Det. Dorothea Leftwich, the first African American woman in Pittsburgh’s mounted police unit, is using her love of horses to launch a program aimed at empowering inner-city youth through horseback riding and leadership development.
Riding Into the Future Program
The Riding Into the Future program was launched this summer. It is a collaborative effort between Leftwich, 4-H, and Sunni Bell Stables. At a welcome breakfast, about two dozen kids learned how they would get the chance to go horseback riding for free. There are seven sessions they will participate in.
Leftwich highlighted the importance of providing children with opportunities outside the city. “To have that ability to learn how to ride horses and provide something for them to do outside in the country, and get them out of the city because there’s so much going on within the city,” she said.
The program also aims to address challenges children may face at home and in their communities. “Fulfill the mental aspects that are going on within the home. They may, even as an officer, feel comfortable with communicating crime that’s going on, and talking, so there’s so many avenues that can be handled with this program,” Leftwich said.
Original reporting: WPBF West Palm Beach — read the source article.
