The farm at Strides to Success in Plainfield is a place people come to make tomorrow a better day.
"It's judgment free here," Sally Pike said.
Sally is the lead instructor at Strides to Success. She describes their location as a healing and teaching barn.
"So, if they're having a hard time with today, we work with the horses, and the horses teach them the life skills that they need so that tomorrow they can go out and tackle it," Sally said.
The programming is open to anybody in the community.
"I just love to be with the horses and the people. I just love to be with Sally, she's very positive around everybody. It's amazing," Amelia Monday said.
Amelia is heading into 8th grade but she's been coming to Strides to Success since she was a little girl.
"At first, I was actually really negative about myself and about everything else, and then I changed to positive. I stopped wearing these dark clothes because I felt hidden. So I just put on creative clothes and just went out there," Amelia said.
Sally started working at Strides to Success three years ago. Her dedication and commitment to Strides to Success earned her the Jefferson Award for Multiplying Good.
Strides to Success's Executive Director, Debbie Anderson, nominated Sally.
She wrote in her nomination: "Sally Pike is the most giving person that I know. She has a passion to help people navigate the challenges of everyday life. She is always willing to lend a listening ear and provide a safe and compassionate and comforting response. Sally creates a safe space for all and is a great leader."
"She stepped in at a time when Debbie and I lost our husbands, within 3 months of each other. We needed someone to hold down the fort," Blair McKissock, Strides to Success Director of Education, said. "She took on so much of the workload, and did it with grace, without complaint."
Sally says she loves seeing the progress in the people she serves.
"Some of them coming here without, with very little friends, and then leave, and they have great relationships. It's really fun to watch their journey," Sally said.
