Our volunteers come to Mane Stream for a lot of different reasons. Normally they would be spending their time at the barn supporting our programs and our mission but the pandemic has made that difficult, to say the least. In an attempt to remain connected, we asked our volunteers to share what they do outside of the time they spend with us at Mane Stream. What hidden talents do they have? What is their “back story” and how did they get to where they are now? Boy, did we get some great responses! These stories completely fascinated us and we want to let you in on their secret talents that aren’t so secret.

Raphaela Araki-Leite

Raphaela Araki-Leite is a brand new volunteer to Mane Stream. When we reached out and asked if anyone had any special talents or stories not related to Mane Stream that they wanted to share, she stepped up to the plate and blew us all away! Raphaela says “This is just a hobby but I have always loved art and quarantine gave me the opportunity to finish [some works in progress] and start some [new] projects!” Quarantine never looked so beautiful! Are you an artist too?? Leave a comment and let us know!

Karen Ricciardi

Volunteer, Karen Ricciardi, shared so many fun facts about herself! She worked in restaurants as a teenager and that experience inspired her to become a trained baker and cook at the New York Restaurant School. She put herself through school and everything! She also used to volunteer with her sister Laura making soup once a week for 60-80 senior citizens and did that for about 7 years. We bet the soup was delicious. Karen also is an avid reader, she set a goal to read 50 books last year, and made it to 48. What an accomplishment! I bet she has a ton of great recommendations. Ask Karen for a soup recipe or book recommendation below in the comments!

Maggie Conroy

Dedicated volunteer Maggie Conroy has definitely lived an exciting life! She used to work for the William J Barnes Agency in Westfield where she shipped the United States Equestrian Team’s horses to Europe. The company coordinated all aspects involved in the shipping process, from health papers to USDA permits to quarantine to vanning and plane reservations. They also arranged for the import of horses from Iceland and they did domestic travel too. She had the opportunity to fly via Luftansa with horses from Newark to Los Angeles, twice (with a professional groom.) We have the pictures to prove it! Have your own horse story you want to share? Comment below!