ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - A longtime member of the Project R.I.D.E team has set down her riding gear and stepped into a well-earned retirement after dedicating a career of providing care through equine therapy.

Project R.I.D.E is a local nonprofit that provides therapeutic recreational horseback riding instruction to children and adults with special needs and serves 11 counties, including Sacramento County. The organization supports about 600 participants across its service area.

On Dec. 8, Project R.I.D.E staff and board members gathered to celebrate Tina Calanchini, who retired from her position as executive director. Vice Mayor Darren Suen attended the event to present a certificate recognizing Calanchini’s contributions to the community on behalf of the city.

Suen reflected on his personal connection with Calanchini, which he said began about 20 years ago when he sought help for his oldest child and later continued through collaboration after he entered politics 11 years ago.

 

Vice Mayor Darren Suen attended the event on Dec. 8 to present a certificate to Tina Calanchini recognizing her contributions to the community on behalf of the city. 

“It’s an incredible difference that you and this organization have made in this community, since 1979,” Suen said. “The passion you’ve demonstrated that from what I’ve witnessed over the years is just incredible and a testament to what a great community we have here in Elk Grove.”

“We are so grateful for your service for all these years,” he added.

Calanchini, who began volunteering with Project R.I.D.E in 2000, emphasized that volunteer support is the lifeblood of the program.

“… this has been the best job, and I say that all the time. I have the best job; I get to play with kids and horses all day,” Calanchini said.

She added that the work brought something unexpected but welcome into her life, giving her the opportunity to help children who are challenged in their own ways by offering them a place where they can confide and feel supported.

Looking ahead, Calanchini said retirement means doing “anything I want.” She plans to visit her mother in the Midwest, catch up on books she has wanted to read and possibly return to serve on the board after taking a break.

Reflecting on her time with the organization, Calanchini told the Elk Grove Citizen she hopes she is leaving Project R.I.D.E better than she found it. She noted that when she first began volunteering, there was little in the way of formal systems or operations to help the program run smoothly or expand its reach.

Once the program was able to better extend its services, Calanchini said, Project R.I.D.E was able to enroll about 400 youth who had previously been on a waiting list for therapeutic recreational horseback riding. She explained that growth came through years of fundraising over time to reach the program’s current capacity.

“I got an opportunity to work here and pretty much I just hope that I’m leaving it better, and that I’m leaving it on a more solid foundation so that it’s here for the kids,” Calanchini said.

 

On Dec. 8, Project R.I.D.E staff and board members gathered to celebrate Tina Calanchini, who retired as executive director after 25 years of dedicated service to the organization.

Calanchini noted that she feels confident leaving the organization in good hands, with individuals who want to be there and are dedicating themselves to the program’s continued development and its mission of helping children.

“It’s good work, good work on this Earth and good work for a day’s work. So involving both humans and animals and the connection that goes along with it, there’s magic,” Calanchini said. “For a few minutes or 30 minutes that a child can be free of their disability that has given them something that they can’t find in many places.”

Project R.I.D.E Board President Kim Hettrick said she has proudly worked alongside Calanchini since they both started with the organization.

“Project Ride was incredibly fortunate to have her as its leader for all of these years; building a solid, strong foundation that will undoubtedly sustain the organization for generations to come,” Hettrick said. “Because of her commitment to and love of this program and our R.I.D.E community, future children will have the ability to experience the joy of their own ‘special place.’”