NSB Team Members Lend Helping Hands and Deliver $5,000 to Riding To The Top in Windham

WINDHAM—From cleaning stalls and garden beds to digging up roots on the trails, twenty Norway Savings team members happily withstood unseasonably high temperatures on Tuesday, May 21, to serve an organization that has positively altered thousands of lives in Maine since its inception in 1993.

“Riding To the Top (RTT) provides support, healing, and hope to so many people,” said Carter Loring-Lessard, Market Manager for NSB in Windham. “Helping in any way that we can is a small token of our vast appreciation for all RTT does.”

“We have a tremendously hard-working team and we accomplished a lot,” said Peter Horr, Personal Banker at Norway Savings’ South Portland branch. “We’ll leave with dirty hands and scratches, but every task we complete is well worth it.”

Based in Windham, RTT is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of children and adults with disabilities through equine-assisted services, including therapeutic riding, therapeutic carriage driving, equine-assisted learning, and hippotherapy. The RTT team includes certified instructors, specially trained volunteers, and a herd of exceptional horses. Clients range in age from three to eighty and are referred by doctors, therapists, social workers, teachers, family members, and friends.

It is a cause and mission that has inspired Norway Savings Bank for years, both in financial support and volunteer hours. On Tuesday, the contributions were in congruence as NSB team members helping to beautify the riding center on Lilac Drive also brought a $5,000 check from the bank (picture below). Since 2004, NSB has contributed over $150,000 in support of RTT’s clients and programs.

“Through their deep and genuine commitment, Riding To The Top has formed special connections between their clients and horses, and the community,” said Dan Walsh, President and CEO of Norway Savings Bank. “When you visit the riding center, you see how transformative the experience is for entire families, and it’s heartwarming to see the kindness of RTT staff translate into growing self-confidence in the riders.”

“We are so grateful for Norway Savings Bank’s ongoing generosity,” said Sarah Bronson, Executive Director of Riding To The Top. “In 2023, we were able to improve the health and wellness of over 270 children and adults with disabilities through more than 2,600 equine-assisted service visits. The financial assistance and encouragement from Norway Savings truly changes lives, providing aid to those in need, excellent care for our horses, and vital training for our volunteers and staff.”

The heartwarming interactions and the precision and grace of the sessions at RTT can be observed all year long, with the meaning, sense of belonging, and impact lasting a lifetime.

“I have had MS for 34 years. Since coming to RTT, it has helped me physically in keeping my ability to walk. Also, emotionally it’s been wonderful,” said one RTT rider.

“While riding at RTT, George becomes the calmest version of himself and displays strength and coordination that impresses me every time. It’s simply wonderful to find a place like RTT that accepts George for who is,” said one RTT parent.

There are many ways to support Riding To The Top in its mission, including through volunteering and donations. To learn more about these opportunities, visit the organization’s website at www.ridingtothetop.org.

“I wholeheartedly recommend supporting RTT,” said Walsh. “We are honored to be associated with an organization that makes such a difference in our state and world.”