As you know, Sam has some profound problems that keep him from any of the normal activities available to children who always want to explore and learn as they grow. It is always a challenge for me to find programs that can be tailored to his needs while also stimulating and challenging him. Your SMILES program does that very thing.

Your facilities, your services and your staff all combine to make a wonderful program that is well structured and that provides a very unique opportunity. I have taken Sam to your site for the past couple of years, and both of us are growing fonder of the experience every time we go. I find that Sam gets good physical training when he takes part in the events that you provide, and his time there has served to enhance Sam's acceptance of his surroundings. I can see that Sam has a fantastic time being able to ride the horses and be so involved in the activities that you provide, and the combination of sensory experiences that he has there continue to help him know and understand the world that is such a challenge for him.

Sam is involved in many special programs with the school system and other service providers, and all of them are intent on helping him overcome the incredible difficulties he has because of his disabilities. Sam sees things differently than the rest of us do; and he hears and senses things differently too. His mind and his awareness of the world is something that none of us can quite understand because of all the links that we take for granted are different for him. Everything that we can do to help him find ways to know the world that surrounds him is a challenge for us, since it takes so much effort. But when he responds with an effort of his own, then we know we have found a success. This happens when he climbs on a horse and rides into new feelings each time we visit your facility.

If there is anything that brings joy to my heart, it is seeing a smile cross Sam's face. Too often, he is absorbed in the inner world of himself, trying to find ways to break free of his own silences and find a way to interact with our world. his smiles are not frequent, for he has a hard time finding smiling moments as the hours pass in his day. Well, when I perch him up on one of your horses and then run alongside as the horse breaks into a trot, his whole face becomes one continuous smile. And I have to wipe a tear of happy feelings from my own eyes to know that together you and I are able to bring this moment of elation into his life.

Thank you for all that you have done for my son. he doesn't know how to say that for himself, but the pleasure that comes from your efforts is his. We both look forward to the tings that you will continue to be able to do for him, and I hope you will be able to do the same for many other children with such profound needs in the future. There are so few people with the dedication and giving nature that I find in your programs, and I am going to be happy to have Sam involved there for a long time to come.

Both Sam and I appreciate your help, and we enthusiastically endorse your efforts.