Wesley didn't talk much to anyone.
"I masked my emotions," the 17-year-old said. "I didn't care if I lived or died."
He used to take Xanax, smoke marijuana and do meth - "anything and everything I could get my hands on."
But he's been clean for months. And he talks more.
"My attitude has changed a lot," said Wesley, one of the residents at the Tulsa Boys' Home (TBH), 2727 S. 137th West Ave., in Sand Springs.
TBH provides high-quality residential care for boys needing placement outside their home. Some arrive there through the Department of Human Services, others through substance-abuse treatment programs.
"Kinda grab it, gather it at the bottom," Scott Averill instructed Wesley as he brushed the tail of a horse named Sammie in the Sherman E. Smith Arena. That's where folks will gather Aug. 10 for The Mane Event, an annual horse-centric fundraiser for TBH.
Proceeds from the event will benefit TBH's therapeutic equine program, which supports and enhances the treatment and healing of the nonprofit's troubled 11-to-18-year-old boys.
"We're their last chance sometimes," said Averill, manager of the equine program.
Equine-assisted counseling is a therapeutic process utilizing horses as a tool for emotional growth and healing. It's a collaborative effort between a licensed therapist and a horse professional, and it's considered a short-term therapy approach.
"Horses are about as alike to humans as you can get, as far as how they interact with other horses," Averill said.
All boys go through psychotherapy sessions involving the equine program, said Kyle Johnston, communications director for TBH. Some boys are more extensively involved if they're shown to be more responsive to the treatment.
And it has been beneficial to all the residents, Johnston explained.
"A boy with pent-up emotions and rage can't exactly bully an animal that's roughly five times his size," he said. "They challenge a boy's confidence and fear levels."
Plus, the horses respond well to human emotions, which is helpful in controlling emotional releases that the residents may have had trouble with in the past.
"The dependability a horse may imprint upon a human teaches responsibility, something our boys also need additional help recognizing," Johnston said.
Experiencing the natural high of horse riding can lead residents to look for this high in other areas of their lives, away from drugs and other negative influences.
Apart from the therapy sessions, residents participate in grooming, cleaning, feeding and, once they reach a certain level in their training, learning to ride. A few of the boys will work alongside the barn staff to manage the facility, as well, and they are paid for their work.
"Wesley is a mature and selfless young man," Johnston said. "I think being involved with some younger boys that have gone through what he has helped this transformation occur."
Once he graduates from TBH, Wesley wants to pursue a college degree in sports medicine.
"I love to help people," he said.
For more about TBH and its equine program, visit
tulsaworld.com/tulsaboyshome
A kickoff to the Sept. 21 regatta at Arrowhead Yacht Club, this 28th annual event includes a dinner and silent auction, which will have themed gift baskets, a gift-card pull and artwork by members of The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges. Jay Litchfield will helm the live auction.
After the regatta, which will showcase a fleet of 10-15 boats, an awards ceremony will be held at Cherokee Yacht Club, complete with poolside dinner to recognize the sailors supporting The Center.
Proceeds benefit The Center, which receives no government funding for its $1.2 million budget, relying instead on private donations and fundraisers.
Event details - launch party: 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, The Center, 815 S. Utica Ave.
Event details - regatta awards ceremony: 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, Cherokee Yacht Club, 33152 Browning Lane, Afton
Sponsors: The George Kaiser Family Foundation, Sarah and John Graves, Ruth Nelson, Helen Bartlett, Bryan Close, Jim and Ann McKellar, Gary Bartlett and Andrea Nielsen, Howard and Billie Barnett, Michael and Marilyn Bartlett, Michael and Andrea Myers, Charles and Kathy Purser
Tickets: $75 for launch party, $50 for post-regatta awards ceremony, $100 for both
For more: 918-584-8607,
tulsaworld.com/tulsacenter
Are you Team USA? Or something more traditional like Greece? Either way, you're encouraged to form a team and dress up as an Olympic contingent from a specific country for this event in the Brady Arts District. Expect games at each participating pub - Blu, Caz's, The Hunt Club, The Rusty Crane and The Yeti. All teams will end up at Mason's, where prizes for games and costumes will be awarded.
Proceeds benefit Street School, a nonprofit alternative high school of choice that provides education, therapeutic counseling and outreach programs.
Event details: 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, Blu, 111 N. Main St.; Caz's, 21 E. Brady St.; The Hunt Club, 224 N. Main St.; The Rusty Crane, 109 N. Detroit Ave.; The Yeti, 417 N. Main St.; and Mason's, 122 N. Boston Ave.
Sponsors: Advertising Anything, Jarboe International Beers, Sapien Brands, Guthrie Green
Tickets: $40, includes team T-shirt and ticket for beer at each pub (
tulsaworld.com/streetschool)
For more: Sandra Thornton, 918-833-9813,
thornsa2@tulsaschools.org
To complement its "One Book, One Tulsa" reading initiative, the Tulsa City-County Library will host a free concert featuring the Red Dirt style of music pioneered by Woody Guthrie. Those performing include the Red Dirt Rangers and Monica Taylor.
For "One Book, One Tulsa," Tulsa County residents are asked to read "House of Earth," Guthrie's only fully realized novel. The initiative is also complemented by free book discussions.
Event details - concert: 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8, Central Library's second floor, Fourth Street and Denver Avenue
Event details - discussions: 2-3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, Bixby Library, 20 E. Breckenridge; 12:15-1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, Helmerich Library, 5131 E. 91st St.
For more: 918-549-7323,
tulsaworld.com/onebook
This 21st annual classic is a four-player scramble with a shotgun start. The tournament includes a continental breakfast, lunch, a keepsake team photo with Miss Oklahoma Kelsey Griswold and an awards ceremony. Also, a silent auction includes Callaway golf equipment, sporting event tickets, top merchandise and sports memorabilia.
Proceeds benefit both the Key Club College Scholarship program for local teens and Special Olympics Oklahoma.
Event details: 8 a.m. Monday, Aug. 5, MeadowBrook Country Club, 9300 E. 81st St.
Honorary chairman: Chris Lincoln
Sponsors: presenting - Jess L. and Miriam B. Stevens Foundation; major - Primeaux Kia, Piland Engineering, Anchor Drilling Fluids USA, Osage Casino, David Hogan, International Insurance Brokers
Tickets: $600 per team, $750-$5,000 sponsorships
For more: Michael Dishman, 918-407-6885,
dishman3@cox.net
The Mane Event
Saddle up for the Tulsa Boys' Home's annual horse-whisperer experience, which features a colt-starting demonstration. In just the span of one morning, you can see a young, unbroken horse trained to ride. TBH will partner with Wild Horse Ministries, a horse-training organization founded by Paul Daily. Using Christian principles, Daily will showcase how his training can be adapted for various aspects in anyone's life.
Proceeds benefit the Tulsa Boys' Home's Equine Program, which utilizes horse-integrated psychotherapy for treatment of the home's troubled residents.
Event details: 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, Tulsa Boys' Home's Sherman E. Smith Arena, 2727 S. 137th West Ave., Sand Springs
Sponsors: Reasor's, Arvest Bank
Tickets: $15 adults, $10 children 12 or younger; sponsorships available (Linda Diaz, 918-245-0231, ext. 1003)
Jason Ashley Wright 918-581-8483
jason.wright@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Supporting unique therapy for youths
People & Places
Any evening that starts with a red carpet and Spartan soldiers forming a sword-drawn canopy over your head deserves writing about.
Come December, Shannon West will be a college graduate.
