ISLANDIA, NY — Pal-O-Mine Equestrian and Discover Long Island have launched a new partnership aimed at promoting accessible, nature-based experiences at the nonprofit's 13-acre farm in Islandia.
The partnership was announced after 14 Discover Long Island employees volunteered at Pal-O-Mine through the organization's Corporate Volunteer Engagement Program.
Pal-O-Mine provides equine-assisted therapeutic programs for children and adults with disabilities, veterans, first responders, people facing mental health challenges, at-risk youth, cancer survivors, people with Alzheimer's and others.
"We're thrilled to welcome Discover Long Island into the Pal-O-Mine family as a partner," Pal-O-Mine founder and CEO Lisa A. Gatti said. "Their team spent the day working alongside our clients in our therapeutic garden, in the barn and with our horses, taking with them a real understanding of what we do here every day. Partnerships like this help us extend the healing power of our farm to even more people across Long Island and beyond."
During the volunteer day, the Discover Long Island team took part in several Pal-O-Mine programs, including J-STEP, or Job Security Through Equine Partnership, a vocational initiative.
Volunteers worked in the therapeutic garden and repurposed horseshoes into wind chimes. They also visited the farm's chickens and baby chicks and met Goliath, one of Pal-O-Mine's horses.
"Creating a destination that welcomes visitors of all abilities starts with understanding the experiences, needs and opportunities within our own community," Discover Long Island President and CEO Sharon Wyman said. "The visit to Pal-O-Mine was an incredibly meaningful day for our team to learn about the work they do and the many ways they create an environment where everyone can participate, connect and thrive."
Pal-O-Mine is also inviting residents and visitors to participate in its new Wellness program.
The program is led by staff including yoga instructors, equine specialists, Reiki masters and mindfulness practitioners and is designed to offer participants time away from technology while interacting with the farm's herd of 25 horses and other animals.
Wyman said Discover Long Island plans to promote Pal-O-Mine as an example of inclusive hospitality in Suffolk County.
"Spending the day volunteering at Pal-O-Mine gave our team the opportunity to step outside of our day-to-day work and truly experience firsthand the impact of adaptive programming through equine-assisted therapeutic programs," said Courtney Guiry, director of public relations and communications at Discover Long Island.
For information about Pal-O-Mine's wellness packages, contact Tessa Van Florcke at 631-348-1389 or tessavf@pal-o-mine.org.
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