MARYSVILLE — To commemorate the progress they’ve made in recovering from flooding that devastated their facilities last year, and to show their appreciation to the community for supporting their group, the all-volunteer crew of the All Breed Equine Rez-Q in Marysville invited the community to attend an open house fundraiser at their stables on Saturday, April 21, to see what donors’ contributions have helped to repair, and in some cases improve.

Lynnwood residents Mike and Dieta Gravesen brought their granddaughter, nearly-8-year-old Amelia Myers of Everett, with them to tour the grounds and visit the horses that day, and Amelia took advantage of the pony rides available for children to climb up onto the saddle of “Blacky.” For Mike and Dieta it was a chance to finally see the nonprofit to which they’ve contributed, although they described themselves as merely “small donors.”

“We used to donate to a rolling ranch in Montana that took in all sorts of animals, but then they moved to the East Coast,” Mike Gravesen said. “The wife has always liked horses, and we heard about this place in the news, so we decided to support a local organization.”

As Amelia and Blacky trotted around a show ring with the help of volunteer Becky Segault, Mike admitted to being pleasantly surprised by how healthy all the horses looked, and praised the All Breed Equine Rez-Q for providing the horses with ample space and personalized care.

“This is a worthy cause,” Mike Gravesen said. “Anyone who wants to save horses should support this group.”

Shirley Johnson Murray agreed to bake 100 gourmet cupcakes to sell at the All Breed Equine Rez-Q fundraiser because she believes it can benefit people who volunteer there as much as it does the horses they care for.

“I have a disabled client who comes here to work,” said Johnson Murray, an employment specialist and job coach with Washington Vocational Services. “I can’t even begin to tell you what this place has done for them. The family has noticed a clear difference, and the staff is so wonderfully kind and gentle.”

Julia Harnish attends middle school in Lake Stevens, but she’s made time to volunteer at the All Breed Equine Rez-Q for the past five years, even though she’s only 12 years old now.

“I heard about this place in the newspaper from one of their open houses,” Harnish said, in between grooming ponies and taking them out of their stalls for rides. “I love horses. I ride here every week. They take good care of these horses with the money they have, and with more money they’d be able to take better care of them.”

Dale Brooks, president of the All Breed Equine Rez-Q, touted the group’s repairs to their stables’ roofs, barns and floors from the flood damage, but noted that only 17 of their 30 stalls are serviceable enough to accommodate horses. She added that it costs about $2,400 a month to keep their non-profit up and running, with vet bills alone costing between $500 and $1,000 each, even with an all-volunteer crew of roughly a dozen full-timers each working 12 hours a day for three days a week to care for the horses and maintain the grounds and facility.

You can donate directly to All Breed Equine Rez-Q’s vet bill by calling the North West Vet clinic at 360-629-4571, or mailing them at 8500 Cedarhome Dr., Stanwood, WA 98292. You can likewise donate directly to the group’s feed bill by calling the Snohomish Co-op at 360-568-2104, or mailing them at 168 Lincoln Ave., Snohomish, WA 98290. Direct donations can also be made through the All Breed Equine Rez-Q’s website at www.allbreedhorserezq.com, or to the group’s mailing address at P.O Box 442, Snohomish, WA 98291.