A Recap of 2025 Activities

rtidonkeys@gmail.com
Feb 20
2 min read

Dear RTI Friends,

With the start of 2026, we want to share with you a recap of last year’s events and visits. 2025 was a very busy year for both the Farm Program sessions and On the Road Visits.

We had 74 Farm Program sessions at our Newport location, totaling 116 hours of direct service with 21 different participants. We traveled for 75 On the Road Visits, with 1042 hours of direct service.

We visited 7 schools, 3 colleges, 2 hospitals, 16 Assisted Living Care Centers, 3 libraries, and participated in 18 community events and 2 parades all within a 2-hour radius of Newport, NH.

These programs/events were made possible with the assistance of 27 different volunteers who generously donated their time and talents with us. Our biggest “On The Road” event was our entry in the Woodstock Wassail Parade in Dec where our donkeys were accompanied by 33 walkers made up of RTI participants, volunteers, family, and friends!

We are able to carry out our mission to provide meaningful and empowering opportunities to individuals with differing abilities with the help of our volunteers, donations from private individuals, local businesses, banks, and through grant awards from several different organizations. We are grateful for the continued support of the Newport Service Organization, the New Hampshire Charitable Trust, and Town Fair TIre Foundation.

Building on the success of our “Kick It Forward” fundraiser last July, we are in the planning stages for a repeat event on July 12, 2026. Save the Date and join us at the Greatful Dane Lodge in Newport, NH with music by Nick’s Other Band! Stay tuned for more information as we finalize the details for a fun, family-friendly day to support our mission so we can continue to “Walk On.”

We will also be celebrating the 15^th Anniversary of Road To Independence this year! We are proud of the fact that we have been impacting our community since June of 2011 when we received our 501(c)3 status. Since then, participant involvement and visit locations have increased yearly. We have individuals who have been part of our organization for the past 15 years who continue to benefit from spending time with us and the donkeys.

We are looking forward to all the events and activities of 2026! Thank you for your support!

Enjoy some of our 2025 Adventures!

RTI Board of Directors -Margaret Coulter, Cathryn Baird, Janet Bavicchi, Deb MacMahon, Barbara Marzelli, and Dawn Bozogan