Julia Bozzo wins Community Legacy Award
Presented by Whatcom Women in Business
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Julia has loved horses for her entire life. For many, a career with horses is a dream, but Julia made it her reality and life’s work. At 12 years old, Julia bought her first horse with money she earned from her paper route. She quickly absorbed everything she could about horses. At 13, she boarded her horse at the same barn as one of the founding members of NARHA, now the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship Intl. (PATH Intl.), where she was exposed to the roots of adaptive riding. Julia received a BS in Agriculture & Horse Production, did graduate work in Animal Science, is an Equine Appraiser and a PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor. The entire Bozzo family is involved with NWTRC. Mike (husband) donates countless hours to overseeing & maintaining the property and equipment. Julia and Mike’s daughters, Deanna & Gina, are both PATH Intl. Instructors and have helped with the program for as long as they can remember. They both also choose careers in therapeutic fields. Julia is unfaltering in her dedication to sharing her experience, knowledge, property, and passion for horses with others.
Because of Julia’s vision and leadership, NWTRC (founded in 1993) is the only adaptive year-round recreation program in Whatcom County that serves people of all ages with physical, emotional, and cognitive disabilities. Recreation is essential for the health and well-being of all individuals. For people with disabilities, recreational opportunities are often limited. Equine-Assisted Services (EAS) contribute to the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well-being of individuals with disabilities. Cognitively, participating at NWTRC helps with learning, enhancing social skills, sensory integration, improves attention span and concentration. Emotionally, horsemanship activities at NWTRC increase self-esteem, self-confidence, build trust, promote responsibility and cooperation. Besides these benefits, interacting with horses is simply enjoyable for participants while offering a positive experience for family members, caregivers, and volunteers who witness and share each participant’s achievements. Riding is fun!
Julia’s strong leadership skills have allowed her to maintain a highly successful, transparent, and sustainable nonprofit. Julia’s attention to detail and focus provides a safe environment, nurturing, challenging, and fun for participants, families, volunteers, staff, and horses. Her excellent communication skills allow her to manage staff and volunteers efficiently in a fast-paced environment. Julia’s passion for teaching and learning is infectious to all around her and creates an ideal setting for people of all abilities to learn and grow. Sticking closely to NWTRC’s mission has proven vital to the advancement of the program under Julia’s leadership. She has mentored hundreds of volunteers, numerous interns, board members, and nonprofit leaders. Julia has presented at PATH conferences on equine care & management, volunteer recruitment and training, to running a sustainable business. Over the years, many volunteers and interns have chosen career paths and gotten jobs because of their experiences working with Julia at NWTRC.
Julia has dedicated her life to giving a ‘Leg Up’ to people of all abilities through the use of Equine- Assisted Activities.