50 People for 50 Years: Jill Thomas
Jill Thomas’ love of horses and children brought her to Mane Stream in the early 1990’s. As a new volunteer, she helped with riding lessons and summer camp. Jill became more involved in the business side of Mane Stream, co-chairing a number of fund-raising events with Shelia Tweedie. In 2002, they ran the Blue Ribbon Gala which raised funds for the “new” indoor arena. Jill was an integral part in the demolition and renovations at Mane Stream’s current location. She remembers, “My husband, Mike was also happy to be involved when he could, helping with the building of the indoor arena and offices.”
Jill served for 5 years as a Board Member, including terms on the Executive Board, and attended several PATH regional seminars over the years. Wearing a few different hats, Jill was also the volunteer liaison, making sure the program ran smoothly.
For Jill, the “VERY BEST” part of belonging to an organization like Mane Stream was seeing the participants thrive, learn and be happy. “I remember, one little girl spoke her first words ever while on one of the horses.”
Over the years, Jill became fast friends with many of the volunteers and instructors (she listed MANY!) In Jill’s words, “We were a rowdy, happy bunch.” So much so that after volunteer shifts, they would gather at local restaurants for dinner. On one occasion, Jill found herself sitting at the bar speaking with the gentleman next to her, sharing with him the mission of Mane Stream and how so many children had been helped. Before she knew it, the gentleman took out his checkbook and wrote a generous check! Little did Jill know that the man sitting next to her was actor James Gandolfini from The Sopranos, who had been filming at nearby Hacklebarney State Park.
We asked former Volunteer Coordinator, Carol Ferris, what she remembers most about Jill. She was quick to respond with “I was always impressed by her kind, caring & brave nature. I used to call her Jilly Bean, which always made her laugh. I was a volunteer when I first met her, and remember how patient and understanding she was with everyone she worked with, riders & volunteers alike. I remember being about 5 months pregnant and volunteering with her on a trail ride, and she was so concerned for me. I think she was quite relieved when we all made it back to the barn safe & sound! Jilly Bean was a huge asset to SHHRC, and played a big part in making me and many others want to become more & more involved with the program.”
One of Jill’s fondest memories involves a barn cat named Callie. One day Jill saw Callie limping around the office so she took Callie home for a few days for a little extra care. Jill remarked that those in the office knew they would never see Callie around the barn again because the cat would become part of Jill’s family. And in fact, Callie did become part of the family and moved to South Carolina with Jill and Mike in 2003.
After moving south, Jill traded horses for turtles. Eager to help the local turtle population, she is now a certified volunteer working with a local turtle rescue. She finds and helps move turtle nests (mostly loggerheads). Jill still keeps in touch with some of her old volunteer buddies and follows along with all that goes on at Mane Stream via social media. Jill summed up her thoughts with, “Some of the best years were spent with SHHRC [Mane Stream] and with such wonderful people.”
