Champ’s Heart stays free of cost thanks to large donation
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AMMON – A local nonprofit dedicated to uplifting others received a significant donation.
Fleming Barn Party has donated more than $128,000 to Champ’s Heart in Ammon.
Champ’s Heart is an equine-based nonprofit that offers special needs children, veterans, first responders, domestic violence and assault survivors the opportunity to connect with horses.
Even better – every participant, including their family, rides for free.
Every year, Shane and Lorre Fleming hold a barn party in Swan Valley to raise funds for a different nonprofit. On Aug. 3, they held the annual party for Champ’s Heart and raised $128,000 for the nonprofit.
When the Flemings, heard about Champ’s Heart, the decision was easy.
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“They do a tremendous amount of good for the community, so it was a pretty easy decision,” Shane said.
Champ’s Heart founder, Larry Cudmore, says there are more than 7,000 registered special needs children in eastern Idaho, and Champ’s Heart just scratches the surface with 300 children in the program.
“This $128,000 is just going to make sure we keep doing all of this for free,” Cudmore said.
In addition to the Fleming Barn Party donation, JP Murdock Charitable Trust awarded Champ’s Heart a grant to hire full time executive director, Emily Sellers.
“I hadn’t heard much about (Champ’s Heart), but as soon as I did, I just needed to figure out how to be a part of the organization,” Sellers said.
Champ’s Heart does not provide horse therapy, but they give people a chance to spend time with horses. Cudmore says horses have a calming effect.
“Parents will tell you ‘My little child was so apprehensive and anxious about everything, and riding horses built confidence in him.’” Cudmore said.
Carly Bush is one of those parents. She started taking her son, Kaiden, to Champ’s Heart in 2020. Kaiden has struggled with fine motor skills, balance and social skills, but Bush says spending time with the horses has made all the difference.
“It’s been life changing because he just can’t control things sometimes, but as soon as he gets on a horse, he is just calm and relaxed,” Bush said tearfully.
To learn more about Champ’s Heart, or to apply to participate, visit their website.
To stay up to date with the Fleming Barn Party, follow their Facebook page.