There is something so special about this time of year. The ”holiday season” seems to kick off on October 1st. Well, in my life it does! I feel like there are festivals, events, gatherings, holidays and all of the in-between for the last three months of the year. I love it. All of it and I feel that it is so fleeting {hence why I have been so MIA — so much busyness happening, more on that in another post}. October feels like a month of just enjoying Fall. The harvest festivals, picking out Halloween costumes, pumpkin patches, carving pumpkins, decorating for both fall and perhaps turning our front yards into a scary sight for all to see come October 31st. Then there is November. November is a bit of calm before the madness of December catches starts. November is a month of blessings. A month of sharing what you are thankful for. A month of “giving thanks”. That being said, I wanted to share something that has made me thankful this month. It is a wonderful organization that I have recently had the honor of coming into contact with.

The Grace Foundation is a place I had heard of. I knew the basics, that they rescued horses and other animals from dier situations in hopes of loving them, healing them and hopefully finding them a forever home. Of course knowing that this type of business is run mostly on love, community support, lots of generous donors and wonderful people that volunteer their time makes it all the more amazing. Recently my sister started volunteering at The Grace Foundation and with that came more information and an invite to a fundraising event that happened a few weeks ago. Upon my tour I realized how much work goes into the foundation. There were countless horses, sheep, a pig and lots of goats as well as some dogs needing a new home. If you have been following along with the local media, you may have heard of the Susanville 70. This is where 56 horses {18 of which are expecting foals} were rescued from a gruesome scene. This video shows the resilience of 3 of these horses. Grab a Kleenex!

The woman telling the story is Beth De Caprio,  the founder of Grace. I was blessed enough to meet her on November 1st. There is something amazing that happens when animals are near her. They feel safe, happy and connected. I saw this in the short amount of time I spent with her.  Not only does Beth take the time to help animals in need, she also runs a variety of other programs utilizing the love and compassion that animals possess. There are summer vet programs, equine therapy programs, riding lessons, birthday parties, volunteer programs and so much more.

As the holiday season approaches, many of us think of charity. What and where can we give to enrich others. The Grace Foundation is always in need of supplies, gift cards and money to help take care of the animals. My husband and I host an annual holiday party and we always choose an organization to donate too. This year we chose Grace.  We provide a wish list and ask our guests to donate. It is always a well received idea and makes us feel like we are helping those in need. Think about how the smallest amunt of money can make a difference.  If you donate just $10, it will but one bale of hay which will feed 14 horses one meal. What a small amount that can make such a big difference. In the words of Mother Theresa, “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one”. I love this quote and it has been in my head since November 1st.

November 1st — why is this date popping up in this blog post? Well on November 1st, I went to Grace Foundation to meet Oreo. This was after my sister posted a sad photo of this sweet boy and asking for someone to love him cause he was so sad. Well that was all it took. I Wanted him to be happy. Actually I am pretty practical when it comes to animals as I know they take a lot of work. I love them but I want to be 100% ready to give what an animal needs for life. So this being said, I grabbed the boys and we hopped in the car and headed on over to Grace. After meeting Oreo, I just felt that he HAD TOcome home with us. My hubby was at work and was he very apprehensive about adding someone new to our house. We have a 10 year old lab mix that we have had since she was 8 weeks old. She is very well trained and easy. We are ‘fostering’ Oreo {who we have renamed Ollie} until the hubs gives me the green light. I think he is warming up to the idea. This 10 month old boy found his way to us. He is sweet, funny and awfully cute. Wanna see?

I was touched so much by this organization and how it helps so many sweet animals who don’t have a voice that I had to share it with you. Can you make a difference in the life of  others? For more information on The Grace Foundation, please click here.