FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE ARC OF LOUDOUN WILL DISCONTINUE ITS PROJECT HORSE PROGRAM IN
VIRGINIA EFFECTIVE AUGUST 31, 2023

Leesburg, VA — July 24, 2023 —With regret, The Arc of Loudoun will discontinue their Project Horse Virginia program effective August 31, 2023. The Arc of Loudoun’s immediate attention is on ensuring that clients, horses, and staff have a soft landing as the program comes to an end in Virginia. When making this announcement, Lisa Kimball, CEO of The Arc of Loudoun, shared that, “This decision is a difficult but necessary one as it has proven impossible for Project Horse to offer consistent year-round sessions without an appropriate indoor facility. Over the past two years, The Arc’s Project Horse program has served many people with remarkable results. Unfortunately, the lack of indoor service space forced repeated postponement and cancellation of individual Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and group Equine Assisted Learning sessions, making it impossible for our staff and horses to deliver consistent care to our clients.” The Project Horse Virginia herd of therapy horses is being re-homed to trusted members of the community. In fact, one of the horses, Jack, will rejoin two former colleagues in Colorado, where he will be able to continue his therapeutic work.

The Arc of Loudoun acquired Project Horse Virginia in 2021 to expand The Arc’s commitment to advocating for, educating, serving, and supporting people with disabilities of all kinds, to include mental health conditions. Project Horse Empowerment Center was founded by Darcy Woessner in 2008 to provide non-riding equine assisted therapy services to individuals, families, and groups. In August of 2021, Darcy relocated to Golden, CO and launched a new equine therapy center, Project Horse Colorado. Darcy and Fiona Fudge are looking forward to welcoming Jack to Colorado.

About The Arc of Loudoun

The Arc of Loudoun, founded in 1967, is a 501(c)(3) with a rich history of supporting individuals with disabilities and their families throughout the Washington, DC Region. An affiliate of The Arc of the United States, The Arc of Loudoun is home to multiple direct-service programs that serve the most vulnerable and underserved in our community — children and adults with disabilities, their families and caretakers, and the professionals who work to help them achieve their greatest potential. The Arc of Loudoun’s primary programs, Ability Fitness Center, ALLY Advocacy Center, Aurora Behavior Clinic, Aurora School, and Open Door Learning Center Preschool, continue to thrive in Leesburg, VA, providing a lifetime of opportunities for people with disabilities.

For more information:
703-777-1939
info@thearcofloudoun.org

For more information about The Arc:
www.thearcofloudoun.org