Amanda Taylor - May 2021
Started 2012
Amanda has been visiting WindReach Farm since she was 1 year old. Of course, it took her a while before she was able to start volunteering.
Amanda has helped in many areas at WindReach, including: animal care, therapeutic riding lessons, on-site tours, off-site visits, special events, community work days, and summer camp. Her favourite volunteer job is helping with therapeutic riding lessons and seniors’ tours. Amanda loves horses and working with individuals with disabilities, so the stables is a great fit for her. Seniors also hold a special place in her heart.
Volunteering has always been a part of Amanda’s life, and she was exposed to it very early on. She sees the value and importance of volunteering and how it affects people’s lives. Amanda is not a typical teenager, and often people think she is older than her 17 years. She has learned a lot of her communication skills by helping out at WindReach, and is thankful for the opportunities she has received.
Amanda brings a fresh, youthful perspective to volunteering. She is very outgoing, and has a positive energy about her. Other volunteers enjoy working with her, and often comment on what a mature young lady she is. “When I first met Amanda, we were working at the stables, I overheard her talking about the latest Marvel movie, which I had just seen. It cemented our friendship…such a hard worker, through all her ups and downs, and just a genuine, beautiful person. For this older volunteer, she reached across the generations, and has become a wonderful friend,” says volunteer Jenn M.
Amanda enjoys the feeling she gets when she is at WindReach helping others. “There’s nothing like being at WindReach Farm, and I am so glad my mom (Kelly Taylor) got a job here,” says Amanda.
Amanda really enjoys taking seniors on farm tours. She is able to connect with them, and loves listening to their stories of ‘back in the day’ when they lived on farms. “The seniors are great! I like sharing my love of WindReach with them, and talking about the animals and Sandy, the Farm’s founder. They also like to tell me about what their life was like when they were younger and lived on a farm. It’s nice to talk with them and share stories,” says Amanda.
Spending almost all of her life with WindReach Farm being such a big and important part, has had a huge impact on Amanda. When she was 8 years old, she organized a fundraiser to “support the animals” and had a backyard 'donate to skate' in a friend’s yard. Amanda and her friends raised $150 at this event. She wanted the funds raised to go towards animal care at the Farm.
When she’s not at WindReach Farm, Amanda tries to stay active playing soccer and curling. She is very proud to be the first ever girl on Brooklin High School’s LOSSA gold medal boys curling team. She hopes to be able to get back to her sports soon. In the meantime, she has discovered a hidden talent of drawing Disney characters with sidewalk chalk.
Thank you, Amanda, for all that you do at WindReach Farm.
One person CAN make a difference!