People & Animal Learning Services (PALS) Announces Partnership with Duke Energy Foundation

People and Animal Learning Services, Inc. (PALS) announced today a new partnership, upon receiving a $5,000 grant award from Duke Energy Foundation.

This grant award allows PALS to offer scholarships for at-risk youth from 25 households with incomes at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Income Levels, an opportunity to develop life skills such as leadership, setting boundaries, trust, and overcoming challenges via interaction with horses. 

"We are pleased to have the generous support from leaders in our community, such as Duke Energy Foundation, that recognizes the need to help develop future leaders," shared PALS Executive Director, Paul Bryan.

“The Duke Energy Foundation is pleased to support PALS with this grant.  The social and emotional benefits, along with the leadership skills learned during the sessions, should prove valuable to those attending,” said Duke Energy Gov’t & Community Relations Manager Bruce Calloway 

Bryan stated that participants who complete the program will be able to do the following:

Equine-related

• Identify the ways horses communicate with humans (types of nonverbal communication).
• Explain basic horse safety procedures, including the reasoning behind the procedures.
• Demonstrate proper form for leading a horse at the walk, trot, and back.
• Explain how humans must take horses’ instincts (as prey animals) into consideration.

Social-Emotional Learning

• Articulate emotions in a variety of situations.
• Identify ways that personal emotional responses affect others.
• Define and provide examples of “soft skills” such as leadership, setting boundaries, nonverbal communication, truth vs. honesty, and pressure

For more information contact: Paul Bryan (812) 336-2798; paul@palstherapy.org

About Duke Energy Foundation
In Indiana, the Duke Energy Foundation invests approximately $2 million annually for community support and charitable contributions. To learn more about Duke Energy Foundation, visit www.duke-energy.com/community. 

About PALS
PALS is celebrating 20 years as the only therapeutic equine program in Monroe county. They provide comprehensive, individualized therapeutic equine programs designed by professionals to intentionally develop and restore functional skills, enhance well-being, and improved quality of life.