Equine therapy nonprofit takes next big step with purchase of ranch in Neenah area | The Buzz

VINLAND — A nonprofit that utilizes equine partnerships to enhance lives recently purchased the property it was renting on, taking full reigns of the ranch and expanding programs.

BEAMING Inc., 2692 County Road GG., finalized the purchase in September. It was formerly leasing the space from KK Quarter Horses, owned by Katie Samuelson, for the past 14 years. Samuelson, who also acts as BEAMING's CEO, told the Post-Crescent in an interview that she sold the property to the organization at a lower price than it's appraisal.

"I really just wanted them to have it," Samuelson said. "Another goal of ours is to provide a space for nonprofits and community members to come together. We want to build a stronger community through horse power, and this step forward for BEAMING leads to that."

BEAMING, which stands for Building Equine Assisted Mobility Into New Growth, was founded in 2004 and since then has grown to offer a wide range of programs and events that utilize the benefits of equine relationships. It's programs focus on ages four and up with physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities, and also provides programs for trauma and crisis survivors.

The decision to buy the ranch came after the vice president of BEAMING, Walt Zerrenner, aided the organization in the financial planning leading up to the purchase.

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"After I joined the board in 2019, we brought in more programs, got more sponsors and donations and built a good base of operation," Zerrenner said. "At the time, we didn't have a reserve, and I told them we needed to have that as a fallback. Without a good reserve, we would not have been able to buy the property here, and now we had enough equity to make such a big decision."

Zerrenner said the purchase of the property and funding of programs wouldn't be possible without community support through volunteers, fundraisers, grants and sponsorships. He said two new programs are in development since the sale which will focus on mental health and Parkinson's disease.

"We're very excited by the purchase and the new programs," Zerrenner said. "It's a great operation and a great step forward for a nonprofit. I'm happy to be part of it for almost five years now."

The Parkinson's program will tie in with the organization's current dementia program, Stable Minds, which focuses on enriching the quality of life for adults and seniors who have Alzheimer's, dementia and other forms of memory loss. Its mental health program is currently in development.

"Since the ranch has been such a community place, I could not think of a better organization to continue the mission of sharing this ranch with everyone," Samuelson said. "I really want to provide that experience of hands-on interactions with horses to enrich the community. As the person who sold the ranch, and as CEO of BEAMING, that's my vision."

To learn more about programs and events that BEAMING Inc. offers, visit its website at beaminginc.org.

Faith Huey is a business reporter for The Appleton Post-Crescent. You can reach her at [email protected] or view her Instagram profile at @Faith.Huey.