BHW 2026 Gala Raised Nearly $90,000 To Support Equine-Assisted Programs
RICHMOND, Mass. — The Jewish Women's Foundation of the Berkshires has granted Berkshire HorseWorks $5,200 for the second consecutive year to provide scholarships to RanchLife 101 After-School program.
These funds will empower children by providing hands-on experiences that build confidence, and other social-emotional and life skills through interaction with rescued horses.
BHW's Year of the Horse Gala, raised nearly $90,000 to support equine-assisted programs for individuals of all ages with mental health, literacy, and behavioral challenges. The news was announced by Hayley Sumner, Founder, Executive Director, and CEO of Berkshire HorseWorks.
With the JWF funds, BHW will hold two, four-week after-school RanchLife 101 programs in the spring and fall, each serving 15 children from Pittsfield.
Designed for children ages five–12, RanchLife 101 provides an authentic ranch experience where participants engage with rescued horses through ground-based and mounted activities.
Pittsfield's inner-city youth have been consistently underserved despite facing elevated household stressors, including higher rates of economic hardship and community instability, satted a press release.
RanchLife 101 addresses this service gap in Pittsfield by providing consistent, developmentally appropriate programming that has demonstrated high effectiveness in improving communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, empathy, mindfulness, and emotional awareness.
Originally launched as a one-day workshop, RanchLife 101 has expanded into six-week summer and after-school programming.
