Today is a very special day for MeloTel. This morning, members of our team travelled south from Toronto to Essex, Ontario in order to pay a special visit to our friends at WETRA. The four and a half hour drive was all in the name of making a personal donation to this incredible organization. A huge cheque (and as you can tell from the photo above, we do mean HUGE!) in the amount of $46,529.57 was delivered to Becky Mills, who is WETRA’s Executive Director.
Becky is pictured to the very left of the photo, beside MeloTel’s Administrative Assistant, Chantel Cascanette. Our beloved Scout takes centre stage in the photo. As we reported, back in November, Scout is one of WETRA’s therapy horses and MeloTel is the very proud sponsor of this wonderful animal.
John’s niece, Shaya Meloche knows Scout very well!
She is the direct recipient of the Therapeutic Riding Sessions offered by WETRA and has ridden Scout numerous times. Shaya’s many rides have worked wonders in helping her to manage her special needs. Shaya’s father, Robb, who is MeloTel Founder and CEO, John Meloche’s brother, is pictured beside Scout. Of course, the big man himself, John is beside his brother Robb, gleefully handing over MeloTel’s large donation to Becky.
Pictured beside John is MeloTel’s Customer Service & Technical Support Specialist, Steeve Martin. (And yes, that’s Steeve with a total of three Es!). The $46,529.57 cheque represents a grand total of donations that the MeloTel team has been accumulating since October of 2019. None of the funds were raised as part of John’s recent birthday fundraiser.
John’s birthday fundraiser is still going!
Extended by another week, John’s new goal is $3000. At the time of this writing, the fundraiser is at the $2310 mark. We’re confident that, with your help, we’ll be able to donate a grand total that is north of $50,000, taking today’s cheque into account. As we’ve been blogging about for the past week, the benefits that WETRA provides those with special needs cannot be underestimated.
“This is one of the greatest causes I know and I’m so happy to support it,” said John today, “Myself, Steeve and Chantel spent the day touring the facility which is incredibly impressive. At times, also emotional knowing what this does for people who really need therapy. These people really do great things.”
Chantel couldn’t agree more!
“WETRA really does amazing things, from customizing riding gear, to providing grief counselling,” she said, “The facility is a truly place of happiness. All the animals; bunnies, ponies, pigs and 19 horses all are so friendly and interactive. The animals were all very healthy and well kept. From the sounds of it the community is really reaching out to assist the facility and it’s very endearing to see the collective efforts to accomplish the one goal. They are always seeking out volunteers so I encourage everyone to reach out and aid in any way they can.”
WETRA currently provides Equine Therapy Services to nearly 200 children and adults weekly. Approximately 80 percent of those who are enrolled in the programs are youth who have developmental, emotional or physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, autism, anxiety and learning disabilities. The remaining 20 percent are adults with similar challenges.
To assist us with our continued support of WETRA, please donate to John’s Birthday Fundraiser today!
