Therapy stable in Murrysville holds well-attended Halloween-themed fundraiser

Jacob Bereznak was excited to get to Bella Terra Stables in Murrysville on Saturday morning for a glimpse at the Halloween decorations he helped set up.

Jacob, 7, of Upper Burrell, was one of the first people at Bella Terra’s Halloween festival fundraiser where children trick-or-treated with seven horses dressed in costumes ranging from Willy Wonka to a Christmas elf.

“My son’s favorite holiday is Halloween so he’s very excited,” said Jacob’s mother, Amanda. “He’s been helping to decorate here and there so he’s very excited to see the finished product.”

Bereznak’s son attends Bella Terra Stables weekly. The nonprofit organization, established last year, provides equine-assisted psychotherapy to children between the ages of 5 and 18 who have mental health issues like ADHD, PTSD, depression and others. They also provide equine-assisted learning and wellness programs like meditation.

The goal of the fundraiser was to raise money for scholarships that would cover program costs for qualifying families, said Bella Terra co-founder Ilse Eisele.

“The cost is pretty high. So in order to bring that down so that any kid can come here — it doesn’t matter where they come from, how much money they have, their socioeconomic status — we want to be able to provide psychotherapy for them at a cost that they can afford. And we’re hoping to drop it down to zero if we can,” Eisele said. “We’re raising funds to help the kids get the therapy that they need.”

Eisele, who founded Bella Terra with Amber Power, noted that about 250 people bought the $5 tickets online. Other families paid at the door.

During the event’s first hour, children dressed as cowboys, clowns and even a horse peeked through stall doors to see the horses in costume and to collect candy hanging from the door.

In another building, 16 tables featured raffle prizes and games ranging from Halloween art to pumpkin bowling and a bean bag toss.

“These horses are friends of ours so we like to visit and support them and their work,” said attendee Meredith Juchniewicz, of Murrysville. “And we like Halloween.”

Juchniewicz, 37, attended the event with her 2-year-old son, Zepharam.

More than a dozen people volunteer at Bella Terra, helping to care for the horses and leading various events like meditation sessions. Several tables were manned Saturday by volunteers.

“It feels really good to help the community and the horses and the children,” said Christian Cole, 40, a volunteer working the duck pond game. “Anybody that needs it. It’s just really nice to see everybody come together and it’s a really loving atmosphere here. You just feel calm and at peace when you come, so it’s great to help out.”