By Maggie Junkin
Several years ago my
grandmother gave me the book “Fletcher
Street” by Martha Camarillo for Christmas. As I
paged through glossy photos I saw a side of Philadelphia I didn’t know. Not the center city I have come to cherish from taking the train into town to see the
Christmas light show or having lunch at the Reading Terminal Market.
From the
train windows I would always see glimpses of North Philadelphia. Boarded-up city neighborhoods crippled with
poverty, crime, and drug problems. But Fletcher Street, in the Strawberry Mansion
neighborhood, is different. Horses are the focus and the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club has been around for decades, giving kids my age a chance to escape the
life of drugs and violence; kids that share the same love of horses I have.
When my grandmother gave me that book,
Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club was strong--a safe place for kids to escape
to and where they could learn responsibility through hard work and horsemanship. It also gave many
horses a second chance at life and escape from the slaughterhouses.
However,
since that book was published the club has hit hard times. In 2008, the City’s Redevelopment Authority
ordered the club off the land nicknamed
“Fletcher Field." They bulldozed all the barns and corrals. Ever since, the club has struggled to
exist.
Ellis Ferrell, Jr., is the club’s president. He
has dreamed of land to call his own. Land that he could build his own stables on and provide a positive future for the club. In the last year a glimmer of hope
came in the form of a vacant lot, donated by real estate investor Adam Ehrlich. Now that Ellis finally had his vacant lot, it unfortunately was not empty.
Unoccupied for years, people had used the lot as a dumping ground. It was
filled with mountains of trash.
This is when local horse
enthusiasts learned of the club’s need for help. With the help of social media, donations of barn
supplies and tack were collected at a local horse show. Karen Raach, of Rock
Solid Stables in Limerick, Penn. organized efforts to help the club. When the time
came to clear the lot, Dominique Damico, of Ramble on Farm in Berwyn, Penn. enlisted the help of her boyfriend, Dan Aquilante, of Aquilante Construction,
who immediately organized a crew to clear the land the day after
Thanksgiving. John Mastriano of Tustin
Farm in Hainesport, NJ and his wife, Audrey Winzinger, of Winzinger, Inc. were
watching the story unfold on Facebook and were thinking of ways to help beyond
donating blankets or feed. When Dan stepped into the story, Audrey knew
immediately how they could help. Dan had cleared the lot by then, and he and
Audrey got together to figure out what material was needed to stabilize the
ground. The Winzinger Company donated and delivered 125 tons of recycled
concrete.
The lot ground is now flat, ready, and stable for building. With the
magic of Facebook this small horse community stepped in and helped carry the
Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club one step closer to their dream.
They are now in need of help
for their final phase. The club is raising money for building their stables. I
invite you to go to their Facebook page, Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club,
where you will find their Rally Fundraiser page.
Learn more about their journey
to turn dreams into reality to give kids and horses a better life together. In
this season of giving please consider a donation to support this inner city
safe haven.
Maggie Junkin is a 13 year-old who competes in the large pony division. She is committed to animal rescue. Her favorite rescue to support is Danny and Ron’s Rescue. She lives with her
family, 6 dogs and 3 cats in Jenkintown, Penn.
