Today we’d like to introduce you to Debra Redman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Win Win Equine Services and Therapy (WEST) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that started as a dream for Debra Redman twenty years ago in Chicago, IL.
In April, 2015, that dream became a reality when WEST incorporated and began serving West Georgia clients with special needs, disabilities, and mental health issues. The mission of WEST is to break the cycle of generational poverty, one person at a time. We do this by fostering a growth mindset, teaching resiliency skills, and coaching personal development and well-being.
Today, WEST is partnered with regional care providers such as Highland Rivers and Pathways Behavioral Health Services, Lookout Mountain Care Management Services, and Babies Can’t Wait, all of which are state-funded social service agencies. WEST’s partnerships with regional Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) probation and Children In Need of Services (CHINS) programs have helped at-risk youth be supported in making breakthroughs that lead them away from creating a troubled future. WEST’s partnership with the regional Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) supports a program called The Legacy Project for Foster Children and their families through mentorship. Through the University of West Georgia’s College of Education, WEST supports internship training for second-year graduate students in the Speech and Language Pathology program.
In 2018, WEST is seeking to partner with corporations and their human resource departments to offer resiliency training to their Millenial workforce, as well as, Team Building training to departments at large.
Has it been a smooth road?
I wish you could hear me chuckle at that question. NO is the short answer. I tried to accomplish this mission back in the late 1990’s in Chicago with another non-profit I started called The Legacy Project. While I accomplished many milestones and helped a lot of people, the right team never coalesced to create the kind of equine assisted program I envisioned. I also made many newbie mistakes in managing the business side of the non-profit that caused the doors to shut five years after incorporation. Life happened and I moved to Sandy Springs, GA in 2006 where I successfully re-established my life coaching practice that started in Chicago with the non-profit. In January 2010, I was potentially disabled in a car wreck, just as my first book was about to be published. That event changed my life. I decided to complete my Master’s degree in Psychology at the University of West Georgia so that I could continue working as a credible life coach or decide to become a licensed mental health provider. I became a 50-year-old graduate student, living on student loans. The move to West Georgia introduced horses back into my life. I self-rehabilitated with a mare who needed rehab herself. I developed horse-based relationships that led to the introduction to the farm where WEST is presently located. It took two and half years to save the horses, the land, and facilities that were in a death spiral after years of farm mismanagement. Now, the struggle becomes one of education. People have preconceived ideas regarding horses and the idea of horses. They don’t know about equine assisted activities being able to facilitate neuroplasticity or the growth mindset, teach resiliency skills, or coach personal development and well-being.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Win Win Equine Services and Therapy (WEST) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in the scenic rolling hills of Haralson County in Buchanan, GA, and is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. WEST fosters a growth mindset, teaches resiliency skills, and coaches personal development and well-being with people of all ages. We are known for our partnerships with multiple regional social service agencies serving special needs children and at-risk youth, many of whom are part of the Millenial generation. We have helped break the legacy of generational poverty by coaching people in communication skills, developing teamwork skills, and teaching the soft skills needed to succeed in the workplace.
In West Georgia, many corporations have invested millions of dollars in building career centers in the high schools. They are confused and frustrated at why that investment is not yielding the return on investment (ROI) they expected. WEST believes it knows why this is true and what needs to happen to begin turning the tide toward realizing an ROI. WEST is different from other equine therapy programs in that we are seeking to partner with corporations to offer a creative alternative to solving the problem of attrition among the Millenial workforce, as well as offering Team Building Retreats.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
The Atlanta region is a great place to start a business. I came here from Chicago in 2006 and managed to successfully re-establish my life coaching business based on word-of-mouth referrals within 18 months. The networking and connections required to make that happen were abundant. People are eager to help each other succeed. The same has been true of establishing Win Win Equine Services and Therapy (WEST) as a new non-profit in West Georgia. The socioeconomic status and demographics of West Georgia are changing significantly, and, with those changes, comes a need to support the need for coaching a resilient workforce. WEST is ready to support that positive outlook.
Pricing:
- $65/hour for therapeutic riding and equine assisted learning activities.
- $50/hour, $25/30 minutes for riding lessons.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1671 Bethlehem Church Rd.
Buchanan, GA 30113 - Website: www.winwinequine.org
- Phone: 770-298-0991
- Email: debra@winwinequine.org
- Instagram: #westinc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WESTEquineTherapy/?ref=bookmarks
- Twitter: @WESTEquineTherapy
Image Credit:
WEST
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