Volunteers pitch in for a special cause
Team Depot fixes home for Special Strides in Monroe Township
BY JESSICA SMITH
Staff Writer

MONROE - Volunteers at Special Strides will be better equipped to help the developmentally disabled children they serve, thanks to the help of Home Depot.

Team Depot is expected to renovate a house that was donated for use as office space for the nonprofit organization, which operates on Congress Hill Farm, Federal Road. Special Strides provides therapy through horseback riding, which benefits children with autism, cerebral palsy and other motor and sensory conditions.

"Home Depot has gone way beyond the walls of their stores for community outreach," said Karen Goldberg, development coordinator for Special Strides. "They have been just amazing."

Goldberg, a decorator, had been asked to assist Special Strides in renovating the house, which was donated by the Landy family, who own the farm. She brought in some people she knew to build a ramp to provide accessibility to people with handicaps, then began searching for programs. Home Depot's Team Depot agreed to take on the job.

For seven of the 10 years since Special Strides was founded by director and occupational therapist Laurie Landy, a 15-person staff operated out of a small, dilapidated office above a barn. Not only was it not an ideal work space, but it was not handicap-accessible. Landy and the other director, Susie Rehr, a physical therapist, would have to run up and down the steps of the barn to do business with parents of their clients.

"I don't think we ever would have given ourselves offices or a therapy room, because we want all of the money to go to the kids," Landy said. "We really don't pay ourselves either, but we love it."

The double-wide mobile home being donated was once used as quarters for caretakers at the farm. When the previous caretakers moved to Florida, the Landys decided to give it to Special Strides.

The house was left in extremely poor condition and was uninhabitable, Landy said.

Team Depot members from Home Depot stores in Howell, Freehold Township, Marlboro and Neptune worked on the project last week.

With the help of donations from other companies, the volunteers were able to paint the interior, install new appliances, lighting fixtures and a new bathroom, as well as new flooring, counter tops and molding.

This week, another team of 20 to 25 members will come from the South Brunswick and Milltown Home Depot stores to complete the work. They will install shelving and closet organizers, as well as provide outdoor landscaping and benches.

When the work is completed, the building will house a therapy room, conference room, work station and volunteer area.

Team Depot reaches out to help communities through philanthropic and volunteer efforts. Their work has included building homes for Habitat For Humanity and constructing playgrounds in underprivileged neighborhoods, among other projects.

"It's really nice to see businesses helping the community," Landy said. "It's wonderful, and it also sets an example for its employees."

Team Depot has already supplied Special Strides with a sign, which is something it never had. It is hand-painted to match the organization's logo.

Special Strides now has 50 students and Landy said, "They're getting therapy, but they don't know they're getting therapy because they're having fun. It's a powerful therapy."

The program runs during school hours and on Saturdays. It is able to operate year-round because it has an indoor facility.

Volunteers from schools, churches, synagogues and scout troops spend time at the farm helping with the program as a part of community service projects.

Special Strides costs a lot of money to operate because of the horses, Landy said. As a result, it can be difficult for some families to afford the cost of the program for their children. To help with this, Special Strides raises money for the Steven Werthan Scholarship Fund. Last year, it was able to give out 13 scholarships totaling $45,000 for students to participate in the program.

The program's annual barn benefit dance was attended by 300 people and raised $80,000 for the organization between ticket sales and the auctioning of donated items.

Congress Hill Farm consists of 200 acres, 100 of which are wooded with trails for riding. Along the trails, there are sensory areas for the children, with things like ladders and playgrounds. The farm is also used for boarding horses, and Landy offers it for use as a summer camp to groups like Chabad House Jewish Center. It also houses a petting zoo, which is used by Special Strides.

"It really gives you a lot of strength when you're working so hard, that people pitch in and help out," Landy said. "It's a dream. It's really a dream."