Ironstone gala goes virtual Saturday, Nov. 7 for Deedee O’Brien

Ironstone Farm's normally sold-out Spirit of Giving Gala will be open to everyone in 2020 as it goes virtual. The gala will include special celebrity appearances by Ironstone supporters such as Tony Orlando, and honor Deedee O’Brien, Challenge Unlimited at Ironstone Farm’s only executive director in its 37-year history.

The virtual gala is available at http://bit.ly/ironstone2020 with “cocktail time” at 4:30 p.m. and the official gala starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7. An online auction is already underway and will run until 9 p.m. on Nov. 7. People can register and bid [bid here: https://app.donorview.com/V1gzy] for everything from horse-farm experiences, to food, art, and drink packages. The fundraising gala will have 3 premier items available for bidding only that night: a birthday party at the horse farm, a high-end trip to Vermont, and an all-day dude-ranch experience for four people with riding, roping and dinner right at Ironstone Farm in Andover. The winners will even be able to work as a team on horseback to drive a donkey back into its paddock.

While still helping to write grants for Ironstone Farm’s programs for children and veterans, O’Brien stepped aside earlier this year as the leader of the Andover nonprofit known for using horses to change people’s lives. O’Brien has overseen the organization’s growth from a small, volunteer-driven and grassroots nonprofit to one of the largest therapeutic riding programs in the nation. Ironstone Farm serves more than 1,500 clients a year from over 90 communities in the Merrimack Valley, Boston and Southern New Hampshire – from children as young as 18 months in Early Intervention to 100-year-olds in touch therapy programs. The farm is turning its original farmhouse into a Veterans Farmhouse for its weekend retreats.

“I cannot tell you how much joy Ironstone Farm has brought me! The people we serve are constant inspiration – from children living with disability and their devoted families, to our newest populations of combat veterans and seniors with memory impairment, to everyone in between,” said O’Brien. “I have watched this small organization grow and struggle and persevere while witnessing countless stories of courage and determination during my time in this remarkable place.”

About the Spirit of Giving Gala 2020: Deedee’s Dude Ranch

When: Saturday, Nov. 7 with virtual cocktail time at 4:30 p.m. and gala beginning at 5 p.m.

Where: Online on YouTube at http://bit.ly/ironstone2020

Auction: Available for bidding now through Nov. 7 at 9 p.m. at https://app.donorview.com/V1gzy

Benefiting: Challenge Unlimited at Ironstone Farm, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting children and adults with special needs, veterans who have experienced trauma, Head Start students, people diagnosed with cancer, elders with memory impairment and others.

Contact: neilfater@ironstonefarm.org, 450 Lowell St., Andover, MA 01810 or call 978-475-4056

MORE ON IRONSTONE FARM’S SPIRIT OF GIVING GALA HONORING DEEDEE O’BRIEN

About Deedee O’Brien

Executive Director of Challenge Unlimited at Ironstone Farm since its incorporation in 1983, Deedee O’Brien also founded the ground-breaking Ironstone Therapy program in 1997, as she recognized and championed the benefits of therapy with the use of the horse for individuals with physical disability. She has helped make Challenge Unlimited an industry leader in providing physician-prescribed physical and occupational therapy, especially in Early Intervention therapy for children aged three and younger – helping families who could not afford to continue riding otherwise through the farm’s “Sponsor a Child” program.

O’Brien successfully led Challenge Unlimited through a major capital campaign that enabled the purchase of the $3 million Ironstone Farm property in Andover, the construction of a state-of-the-art heated indoor riding facility, and the purchase of abutting property to house after- school programs for children with disabilities. Under her guidance, Challenge Unlimited has been inducted into the Special Olympics Hall of Fame, and received the Exemplary Service Award from the Perkins School for the Blind. Her role at Challenge Unlimited allows O’Brien to combine her deep devotion to helping people with her lifelong love of horses. Prior to her involvement with Challenge Unlimited, she taught high school English and History at Greater Lowell Regional Vocational Technical School and at the Lowell High School Night School diploma granting program. She is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Education, and completed her teaching certification requirements in English and history at Northeastern University. She also spent 20 years working part time at the New England racetracks working with thoroughbred horses as groom, exercise rider, and assistant trainer. Devoted to community service, Deedee has held leadership roles in numerous organizations, including the Rotary Club of Andover; the Kiwanis Club of Greater Lawrence; the Pine Grove Grange of Bath, NH; the American Society for Clinical Pathology; Lowell General Hospital Ladies Auxiliary; the Patient Advisory Council for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and state, county, and local 4-H Youth and Family Development Programs. Her work has been recognized with a number of awards, including the Lowell High School Distinguished Alumnae Award and the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship, and achievement awards from the Boy Scouts’ Yankee Clipper Council, the Andover and Merrimack Valley Chambers of Commerce, the Altrusa Club of Merrimack Valley, the Merrimack Valley YWCA, and Girls Inc. of Lowell.

About Ironstone Farm

Ironstone Farm is home to the nonprofit Challenge Unlimited. It uses the dynamic power of horseback riding and the farm environment to combine several therapies into one highly effective experience. Top doctors and medical institutions refer clients to Ironstone because of its success. Children with special needs learn to walk. People who did not speak before – including those on the autism spectrum – begin speaking. Additional educational, therapeutic and recreational programs improve the lives of others, including veterans who have experienced trauma, children and parents at risk, survivors of cancer, elders with memory loss, children with moderate to severe special needs seeking adoption, teens who have experienced trauma, and others. Ironstone’s education center provides an environment where cooking, nature, life skills, music and art can be learned by diverse groups. Its Veterans Retreat Farmhouse is under construction, and will allow U.S. veterans from around the country to stay for weekend retreats that military-organization leaders have described as life-saving.

Ironstone Farm is home to the nonprofit Challenge Unlimited. It uses the dynamic power of horseback riding and the farm environment to combine several therapies into one highly effective experience. Top doctors and medical institutions refer clients to Ironstone because of its success. Children with special needs learn to walk. People who did not speak before – including those on the autism spectrum – begin speaking. Additional educational, therapeutic and recreational programs improve the lives of others, including veterans who have experienced trauma, children and parents at risk, survivors of cancer, elders with memory loss, children with moderate to severe special needs seeking adoption, teens who have experienced trauma, and others. Ironstone’s education center provides an environment where cooking, nature, life skills, music and art can be learned by diverse groups. Its Veterans Retreat Farmhouse is under construction, and will allow U.S. veterans from around the country to stay for weekend retreats that military-organization leaders have described as life-saving.