Kimmswick, MO – Several members of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 58’s Young Lions spent the day helping an equine-assisted therapy center get back in the saddle after it experienced significant flood damage.
The Young Lions, a group of young union painters who band together to do community outreach throughout the year, put their brushes to work on Saturday, Feb. 20 at Ride On St. Louis by painting both the interior and the exterior of the center’s buildings and other various structures.
The Jefferson County not-for-profit agency serves children and adults with disabilities, U.S. veterans and disadvantaged youth. The program uses the unique movement of horses to gain physical, mental, emotional and spiritual improvements of those served.
In December, raging flood waters inundated the center’s 6-acre site, mangling fences, toppling poles and physically carrying a large wooden, mounting deck away from the stable. The agency ended up with four feet of water in its office and six to seven feet of water in the stalls, rendering it uninhabitable.
However, thanks to the generosity of the Young Lions and other local unions including Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562 and the Electrical Connection – a partnership of the IBEW Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), the center will be back in business much sooner than expected.
“We cannot adequately express our appreciation and gratitude,” said Marita Wassman, ROSL founder and program director.
For more information on Ride On St. Louis, call 636-464-3408 or visit rideonstl.org.
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