What great fun we had at Ronald McDonald House with the 49ers and Dream-Believe-Achieve! The children and their families were full of smiles and laughter, and the animals certainly enjoyed all the love and attention!

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Link to this event on the 49ers website

October 9, 2010 - Riley's Place at Woodside Day of the Horse

Riley's Place had fun at Woodside's Day of the Horse festival. Visitors were entertained by Shaun and Sheryl, the lovely sheep; and Annie and Sara, the lovely dogs!

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September 13, 2010 - Henry and Lezlee Kapono visited Riley's Place

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On Monday, September 13, Riley's Place was honored to host Henry Kapono, his lovely wife Lezlee, and their two beautiful four-year-old twins! A strong advocate for organizations promoting the well-being of children, Henry brought his family to meet his namesake, our one-month-old mini horse, Henry Kapono, and to learn more about our wonderful organization. The family was happy to meet baby Henry Kapono and his mom, Ayana. There was lots of cuddling! The children helped to groom our other mini, Kachina; and played with Leo and Laverne, our two Nigerian Dwarf goats. Twins themselves, the children were delighted to learn that Leo and Laverne are twins! After more cuddling with the foal, we all took a hike up to the tree fort, where the children climbed the tree, played on the swings and ropes. Henry and Lezlee are an incredible couple -- very caring and so down-to-earth.

Henry Kapono Ka’aihue is an award winning and Grammy nominated singer/songwriter. He has taken home numerous Na Hoku Hano Hano Awards (Hawaii’s equivalent of the Grammy’s) including Male Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year, Single of the Year, and Album of the Year. He is also the author of the award winning children’s book, "A Beautiful Hawaiian Day", has appeared in the films Damien and Waterworld and has made many television appearances.
He is currently in the middle of a multi-city concert tour, and after visiting Riley's Place, the family left for their next performance in San Diego.

September 12, 2010 - Riley's Place attends Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Picnic

What a great time Riley's Place had at the 10th Annual Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Picnic at Shoup Park in Los Altos! Leo and Laverne were joined by our special PHS/SPCA dog, Sara, and they all brought such joy to the many children and their families.

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Photo of Riley's Place at Neuro-Oncology Picnic

August 29, 2010 - Author, singer/songwriter, Willy Vlautin, appeared at Riley’s Place with his guitar and his best-selling new book, Lean On Pete

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August, 2010 - Riley's Place Visits Ronald McDonald House

Photo of kids with animals

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July 29, 2010 - Haven House of Menlo Park Visits

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July 28, 2010 - Redwood Family House of Redwood City Visits

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July 20, 2010 - Ronald McDonald House Visit's Riley's Place (our first on-site visit)

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June 6, 2010 - Barn Dedication

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March 14, 2010 - Visit to Los Altos United Methodist Church

We took the sheep and Harvey, the giant bunny, to Los Altos United Methodist Church. The focus was on Heifer International, and we were invited to share animals to bring awareness to Heifer Inernational

February 14, 2010 - Visit to Ronald McDonald House

On our special Valentine's Day visit we served lunch to 60 people and shared our animals with about 25 children. On this visit we took Kachina the mini horse; Atley the dog; Stella the cat; Robin and Casper, the two bunnies.

January 30, 2010 - Junior Committee meets animals

The members of the Riley's Place Junior committee gathered at our facility in Woodside to mee all our animals, including our new additions, Leo and laverne, the baby Nigerian Dwarf goats.

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January 5, 2010 - Visit to Ronald McDonald House

Our new bunny, Casper, made his debut visit.... along with seasoned travelers Robin and Kachina.

December 14, 2009 - Visit to Haven Family House

We took Pumpkin the hen, Robin the rabbit, and Atley the dog to visit Haven Family House.

December 1, 2009 - Visit to Ronald McDonald House

We took Robin the rabbit and Shaun and Sheryl the sheep to Ronald McDonald House for a visit.

