what happened” she said “I just remembered my mom and how much she loved me for the first time” I did move her outside Thomas’ feet but I hugged her and we processed all of these cool feelings. I will never forget that day, since then I was a believer. I can tell you story after story like this…….it works everytime.
I hope you find it in your heart to give!
Just Because I Care
Rewards
Just Because I Care