The program involves teaching horsemanship skills and basic horse grooming to individuals with diagnoses such as Autism, Cerebral Palsy, traumatic brain injury, Spina Bifida, and Down syndrome.  It is tailored to meet the individual needs of the riders.  Lessons are offered in eight-week sessions. Milestones has accredited instructors and 15 therapy horses.  One hundred fifty volunteers provide 2,000 hours of their time.  The Dater grant will help make the cost more affordable for families already burdened with medical costs.

Grants made in January:

Center for Independent Living Options, $20,000.  The YOLO (Youth Overcoming Life Obstacles) Summer Program is a free, eight-week, community-based transition program to help young people with disabilities maximize independence and self-sufficiency.

East Ed Adult Education Center, $25,000.  Free GED education and job readiness skills instruction is available to young people and adults who have dropped out of school and need credentials to improve their opportunity for success in life. 

Great Parks Foundation, $20,000.  Free educational programs at Hamilton County parks for schools and groups in need of financial assistance in order to attend.

Milestones, $20,000.  The Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program teaches basic horsemanship skills and grooming to nurture emotional health and improve cognitive, physical and psychological function for young people with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome and other similar diagnoses. 

Ohio River Foundation, $20,000.  River Explorers and the Mussels in the Classroom are hands-on programs that introduce more than 5,000 schoolchildren to the benefits of environmental stewardship.

Parachute Special Advocates for Children of Butler County, $20,000.  Community volunteers go through rigorous training to become Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs), and then advocate for foster children, ages birth to 18, who are often abused, neglected, abandoned, or lost in the child protective system.

UpSpring, $25,000.  Formerly Faces Without Places, UpSpring continues the organization’s successful summer education program under the name of UpSpring Summer 360°.  The free, seven-week academic and enrichment program helps homeless children ages 5-12 gain needed math and literacy skills.  

The Dater Foundation makes grants to non-profit organizations in the Greater Cincinnati area to carry out programs that benefit young people and focus in the areas of arts/culture, education, healthcare, social services and other community needs.  Information about the grantmaking process and guidelines and links to an online grant application website are available at www.DaterFoundation.org.

The private foundation was established by fourth-generation Cincinnatian, businessman and philanthropist Charles Dater (1912-1993) to ensure that his resources would continue to fund worthwhile community programs after his death. The foundation has made more than 2,900 grants totaling over $44 million since its inception in 1985. 

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For additional information regarding this news release, contact Roger Ruhl (513/598-1141).

The Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc. is located at 602 Main Street, Suite 302, Cincinnati, OH 45202.