November 23, 2009- Visit to Haven Family House

Riley's Place volunteers took two sheep, Shaun and Sheryl, Robin the rabbit, Atley the dog and Pumpkin the red hen to visit the children at families at Haven Family House.

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November 14, 2009- Junior Committee Meeting

Our first Junior Committee meeting was held on November 14th and was attended by 9 juniors, who are all excited about being a part of Riley's Place. They will help us with animal care and socialization, and community outreach projects.

November 14th Junior Commitee Meeting Group photo

November 3, 2009 - Visit to Ronald McDonald House

On our November 3rd visit to Ronald McDonald House, this little girl enjoyed interacting with Kachina, the miniature horse.

October 6, 2009-- Riley's Place Visits Ronald McDonald House

Riley's Place Volunteers took Kachina, one of our mini horses, to visit the children and their families at Ronald McDonald House. This lovely little girl, aged 1 1/2, beamed with joy when she ran her fingers through Kachina's warm, fuzzy coat. Her mother explained to us later that she had lost her eyesight as a result of her chemotherapy treatments.

September 21, 2009 - Riley’s Place visits Haven Family House

On September 21, 2009 , our mini horse, Kachina, made her debut visit to bring our “Four Legged Friends on Wheels” to visit the children and families at Haven Family House in Menlo Park. Kachina was a star, and absolutely loved the attention she received from 39 children! Two babies had their pictures taken, sitting on her back, and the children took turns brushing her, petting her, and feeding her grass. Welcome to the team, Kachina! And thank you so much, Leandra Steenkamp, for generously donating this lovely little mare to our program. She has already brought joy to many children.

September 15, 2009 - George Hall School visits us

Starting on September 15, and running every Tuesday for four weeks, Riley’s Place, in conjunction with NCEFT, is operating our “Playdate with a Four Legged Friend” program, hosting students from George Hall School. During their visits with us, the children rotate between driving in the mini horse cart and riding on the ATV. And before returning to their school, they take great joy in running up the hill, climbing the tree, and swinging from the ropes. Children spending time with animals, and enjoying nature – such joy!

When thanked for her generous spirit in volunteering every week, Nancy Elliot, DVM, commented that “I am really enjoying the time with the kids and people and critters at Riley's Place. Thank you for the kind comments but especially for the drive to get this going and give me a chance to participate in something that gives so much to anyone involved.”

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September 1, 2009 - Riley’s Place visits Ronald McDonald House

On September 1, 2009 , Riley’s Place took our mobile “Four Legged Friends on Wheels” program to visit the children and families at Ronald McDonald House – our regular monthly visit.

We brought two mini donkeys, Willie and Wonka, and a lovely red hen named Pumpkin.. We visited about 15 children and their families. The children took delight in brushing the donkeys, feeding them grass, and holding lovely, feathery Pumpkin!

Per Honey Meir-Levi, the Executive Director at Ronald McDonald House, “When a family stays at the House they have but one focus – the health of their child. You contribution of the monthly animal therapy program is so important because it helps make Ronald McDonald House the place where hope has a home.”

July 12, 2009 - Riley's Place Visits Ronald McDonald House

On Sunday, July 12, volunteers from Riley's Place visited the children and their families at Ronald McDonald House at Stanford. We prepared lunch for them, and brought some animals for the children to play with. It was a wonderful experience, and we will be going back for visits with our animals on a regular basis.

Sarah Reichanadter, Children's Activity Coordinator at Ronald McDonald House said "The families and children staying at Ronald McDonald House at Stanford are exceedingly grateful for the joyful and healing visits from the volunteers and adorable animals from Riley's Place. The stress and anxiety that these families and children bravely face every day evaporate when Riley's Place is here and for a brief moment, they can forget about their illnesses and just be kids. It is touching to witness their life surface when interacting with the animals." Sarah added, "It was more than a pleasure to have Riley's Place here this Sunday. You made wonderful food and the animals really did lift the spirits of the families. Thank you for your kind hearts and power examples of service."

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