The Horse Boy Film Screening Presented by 15 Hands for Kids by Andrew S. Israel The film screening was presented by 15 Hands for Kids, a new non-profit organization established to teach adaptive riding techniques that allow children with a variety of disabilities to learn horsemanship skills and experience the equine environment. According to 15 Hands for Kids Executive Director Andrew Israel, “15 Hands for Kids was established to provide a unique recreational and therapeutic service to families with special needs children. In a community where there are far too few options, we hope to build an organization that uses an equine environment to impact lives. Being able to bring The Horse Boy and Rupert Isaacson to Memphis for this one-time screening is a fantastic way to launch 15 Hands and create more awareness for the unique benefits that animals can provide to children who live with special challenges.” At the end of the screening, Horse Boy author and the film’s producer, Rupert Issacson spoke to the crowd about raising a child with autism and the wonderful results that came from introducing his son Rowan to horseback riding. According to Mr. Isaacson, “Having a child with autism has presented many challenges, but I also believe it gave me opportunities to grow as a father and an individual. Further, the journey we have taken with Rowan has enabled us to create, The Horse Boy Foundation, which provides horse and animal related opportunities for other families.” 15 Hands for Kids will commence operations at a 30-acre Collierville facility in the Spring, 2010. To find out more about the pilot program, volunteering, support, and information about the organization, visit: www.15handsforkids.org, call: 901-240-6350 or e-mail: 15hands@comcast.net.