It’s been just over a week since InterMission hosted our Healing Hooves and High Heels fundraiser, and I’m still in awe of the environment everyone helped us create. Let me just say it was absolute, glittering chaos in the best way possible.
If you had told me a few years ago that I’d have a hundred people in my barn dancing along as a drag queen sang Elvis, I probably would have thought you were off your rocker.
But here we are.
We Leveled Up: Our Best InterMission Community Event Yet!
This was our fourth open house/fundraiser and I thought it would go fine, pretty much like it had before.
✔️ We’d get a good turnout, maybe 50-60 people.
✔️ We’d collect a few donations and have a nice time.
✔️ We’d get some more exposure – a few more people would meet the horses, and a few additional folks would want to volunteer or express interest in scheduling sessions.
We might even cover our expenses for the event. All good.
Boy, was I wrong!
💥 People showed up in droves! Thank goodness we asked people to preregister, so we could rent more chairs at the last minute.
💥 Everyone had a total blast – laughter and conversation ran rampant.
💥 Bingo and raffle winners walked away with hundreds of dollars worth of prizes!
💥 So many people got to meet the horses – in the barn and in the pasture.
And most importantly:
🌟 We smashed our fundraising goal!!
The goal of the night was to raise $2,000 for scholarships. I’ll be honest— I wasn’t sure we could actually do it, but shoot for the stars, right?
Our donors stepped up in a BIG way. With your generosity, we raised $3,726, which exceeds our fundraising goal! This allows us to offer more scholarships for individuals and families to benefit from equine facilitated healing this year.
The best part was all the connections people made with each other and with InterMission. Thanks to all of our attendees, donors, and volunteers, we are looking forward to a fantastic year!
We Created an Inclusive Safe Space for Everyone
To help you get a better feel for what the night was like, I’m going to let attendees tell you in their own words:
“A wonderful event! Such a positive atmosphere. Looking forward to the next one.” ~Patricia
“Would definitely do this again, we had a blast. I can’t wait for their next event.” ~Christine
“Such a fun event – so grateful to have been able to attend! Thank you for the impactful work you do in the community that makes a difference in the lives of so many. ” ~Hannah
“It was so refreshing to gather in community in a packed barn to have some fun where everyone felt very safe to be themselves and hear some stories of others.” ~Liz
The star of the show was the legendary Roxi Manacoochi, who called Bingo games, teased attendees, and sang pieces from Dolly Parton to an Elvis medley. Roxi brought a level of energy that made the chilly weather irrelevant (though our new patio heaters definitely helped).
We were captivated as Roxi shared her origin story—starting when Dylan (Roxi interjected “that’s my boy name”) somehow was cast in a female role in an 8th-grade musical and did it so well he ended up typecast in high school and even community theatre productions in the coming years. Then there were cruise ships, trips to DC, Roxi’s own back up band, and more.
Roxi wrapped it up by saying – “Then somehow you end up in a dress, calling Bingo in a barn.” 😆😂🤣 Just one of many times where laughter took over.
❤️ Roxi even mentioned the special vibe we had rockin’ the barn that day – “This is the most fun I’ve had on a Saturday afternoon in years.” ❤️
While Roxi took a break, the minis stole the spotlight. Even Utah’s little indiscretion 💩 couldn’t decrease the joy the kids (and adults!!) had in getting to be up close and personal with Utah and Lulu.
“Within minutes, [my daughter] had found the horses. Before I could even process it, she was asking if she could go out into the pasture with them. And these amazing people said yes. At one point she even asked if she could work there, and they told her she could come back and help as a volunteer. She was absolutely ecstatic.” ~Kaci
Beyond the Glitter: The Real Magic of Equine Healing
Beneath the glitter and the staggering amount of cookies (seriously, so many cookies), there was a deeper purpose. I got to share why InterMission exists.
Our horses are basically four-legged therapists. They create this incredibly safe, judgment-free space where we can finally let the “hard stuff” out. Whatever age you are, when you work through those difficult emotions with the horses, you find a sense of peace that you can actually take home so you show up differently for your partners, kids, and friends.
I believe that the benefits of improved relationships should be accessible to everyone, so InterMission offers scholarship support when people that want to work with the horses have limited financial resources. That’s where the fundraising comes in, and it means so much to me that we have incredibly generous donors making that possible.
We also have an amazing group of volunteers. From the people who hauled chairs and set up tables to the cookie-bakers and the greeting/parking/welcoming crew, volunteers are the real MVPs. Every person helped create an atmosphere that felt safe, supportive, and wildly affirming for the LGBTQIA+ community and every progressive soul in the room.
“Thank you to InterMission for having such a safe and welcoming space for ALL and hosting such a fun event! We can’t wait for the next time.” ~Liz
Whether you missed out on the fun or are already missing the joy you felt while you were here, there are plenty of ways to get some horse magic in your life. You can dive deep into a personal session, escape the world for a bit at one of our retreats, or bring some joy to your own backyard with a Mobile Mini outing. We’d love to have you.
Check out our scheduling page and come see what all the fuss is about. I recommend muck boots instead of high heels.
