With all the upsetting news on the airwaves, good deeds like those that occur daily at F.R.I.E.N.D.S Ranch (Florida Research Institute for Equine Nurturing, Development and Safety, Inc) in Pembroke Pines, Florida may see to go unnoticed.  But under the corrals and in the fields, there’s a different story being told.  This is a place where miracles happen, where orphaned or once severely maltreated horses are rescued, fed and cared for by volunteers and sponsors.

Alongside the 51 rescued Equines(horses),  F.R.I.E.N.D.S. also cares for goats, donkeys and miniature horses on the ranch.  After becoming a registered  Non Profit organization in 1987, its scope transcends beyond being a safe haven for these animals in simultaneously serving  as a facility to aide researchers in finding a cure for Equine Infectious Anemia(EIA.) The work of this Equine research is commendable; it’s goal aims to prevent future generations from this disease.

On November 23, 2010, a group of young volunteers representing the Miami Job Corps Student Government Association pitched in at F.R.I.E.N.D.S to make a difference by caring for these special animals.  Wearing long rubber boots and sporting farming tools at hand, they swept out stalls, filled water buckets, stacked hay and assisted with grooming chores.  For the young volunteers, it was a unique chance to get in touch with nature, learn about the caring of animals and experience a world outside of the urban city life they grew up in.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. works with a variety of community groups as well as with private universities and research labs.  In fact, between 3, 500-4,000 volunteers help out at the ranch annually.  The organization is 100% charitable where no one gets paid and its annual budget of $3,000.00 depends on grants, sponsorships and fundraisers.

Blog Writer:  Lori M. Trujillo