Located just 40 minutes north of Pittsburgh, Glade Run Lutheran Services has been serving Pittsburgh-area children and their families for 171 years. The human services organization, which now has 11 locations, including its Zelienople campus, was founded in 1854 as the Orphans’ Home and Farm School. Since its inception, Glade Run has included plants, animals, and the natural world in the programs it runs.
In 1989, Glade Run launched a new endeavor — Glade Run Adventures. This program specifically focuses on using animals and horticulture to heal. Julie Wahlenmayer, a licensed counselor and the director of Glade Run Adventures, has been with the organization for nearly three decades.
Whalenmayer has been integral in growing the program, and wants Pittsburgh parents to know about the resources available.
“Over the past several years, the Adventures Program has focused on increasing staff training and diversifying programming to meet the needs of the community,” Wahlenmayer tells Kidsburgh. “As a part of the agency’s commitment to lifelong learning, all Adventures staff have received increased training in working with individuals on the autism spectrum and in working with individuals who have experienced trauma.”
In addition to training on neurodiversity and trauma, many staff members have also completed additional training in trauma-informed equine-assisted interventions.
Courtesy of Glade Run Adventures.
What’s offered at Glade Run Adventures
There are so many ways for Kidsburgh kids and their families to get involved at Glade Run:
Equine-Assisted Lessons and Nature-Based Lessons: These programs run for sessions of 8 to 12 weeks, with lessons happening for about an hour per week. While the programs are open to all ages, most participants are kids and their parents. These sessions focus on having fun while gaining confidence, improving communication and strengthening self-esteem. Prices of lessons vary from $35-$68 per hour. If the cost is prohibitive, some financial assistance is available through the Glade Run Foundation.
Adventures Summer Camps: Adventures Camp is designed for children ages 8-18 on the autism spectrum and is focused on helping campers have fun and make friends. Campers get to know the horses, as well as a mini cow, a mini donkey, chickens and rabbits. They also get to work in the gardens, explore art, play in the creek, and more. Camp sessions are two weeks long and run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at a cost of $600 per camper. Wahlenmayer says many campers are funded through their school district, utilize respite funds, or apply for scholarships through Achieva or the Glade Run Foundation. There is also a more advanced camp, called Independent Riders Camp. That camp is offered for three weeks in July at a cost of $460 per week (with a discount for those who attend all three weeks).
Individual and Group Adventures Therapy: Participants in the Adventures therapy program create goals with a licensed therapist that center on engaging with the natural environment. “Sessions may include walking the nature trails while sorting through anxiety, observing horses in pasture while resourcing strengths to ease depression, or sequencing skills in the garden to build communication and attention or manage impulsivity,” says Wahlenmayer. This service is covered by medical insurance. If clients are interested in adding equine-assisted interventions, an additional out-of-pocket fee is required.
Adventures Events and Workshops: These 90-minute workshops, which will launch soon, are for anyone who wants to explore social growth and wellness. “The program is also bolstering the Lesson Program service, which traditionally focused on equine-assisted lessons to include nature-based lessons, instructed by a Master’s Level Environmental Educator to get kids soaking in all the fun and benefits that nature has to offer,” says Wahlenmayer.
Steven Green, president and CEO of Glade Run Lutheran Services, says he and the board of directors could not be more proud of what Wahlenmayer and her team have accomplished: “In a world that seems to be more chaotic by the day, the Adventures program offers a sanctuary of peace for our families,” he says.
Kidsburgh Events Editor gets kisses from a resident of Glade Run Adventures.
Green says the folks at Glade Run view the animals as colleagues and valuable members of the team. “We believe in our Adventures Program,” he says, “and will continue to prioritize the sustainability of this type of programming for the people we serve.”
When asked about the moments that stand out most through her years doing this important work, Wahlenmeyer has a hard time choosing from an endless sea of core memories: “I could probably share a story a day about how this program positively impacts participants.”
She remembers a mom crying while watching an end-of-camp slideshow because her child was smiling in the photos — something she had rarely caught on camera herself.
There is something about snuggling animals and digging in dirt that helps kids connect and grow, and the staff get to see that happen constantly.
Wahlenmayer has countless stories of picky eaters trying a veggie they grew themselves in the horticulture program, kids who are often reluctant to leave the house excitedly getting in the car for their riding lesson, and more.
Recently, a mom emailed the program to share that her child, who uses few words, had begun saying “moo” after meeting Glade Run Adventures’ mini cow. “Since then, he’s added an increasing number of words to his vocabulary. It’s all great!”
For more information on the programs offered at Glade Run Adventures, contact them here.
Photo at top of story courtesy of Glade Run Adventures.