SIRE Therapeutic Horsemanship to host groundbreaking ceremony for new education and visitor center June 8

SIRE Therapeutic Horsemanship will host a groundbreaking ceremony for its new education and visitor center June 8 at 10 a.m.

Located at 4610 Sloangate Drive, Spring, SIRE was founded in 1983 and aims to improve the quality of life for people with special needs through therapeutic horsemanship activities and educational outreach. The nonprofit provides more than 10,000 instructional hours annually to riders with a variety of disabilities ranging from autism spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy to Down syndrome and psychiatric disorders.

"Just like the Spring community, we are growing and rapidly expanding our services to meet the evolving needs of our riders and their families," the release states. "This education and visitor center is made possible through a generous gift from LGI Homes to build it at no charge. This is just the first step in a much bigger dream."

The education and visitor center will feature an indoor area for riders and families to handle medical issues such as seizures, medications and feeding tubes; handicap-friendly bathrooms to replace the facility's existing portable toilets; comfortable indoor and outdoor spaces for observing therapy; a multipurpose lounge for families to use; and a kitchen, classroom, conference room and office space.

The new education and visitor center is just one component of a $3.5 million project to renovate the nonprofit's 37-acre Spring location, which will double the number of riders and families who can be served annually, upon completion. For more information about SIRE's renovation project, click here.

As of May 13, SIRE has raised $2.2 million to fund the project with the goal of raising $1.1 million more, which will allow the nonprofit to receive a $900,000 challenge grant from the Mabee Foundation in Tulsa to fund the remainder of the project. To make a donation to SIRE, click here. 281-356-7588. www.sire-htec.org