The Bowers Fund, established by brothers Robert and Maxey Bowers, distributed seven meaningful grants to United Methodist charities last year. One of those went to a unique and deserving ministry in Wichita Falls: Whispers of Hope Horse Farm.

Whispers of Hope provides a safe, therapeutic riding facility for mentally and physically challenged children living in the Wichita Falls District. In its three years of operation, the farm has grown from serving 15 children to 270, at no charge. While on the horses these children sit taller and smile brighter, and discover they can do much more than they ever thought possible. 

“We have grown so fast and have such a demand for this type of therapy that we literally run out of daylight. We currently operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., but when the weather is too hot or too cold, or rainy, we have to close the facility,” said Mary Elizabeth Pearce, who operates this non-profit facility on land she donated.

The disappointment Pearce and her volunteer staff experience when they are forced to turn children away is magnified in the children who don’t understanding why they aren’t able to ride on any given day.

“They so look forward to their time on the horses. When you have to send them home because of weather conditions, it’s very upsetting and their parents have to deal with that. It can take days or even a week for them to recover from the disappointment,” Pearce added.

Realizing that a covered arena was desperately needed to continue serving the children in this growing program, the all-volunteer staff began to pray and look for funding options. Applying for a grant through the Foundation secured funds begin construction of the arena.

“We have truly been blessed. Everything we do is by donation,” Pearce said. “We don’t preach here but we do believe that everything we do is by God and through God, and when grants like this help us to further our work we thank God for answering our prayers.”

Other United Methodist charities receiving Bowers Fund grants in 2003 were:

Hugworks – Bedford
Diamond Hills UMC – Fort Worth
Kidz Depot Daycare – Como
Mission Milby Community Center – Houston
San Jacinto UMC – Amarillo

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