Or mail checks made out to Team Velvet, Inc. to PO Box 268, Rocky Hill, NJ 08553-0268.
Team Velvet, Inc. In The News
2023
VIP October Issue
Team Velvet Inc. News by Susan Edwards PhD
Fall is in full swing and there are several new initiatives at Team Velvet Inc. Our charity continues
providing nonmounted equine therapy for children ages 6-12 who have experienced
trauma at no fee to families.
We also recently received funding for an Equine Mental Health Therapy for Children with Special Needs Program. Parents and medical professionals who are aware of local special needs children who may benefit from such services are encouraged to contact Dr. Susan Edwards at 809 924 4330 and www.teamvelvet.com for additional information.
As part of the ongoing legacy of love associated with the loss of our beloved lead therapy horse
Velvet who passed last year, we have initiated into our therapy horse herd a new horse named
Buddy. A beautiful black-and-white gelding with a good-natured manner, Buddy is in the process
of learning the herd routines, including horse ball, and we welcome him to his new home.
Our Visits with Horses program to provide emotional intelligence and resiliency
training for children was a resounding success and will be repeated in the coming year.
Based on the children’s classic Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, positive feedback was
overwhelming and represented one element of Team Velvet’s response to research from
the CDC indicating that the 8 th leading cause of pediatric death in America is suicide
for children under 12. Our Visits with Horses program was supplemented by a positive power
for kids program on self-confidence and self-esteem which was also well-received.
Our all-volunteer charity is totally funded by grants and donations. We encourage everyone
who loves children and animals to help sustain this important work. Please support our
major Fall Fundraiser ‘Photo Opps with Santa and His Holiday Horses’ held November l9
from 10am-3pm at Journeys End Farm, 79 Old Clinton Road, Flemington. See the ad on our
website at www.teamvelvet.com or in the online VIP edition. Donations may be made
online or via mail to Team Velvet Inc., PO 268, Rocky Hill, NJ 08553. Thank you for your
kindness.
SPONSORSHIP FORM
June 10, 2023
Hunterdon Foundation
P.O. Box 393
Quakertown, NJ 08868-0393
hunterdonpolo.org
email: hunterdonevents@gmail.com
Team Velvet Inc. is honored to have been selected as one of the named charities for the 2022 Hunterdon Polo Classic to be held June 11, 2022. Sponsorship forms are available at hunterdonpolo.org or from kpiparo64@gmail.com. To donate/designate patron tailgaits to Team Velvet Inc. with full payment to be received by May 25, 2022.
Everyone Needs A Hug Sometimes
Spring is a time of increased awareness of Child Mental Health. Statistics on youth violence show
an increase in the spring; mental health referrals spike for individuals, May 2nd is National Child Mental Health Awareness Day and the CDC mental health statistics show suicide as the 8th leading cause of pediatric death under age 12 in the United States. With the advent of bullying as a growing health problem, mental health among youth continues to warrant more attention.
Team Velvet Inc. announces “Visits with Horses Seminars” to provide children ages 10-12 with
information to help them grow in two ways related to good mental health. First, seminars address emotional intelligence so that children are more able to recognize and cope with feelings – their own and those of others. Second, the seminars are designed to help strengthen child resilience in facing and overcoming life’s obstacles.
Team Velvet Inc., a 50l c-3 organization offering equine mental health services for children, utilizes horses as therapy partners in both education and treatment programs. The program psychologist Dr. Susan Edwards explains, “The use of horses in helping people grow in mental health skills continues to increase at the international level. As horses are prey animals, they become accustomed to reading and reacting to the emotions of others as their lives often depend on such skills in the wild. In treatment programs helping others, therapy horses can give children a unique perspective on learning to help themselves.”
The program is free but registration is required. Parents may accompany their children but sessions have as a focus child learning. Children can attend one session or the entire series on either Friday afternoon 4:30 – 6pm or Saturday afternoon 1-3pm at the Flemington farm. The spring series starts April 21 and 22 and will be repeated in the summer and fall. Topics are outlined as follows:
Session l April 21 or 22 – Helping Kids Grow in Emotional Intelligence and Resilience
Session 2 April 28 or 29– Handling Worry and Stress
Session 3 May 5 or 6 - Coping with Fear and Anxiety
Session 4 – May 12 or 13 - Overcoming Obstacles
Session 5 – by waiting list only: Understanding Pet Death
All sessions involve an educational component and an equine interactional component. Email registration is required and group size is limited. Parents may register via email to Kathy Piparo, PhD at kpiparo64@gmail.com with a copy to Dr. Susan Edwards, sedwardsnj@eathlink.net and choose the session time slot most convenient for them and the age of the children to attend. There is no cost for the program but confirmed registration is required. Parents may accompany their children and observe but the program is designed for children ages 10-12. The goal is to help children grow in emotional intelligence and resilience, both of which are related to the development of good mental health. Registration is limited; please email as soon as possible.
