Soul Friends, a statewide nonprofit based in Wallingford, CT has been providing mental health services with the incorporation of therapy animals for 20 years. This year alone Soul Friends provided close to 3,000 therapy visits including play therapy, trauma and attachment formed therapy, therapy dog and equine assisted therapy for children and families.
Kate Nicoll, CEO of Soul Friends, husband Karl Kreidwise, the foreman at Quality Subaru in Wallingford, has been doing Elf on the Shelf holiday videos for years. On several occasions, they have tried to boost these fun pictures on social media. However, this year is the best of all – ELF on the Shelf “TIRED” of fundraising.
Nicoll and Kreidwise hope to mark the 20th year anniversary of Soul Friends and the Elf on the Shelf “TIRED” of fundraising photo will help the Wallingford based nonprofit raise $15,000.
Soul Friends has hired 6 new clinicians in the last year – and is in the process of growing their equine program, Horses Inspire! to 4 barn locations statewide. It can cost up to $3,000 to train a clinician and animal assisted therapy, but the reach is amazing as each new clinician can do at least 50 to 100 visits a month providing a much-needed service to children and families statewide .
Two of the clinicians, Nicoll and Judith Liu, LCSW, have plans to present at 4 statewide and international conferences on the benefits of equine parent-child family therapy sessions to improve connection and communication for veteran/military and first responder parents.
Their goal with fundraising efforts is to hire 2 full time staff which would double their impact in providing mental health services across CT and now in parts of NY and double their impact on servicing the mental health needs of children, families, veterans/first responders.
Elf on the Shelf will hopefully help the nonprofit reach their goal. For more information, visit their website, https://soul-friends.org/
Contact:
Kate Nicoll, LCSW
CEO, Soul Friends, Inc
203-510-6926
https://soul-friends.org/
Photos available on request of Elf On The Shelf Tired of fundraising