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A Horsey House Call from a member of Camp Casey's "Hero Herd" can be the thrill of a lifetime for kids like Ashleigh Tranchemontagne, who was diagnosed with a rare tumor in 2008 but is in full remission today. good time, and once again cancer disrupts that for them." Since there were no more barn days planned for that year, Reeser decided to bring Camp Casey to that little girl instead, in October of 2006. "I got five volunteers—one of my friends had a horse, one had a truck, and one had a trailer," said Reeser. "It was a suburban area right outside of Detroit. We brought the horse right to her doorstep." The girl and her sister opened the door and started screaming with excitement when they saw the horse. "They met us out in the back by the swing set, and we took them on rides up and down the street," said Reeser. That Horsey House Call became the first of many, as it also sparked Camp Casey's most generous donation to date. A man driving by stopped to ask what was going on, and when Reeser explained the situation, he told her he wanted to learn more. They met up for coffee but parted company without making firm plans. She never heard from that man again, but one day she checked the Camp Casey P.O. Box to find an anonymous check for $50,000. "When I saw the date of the check, I got really scared," said Reeser. "It was Aug. 17, which would've been Casey's 17th birthday. I was shaking. I was terrified that now we actually had to do it. It was such a dream for such a long time. I thought I'd bitten off more than I could chew. But when I saw the date of the check, it was Casey's birthday. And that made me feel like this is meant to be." Camp Casey had about $300 in the bank before this donation. "We were doing it with everything begged, borrowed or stolen," joked Reeser. "We didn't even have the right insurance policy. We were doing everything backwards. We got very lucky." Today, Reeser is one of two full-time employees at Camp Casey. The 501(c)(3) reaches 250-285 children per year between Horsey House Calls and Cowboy Camp Outs, allexpenses paid weekend vacations to a dude ranch resort for families with children affected by cancer. They have six horses in the "Hero Herd" and two more being considered for next year. An equine therapist certifies that a potential horse is suitable for Horsey House Calls, and then that horse may be leased for the day from his or her owner to make Camp Casey visits. By having a network of horses, the wear and tear on the horses is limited, and Camp Casey reduces its overhead by not owning any horses. The horses make house calls during the summer, and Reeser, Ferndale, Mich., spends the rest of the year fundraising to come up with about $175,000 to support all the Camp Casey activities. "Every fundraiser that goes well and every child who is served is so motivating," said Reeser. "It's the most emotionally fulfilling job you could possibly have. We're offering the kids the most fun time ever. We're like the Publishers Clearing House for these children. We're not the heroes in the hospital who are coming with needles and chemo and bad news. We're coming with a horse and making them the cool >> LEARN MORE: Find Camp Casey online at camp-casey.org and facebook.com/CampCasey. >> GET IN TOUCH: Email executive director Molly Reeser at molly@camp-casey.org or program director Danielle Martin at danielle@ camp-casey.org. Call 877-388-8315. >> GET INVOLVED: Volunteers must be 18 or older with a valid driver's license, and they must attend a Horsey House Call volunteer training session. Fill out an application at camp-casey.org/volunteer. kid on the block." Reeser loves all the house calls, but her absolute favorite are in inner city Detroit. "We accommodate any living situation. We don't care if you're in the roughest neighborhood," she said. "Sometimes the kids and other people on the block have never seen a horse up close. It becomes almost a block party. Everybody comes out. People slow down, and their phones come out to take pictures. It's like we're bringing a unicorn to their door." C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M W INTER 2013 93

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