For more information or to refer a child who has experienced trauma to the Team Velvet Inc. equine mental health therapy program, contact Psychologist/Director Dr. Susan Edwards at
609 924 4330 and refer to the website at www.teamvelvet.com for additional background information.
2022
VIP December 2022 Team Velvet Inc. Column
by Susan Edwards PhD
Psychological lnvulnerability in Children
Two of the early researchers in the field of child mental health invulnerability were Dr. E.J. Anthony and Dr. Norman Garmezy. Both in the state of Minnesota, the doctors were interested in the mental resilience of children who had experienced severe trauma and in ways to strengthen the processes associated with overcoming devastating obstacles in the lives of children. Their original work, translated into languages world-wide, generated extensive research and program development for helping child mental health across the globe.
Two factors emerged as significant in the strengthening process. First was a constant source of love; second was the mental ability to think in symbolic terms. Love could be associated with a family member, significant other and in some cases, even a family pet.
The mental process allowed the child to understand the source of problems in more of an abstract manner. Dr. Garmezy described the case of one 8-year-old boy whose mother was paranoid schizophrenic. The mother kept complaining that someone was breaking into the house and poisoning the milk. When researchers from the University of Minnesota interviewed the boy, he said, "there's nothing wrong with the milk-I drink it
all the time. That's just Mom ma's illness."
As our equine mental health therapy program for children works on adapting to current needs, we continue to require additional donations and grants in order to sustain our work. In this season of holiday giving, we thank and appreciate all kindness directed
to helping our efforts. No one is paid in our all-volunteer organization which is sustained only by contributions.
For more information go to our website at www.teamvelvet.com and to refer a child contact Dr. Edwards at 609 924 4330. Donations may be made securely through the website or via mail at Team Velvet Inc., PO Box 268, Rocky Hill, NJ 08553. Thank you.
SPONSORSHIP FORM
June 11, 2022
Hunterdon Foundation
P.O. Box 393
Quakertown, NJ 08868-0393
hunterdonpolo.org
email: hunterdonevents@gmail.com
Team Velvet Inc. is honored to have been selected as one of the named charities for the 2022 Hunterdon Polo Classic to be held June 11, 2022. Sponsorship forms are available at hunterdonpolo.org or from kpiparo64@gmail.com. To donate/designate patron tailgaits to Team Velvet Inc. with full payment to be received by May 25, 2022.
Many thanks to Debbie and John McLain , owners of Remax 365, for sponsoring tailgates at the Hunterdon Polo Foundation charity event. Some of the volunteers had pictures taken with a lifesize photo of Velvet and Debbie won the gift basket for her Creative Horse Cookies! Our eco bags made out of re-purposed feed bags were available for donations to attendees and a fun time was had by all!
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Thank You Northfield Bank Foundation!
Northfield Bank Vice President and Business Development Officer Kari Mastrioanni, third from left, presents a ceremonial check to Dr. Susan Edwards, Psychologist/Director of Team Velvet Inc., with therapy horse, Velvet. On the left is therapy horse Precious, with Kathy Piparo, PhD, Board Secretary, and right is therapy horse Little Annie with board member Lillian Shupe.
The Northfield Bank Foundation awarded a 2021 grant for mental health therapy for children to Team Velvet Inc.,
Echo Totes Support Team Velvet Charity Fundraiser
Team Velvet Inc. PRESS RELEASE for IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION submitted by Susan Edwards PhD, Psychologist/Director
Team Velvet Inc. a nonprofit organization providing equine mental health therapy for child trauma sedwardsnj@earthlink.net
Staff members from left to right:Program Volunteer Byron Weightman,
Lead therapy horse Velvet, Board Members Dr. Susan Edwards, President and Dr. Kathy Piparo, Secretary; Therapy horse Precious; Peer Mentor Christina Piparo with Therapy horse Little Ann
Raritan Township, NJ: Team Velvet Inc. is helping NJ prepare in advance of the May 4th deadline when the NJ Plastic Ban Law takes effect, single use plastic bags are prohibited in retail and groceries.
Team Velvet Inc. announces its fundraiser project refurbishing brightly colored regulation animal feed bags into multiple use shopping bags. Fitted with carrying handles, bags display portraits of horses,
farm animals, chickens or deer. A visual display of selected bags appears on the attached photo of the staff and therapy horses of Team Velvet, Inc.
Eco tote support bags can be obtained for a donation of $10 each via PayPal www.teamvelvet.com or via mail with a contribution made out to Team Velvet Inc., PO Box 268, Rocky Hill, NJ 08553 which includes mailing address to send eco bag.
