Horses & Horizons Therapeutic Learning Center Inc. held its year-end celebration recently at the fellowship hall of Zion’s Stone Church of West Penn.

The annual event marked the completion of another successful season of therapeutic horseback riding lessons for children and adults with disabilities.

The purpose of the celebration was to show appreciation of HHTLC’s volunteers, and to recognize the achievements of its riders.

The organization named Lori Sawka of New Ringgold Volunteer of the Year. This was Sawka’s sixth year as a lesson volunteer. In addition to her own scheduled lessons, she is always willing to fill in for other volunteers who are unable to help at their scheduled lesson time.

As an experienced volunteer, she helps new volunteers at their first lessons to feel comfortable with the training they have received.

Sawka recently was elected to HHTLC’s board of directors. She is a compliance officer for an insurance company.

When not working or volunteering, Sawka enjoys hiking portions of the Adirondack Trail and bicycling. An avid dog lover, she shares her home with her husband, Mike, and their three dogs. She has a grown daughter who resides in Chicago.

HHTLC also recognized Nevaeh Pinckney of Hazleton as “Volunteen” of the Year. This was her second year of volunteering and her second year receiving this honor.

Pinckney shows outstanding dedication as a lesson volunteer, often volunteering for both evenings of lessons. She can be depended on to substitute for another volunteer, even on short notice.

Pinckney also helped with special events and spent time learning to work with the program’s lesson horses using a training system called Natural Horsemanship.

Pinckney home schools and is in her junior year of high school. She plans to become a veterinarian.

During the event, HHTLC Executive Director Harvey Smith, and his wife, Elaine, program director, awarded the organization’s more than 30 volunteers with certificates of appreciation and its 20 riders with certificates of achievement.

Harvey Smith also presented the Sydney Marko Memorial Scholarship to Kash Filiac of Orwigsburg.

Jim and Carrie Marko established the scholarship in honor of their daughter, Sydney, who passed away last year at the age of 12 after a long and courageous battle with advanced Lyme disease.

Sydney rode at HHTLC for seven years. Her parents wanted the scholarship to go to a rider who loved horseback riding as much as she did.

Although a genetic syndrome has left 6-year-old Kash Filiac unable to walk or talk, the smile that lights up his face when he is on “his” horse attests to how much he loves riding. The memorial scholarship entitles him to one eight-week session of therapeutic horseback riding in 2020.

Horses & Horizons is a nonprofit organization which operates from the Smiths’ Helping Horse Farm, located between Tamaqua and New Ringgold.

The therapeutic horseback riding program is staffed entirely by volunteers. Since its establishment in 1993, it has served riders ranging in age from 3 to 70 with a wide variety of physical, mental and emotional disabilities.

Therapeutic horseback riding has been shown to improve balance, posture, strength and coordination. It also helps to increase self-awareness, self-confidence, attention span and independence. Riders often gain improved social skills as well.

Horses & Horizons holds riding lessons from the end of April through October. During its months of operation, in addition to lesson volunteers, it also needs volunteers to assist with grounds maintenance, cleaning saddles and bridles and fundraising.

For information on becoming a volunteer or enrolling a rider in Horses & Horizons Therapeutic Learning Center Inc., visit the website at www.horsesandhorizons.org, or call Harvey or Elaine Smith at 570-386-5679.