Leave a Legacy
You can support Sunshine Horses and help horses in so many ways but donations in the form of legacies, or donations in memory of loved ones, are some of the most personal and heartfelt we receive.
Gifts in wills, no matter how large or small, have a substantial and lasting impact on the work we continue to do helping horses. A legacy gift can give horses in need a second chance to lead a full and happy life.
Thank you for your generous and profound gifts.
“Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure. You are loved beyond words, and missed beyond measure.”
Bill RaymondThe joy on my father’s face said it all. On a recent visit to Sunshine Horses, the instant connection between my 98 year-old father, Bill Raymond, and the beautiful dark bay Standardbred, Lorne, was so evident to me. The experience of simply stroking a horse’s neck can have a profound effect on a person’s mental and physical wellbeing. It works for my father every time!
A veteran of World War II, my father grew up on a military horse farm in Baldwinsville, NY, and has a lifelong love of all animals, but especially horses. At his advanced age, it’s not easy for him to get around or interact with horses any more. This is such a big loss for him. Imagine how grateful we are that Sunshine Horses gives my father a chance to safely recapture the magic of the human-horse connection.
This was our third visit to Sunshine, and I can honestly say that when we leave after visiting one of the horses, my father is just beaming, and the smile on his face lasts all day.
Teresa Melnick
Jean Deep When I asked Jean how she came to volunteer at Sunshine Horses, she said, “It’s a cute little story.” In 2014, Jean Deep retired after driving a school bus for 27 years. Within several months, Jean found her idleness to be ridiculous. “I needed a purpose,”. One day after mass, Jean expressed her desire to work with animals to another hospitality minister, but she was afraid of the emotional investment working in a shelter. “Kathleen said to me, well, why don’t you do what I do? I work and train horses at a rescue horse barn.” Jean had found her next adventure. That’s how it started—with an invitation from another volunteer at Sunshine and she’s been in love with the place ever since.
Having horses in her life since childhood, she referred to them as “my spiritual beings.” In describing what she meant, she said, “Well, I feel animals are (spiritual beings) because they give unconditional love. And they only see the good in you and they’re willing to give their all in return. To me, that’s the most perfect love and it represents spiritual wealth.
Jean’s spiritual connection with Doyle started from the first day she entered Sunshine’s barn. “Every time I walked by his stall, he would put his head out as if to say come over and talk to me.” Strokes on the head became little nudges and the spiritual bond between Doyle and Jean began to grow. “Just talking with him created an immediate bonding. I knew this was a horse that I always wanted to be with.” Jean shared a story illustrating that bond. One day a rake scraped against the wall and frightened Doyle. He stepped back from her and put his head on her shoulder. “That’s when I knew we had a connection and it’s been growing ever since.” Just listening to Jean tell her story you could hear the delight and love for Doyle (and all Sunshine’s horses) in her voice. Even as she struggled with her health the past few months, Doyle would be the one to knicker hello looking for his banana when she would visit the barn. “I love being the first one walking in that barn and just hearing them talk to you. It is so uplifting. It’s amazing what these horses do for the human spirit.”
Jean passed away three days after the interview for this story. When talking about Doyle, she spoke of the unbroken trust between the two of them. “He knows I will always protect him,” she said. Today, this writer is positive Doyle will hear her voice in the wind, lift his head and feel comforted—as she was always comforted in knowing he was there. “Without saying another word, he made my heart swell and I knew he still loved me and that gave me the sense I could do anything.” Doyle gave that to Jean and Jean to Doyle. Jean’s final request was that we use a picture that showed her and Doyle’s connection. “Take good care, Jean,” I said. Her reply, “All right, hugs. Bye bye.”
Helen E. Bishop, was a resident of Minoa since 1948, and was the daughter of Howard and Iris Robb Crocker. Helen was born July 18, 1923, in Pulaski. She graduated from Pulaski High School in 1941 and earned her BFA in Art from Syracuse University in 1945. Helen was married to Dr. Thomas Bishop in September 1944; he passed away in November 1975. In 1955, Helen started the Visual Arts Program at the Minoa School, where she worked for one year before returning to full-time homemaking. Helen remained an artist throughout her life. A devoted equestrian, Helen was a member of the Calvary Club in Manlius, NY.
Jean Mary Hastie was a true lover of animals with her Pitbull rescue, Buster, her Cairn Terrier, Sadie and Freddie, her Ragdoll cat. She was the District Commissioner of the Cazenovia Pony Club where she made many friends as she traveled with her late husband Alexander to various horse shows. She was an avid volunteer in her community and the mother of eight children, one of whom is an active volunteer and member of the Equine Care Committee, (ECC) at Sunshine Horses, Beth Silfer. We were blessed to have been a part of her generosity and knowledge.
Frederick H. "Bud" Ceratt
Kitty Longo
Martha Fabrizio