A massive sinkhole and other damage from recent hurricanes in California have severely affected the Square Peg Foundation, which provides a second career to Purebreds as part of useful therapy. for people with autism. The damage was so great that the organization had to immediately move the horses to a new location, using significant operating funds.
McCroskey: Square Peg finds purebreds an ‘autism fable’
After the rains, the sinkhole developed on January 12 on Highway 92 between Crescent Bay and the San Francisco Bay Area, initially blocking the road in both directions. The property that Square Peg leases to most of its horses and shows in Crescent Bay is on that highway, which is currently open to one-way traffic only.
Joell Dunlap, director and co-founder of Square Peg with her husband, Christopher, says that access to the property has been severely restricted for everyone from the organization’s interns, staff and volunteers. organizations to families depending on the therapy Square Peg provides, and even food trucks. In addition, the driveways to the farm were severely damaged by water and fallen trees.
Square Peg has the opportunity to move its operations to a more accessible facility at Ocean View Farm in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
“Our lease is about to expire in March,” Dunlap said. “We found this other property, but we will have to accumulate more. Our plan was to apply for a six-month extension and work on this really thoughtful project. Then the rain came and we I have to go now before the next storm comes.”
One gofundme The site has been established to help offset immediate infrastructure needs and program fee losses.
“My goal is to do this well and thoughtfully,” says Dunlap, “so that we can create a template to work on projects for more Square Peg satellites or to mentor other satellites.” Other organizations do projects similar to ours in national parks around the country. The goal is to do it slowly, and now I don’t have that luxury.”
Square Peg, which started 19 years ago and now also has a satellite location in Sonoma, serves about 75 families weekly and employs several people with autism. It also has an internship vocational training program for adults with autism. Seventeen of Square Peg’s 25 horses are Thoroughbreds, most of which come from its affiliation with CARMA, the California Retirement Management Account. The Square Peg is accredited through the Thoroughbred Care Coalition and is a member of the California Horsepower Alliance.