High quality feed bags reformulated into multiple use shopping bags support the environment as well as Team Velvet Inc. charity which provides free equine mental health therapy for children ages 6-12 who have experienced traumatic loss. For more information see website www.teamvelvet.com or contact Dr. Susan Edwards, Psychologist/Director at 609 924 4330.
Girl Scouts Honor National Child Mental Health Day with Team Velvet Inc.
Raritan, New Jersey: As part of the build-up to National Children's Mental Health Day May 7 Flemington Girl Scout Troop #82304 visited the child therapy horse facility of Team Velvet Inc. which provides clinical equine mental health services for traumatized children ages 5-12 at no fee to families.
The Scouts toured the facility, met Board of Directors Secretary Dr. Kathy Piparo, Psychologist/Director Dr. Susan Edwards and Peer Mentor Christina Piparo and had the opportunity to ask questions about how horse therapy helps child trauma. They also met therapy horses Velvet, Precious and Little Annie and enjoyed playing an interactive game of Horse Ball.
"We were pleased to host this troop of intelligent, energetic girls whose compassion for helping others was very impressive," Dr. Edwards said. "Profound loss and tragedy can strike anyone at any time, and the heart power of therapy horses combined with psychological science can make a difference in both mental health and quality of life."
"Ours is an all-volunteer program," Edwards explained, "totally funded by grants and donations. No one is paid. For each Angel Benefactor donation of $3,000 we move closer to our goal of establishing a permanent horse therapy farm home for child mental health. Covid has increased the rate of anxiety and depression among youngsters and stress has spiked in pediatric suicidality in ways seldom previously seen.
We are grateful for contributions and gifts of any size which can also be mailed to:
Team Velvet Inc., PO Box 268, Rocky Hill, NJ 08553."
Anyone interested in referring a child, obtaining more information about this unique program or making a PayPal donation can go to www.teamvelvet.com or contact Dr. Edwards directly at 609-924-4330.
2021
Christmas in July Fundraiser
New Jersey Hills
Thank you to everyone who booked a tailgate space through us for the Hunterdon Polo Classic. Team Velvet, Inc. was honored to present the Best Polo Pony award after the match. Thank you Skylands Photography for the photos!
Fieldview Farm continues their long tradition of raising funds and awareness for local charities with the Hunterdon Polo Classic. Fieldview Farm features 150 acres of lush green pastures and farmland, surrounded by stately trees, a lovely garden nursery and equestrian properties.
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Valentines From Velvet
Team Velvet equine therapy seeks young artists to create coloring pages for fundraiser - New Jersey Hills
Team Velvet, Inc. Wins Equus Film Festival Award
Douglas Elliman Equestrian, 2021 Season issue. See pages 6 to 7.
2020
LISTEN: Dr. Susan Edwards interview on Stories and Strategies for Women Podcast
New Jersey Hills: Team Velvet founder wins John Deere tractor in social media contest
American Horse Council's Meet A Horse Day 2020 Facebook Contest
Happy Horse Hat Shop Video Released
Therapy Horses Star in Videos
Look for copies in the Red boxes by the library and Reaville Church as well as at Highway Hot Dogs, Frank's Pizza and Sweet Valley Farms.
In this first episode of the "Women Who Inspire Series," Dr Susan Edwards shares her expertise and experience with this amazing therapy, the fastest-growing modality of therapy in the world today. As an added bonus, she shares her personal inspirations - inspirations that have guided her personally and professionally. Her inspirations include: favorite writers, mentors, the goodness network, and love.
The podcast is hosted by Claudine Wolk who co-hosts Lets Talk! on WDVR radio 89.7 in Sergeantsville, N.J.
Team Velvet recently took part in a 30-Day Horseshine Challenge.
The horses were given Horseshine, a product from Omega Fields for one month.
"I am amazed at the qualitative difference in our three therapy horse herd in this short time. All three horses show more shine, thickness and improved texture after we followed the recommended feeding guidelines by weight. All of the improved in appearance which is significant as they started out as beautiful horses," said Dr. Susan Edwards.
See the blog on Omega Field's website.
Help us Help Kids Live Happy
There are many sad events that can change a child's life.
Since 2009 when Team Velvet Inc. began our charity has helped children transcend many types of trauma and profound loss. Some include parental death, devastating illness/suicide of a loved one, physical disfigurement, witnessing/experiencing violence, and psychological bullying, among others.
The kids are 5-12 years old. Our equine mental health therapy services are FREE because of donations like yours and Christmas in July is one of our major fundraisers.
Christmas in July with Team Velvet, Inc.
Team Velvet, Inc.
A Non Profit 501(C)(3) Charitable Organization
Equine Facilitated Mental Health Services for Children
Understanding Bereavement, Giftedness, Grief and Loss, Treatment of Trauma, Adjustment Issues
"Our horses work in the arena of a child's heart"
Services are provided at NO CHARGE to the families.