The Villages - April 2022 - 17

recruit Villages clubs to help with the efforts.
" Debbie said it would be nice if we could
find a way to make the stuffed horses they
were buying, and so I just opened up the
Recreation News and circled all the Villages
sewing groups, then made some calls, "
Marcy said. " The Villages Operation Shoebox
members have helped make about 2,000
horses, and we take them to hospitals and
facilities when we
visit. " Marcy said one
volunteer enlisted her 95-year-old neighbor,
who now enjoys making a horse every day.
The work didn't stop during the pandemic,
but volunteers made changes to comply with
social distancing measures.
" We'd sent a bag of horses to a facility and
we had signs to hold up outside that said 'We
love you,' " Marcy said. " Moonshadow (the
horse) went right up to the window, and the
patients had their little stuffed horses and they
were smiling and cheering at us. "
The miraculous part, she notes, is how the
horses affected a particular patient.
" The women hadn't spoken in three years,
Jorge
Garcia-Bengochea
and when she saw the horse she started saying
'A horse, a horse. It's a horse; it's beautiful!'
The staff started crying as we all listened. "
More recently, Marcy helped the therapy
horses during costumed Halloween visits
with patients at Trinity Springs Senior Living
Community in Oxford. " She has been a
wonderful volunteer for our charity, " Debbie said.
All the while, Marcy has enjoyed the ride -
on elevators and around the community. " I'm
honored to help when called upon, " she said.
As for the adorable therapy horses, Marcy
believes they delight in their duties. " They're
very well trained; they can handle situations
and they're pretty immune to loud noises, "
she said. " They just naturally do what they are
intended to do, and they seem to know who
needs them most. "
Those who see the mini equine in action
know their power eclipses their stature.
They possess a rare and wondrous magic, an
innate ability to help. Through the Gentle
Carousel organization, the mini horses speak a
language we interpret as love.
MAGAZINE
17

The Villages - April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - April 2022

Contents
The Villages - April 2022 - Cover1
The Villages - April 2022 - Contents
The Villages - April 2022 - 1
The Villages - April 2022 - 2
The Villages - April 2022 - 3
The Villages - April 2022 - 4
The Villages - April 2022 - 5
The Villages - April 2022 - 6
The Villages - April 2022 - 7
The Villages - April 2022 - 8
The Villages - April 2022 - 9
The Villages - April 2022 - 10
The Villages - April 2022 - 11
The Villages - April 2022 - 12
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The Villages - April 2022 - 14
The Villages - April 2022 - 15
The Villages - April 2022 - 16
The Villages - April 2022 - 17
The Villages - April 2022 - 18
The Villages - April 2022 - 19
The Villages - April 2022 - 20
The Villages - April 2022 - 21
The Villages - April 2022 - 22
The Villages - April 2022 - 23
The Villages - April 2022 - 24
The Villages - April 2022 - 25
The Villages - April 2022 - 26
The Villages - April 2022 - 27
The Villages - April 2022 - 28
The Villages - April 2022 - 29
The Villages - April 2022 - 30
The Villages - April 2022 - 31
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The Villages - April 2022 - 33
The Villages - April 2022 - 34
The Villages - April 2022 - 35
The Villages - April 2022 - 36
The Villages - April 2022 - 37
The Villages - April 2022 - 38
The Villages - April 2022 - 39
The Villages - April 2022 - 40
The Villages - April 2022 - 41
The Villages - April 2022 - 42
The Villages - April 2022 - 43
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The Villages - April 2022 - 45
The Villages - April 2022 - 46
The Villages - April 2022 - 47
The Villages - April 2022 - 48
The Villages - April 2022 - 49
The Villages - April 2022 - 50
The Villages - April 2022 - 51
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The Villages - April 2022 - 53
The Villages - April 2022 - 54
The Villages - April 2022 - 55
The Villages - April 2022 - 56
The Villages - April 2022 - 57
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The Villages - April 2022 - 66
The Villages - April 2022 - Cover3
The Villages - April 2022 - Cover4
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