On one of Beth Miller’s first days at Special Strides, a boy with special needs arrived at the farm in distress. Unable to communicate what he was feeling, he sat on the porch with his caretaker while Beth quietly joined them. She stroked a barn cat, spoke gently, and gave space. Soon, the boy calmed, began petting the cat, and turned his attention to the horses in the distance.
“In my mind, I made a difference for someone’s life that day,” Beth recalls. At Special Strides, it’s meaningful moments like these that matter.
Here is the Special Strides team in action!How Volunteers Support the Special Strides Mission
Beth first joined as a volunteer in 2015 and now serves as Development Assistant, helping with donor management, fundraising, and daily operations. She is one of more than 500 volunteers who keep Special Strides running—whether walking beside riders, serving on committees, or assisting in the office. Many teens and young adults credit their time at Special Strides with shaping future career paths in therapy and healthcare.
Transforming Lives Through Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapy
Located at Congress Hill Farm in Monroe, NJ, Special Strides offers Equine Assisted Activities and Therapy (EAAT) to children and adults with special needs. These programs strengthen muscles, improve coordination, and build confidence in ways traditional therapies often cannot. The farm’s trellises, bridges, trampolines, and horses provide unique therapeutic opportunities for each individual.
Special Strides also cares deeply for its horses, many of whom are “retired” from previous careers and find renewed purpose in adaptive riding and therapy.
Here is the Special Strides team in action!How Fundraising Helps Make Special Strides Programs Accessible
Fundraising plays a critical role in making programs accessible. Annual events like the Color Run and Barn Dance help provide financial aid to 43% of families each year. “When you ask the Executive Director, ‘Do you want to help a client or meet with a donor?’ the answer is yes to both,” Beth notes. Balancing client needs with fundraising is always a challenge—but essential to continuing the mission.
That’s why Special Strides turned to Eleo for donor management. Previously, staff worked tirelessly to track addresses, pledges, and acknowledgments. With Eleo, they now see giving trends, identify lapsed donors, and strengthen relationships—freeing up more time for meaningful impact.
Creating a Lasting Impact Through Community Support
For Beth, horses have always been a source of strength. During her mother’s illness, her own horse grounded her when life felt overwhelming. Now, she pays that gift forward by helping others experience healing through horses.
“If I can help Special Strides give someone like my uncle—who lived with disabilities—a moment of fulfillment, then I feel like I’m doing something really worthwhile,” she shares.
While Special Strides has grown over the years, its mission remains unchanged: to improve lives, one stride at a time. And with the dedication of volunteers, the support of the community, and tools that strengthen donor connections, the organization continues to thrive.
Make More Time for the Moments That Matter
For organizations like Special Strides, every hour spent managing donor records is time that could be devoted to programs, families, volunteers, and the mission. Eleo brings donor information, gifts and pledges, communications, reporting, volunteer management, and other essential fundraising tools together in one easy-to-use system.
With a clearer view of giving history and donor trends, your team can identify opportunities to reconnect with supporters, strengthen relationships, and stay focused on creating meaningful impact.
See how Eleo can support your nonprofit’s mission. Schedule a Demo.
