SIRE, Houston’s Therapeutic Riding Centers

Rolls-Royce encourages all its employees to participate in community activities as part of its formal Corporate Responsibility initiatives. Each RR location is expected to adopt an environmental or charitable organization to support the local community. The Houston-based Commercial Marine Group selected SIRE Therapeutic Equestrian Centers in August 2007.

From a small office of only 15 employees, seven individuals made the commitment to lead or sidewalk as volunteers for the Fall 2007 semester. Some had little or no knowledge of therapeutic riding, or horses for that matter! Everyone expected the experience to be rewarding, but we had no idea what the real impact would be for us and our organization.

For any company planning to spend thousands on “team building” activities and consultants – we have a more efficient and cost effective solution for you: get your staff involved with SIRE! From just a newly formed group of professionals in Houston, by the end of our first semester, we were a real team. Working together with the horses and clients and instructors at SIRE created a bond between us and a series of shared experiences we brought back to the office.

We have shared the joy of watching our riders get stronger, gain confidence, and it changed our perspective – we collectively know how to distinguish between the trivial and the significant - we know how to discern what is really important. As one staff member recently said, “I’m so very glad to participate, and the smiles on the kids’ faces speak volumes.” This has been a wonderful experience for all of us, and we look forward to future semesters!

Brenda S. Cunningham
Vice President - Finance