Literacy For Life Program Coordinator, Nicole Levesque, with the horse she painted for this year's Horses Jump To Give A Leg Up program at Spruce Meadows. (Photo by Sean Emmett)

One of just two returning charities this year, Literacy for Life is once again benefiting from Spruce Meadows' Horses Jump To Give A Leg Up Program.

The fundraiser, which Spruce Meadows started in 2014, allows 20 Foothills and Calgary area non-profit organizations to paint and enter a fibreglass horse to display at Spruce Meadows until the Masters Tournament in September.

While the public can vote for their favorites, the horses are also up for auction until September, with all proceeds going back to the respective organizations.

Program Coordinator, Nicole Levesque, says they were a little surprised to be able to enter once again, but excited nonetheless.

"We were really thrilled," she says. "It's such a wonderful event and a great opportunity for non-profits like us to be able to get some exposure and be able to educate people on the programs we're providing."

Levesque says the money raised won't be designated for any specific use, but rather to improve the program as a whole.

"With funds that come in this way, where we don't have to have it in a specific allocation, it gives us a lot of freedom and creativity to be able to expand, or to be able to create new programs," she says. "So, we don't know where the money would go this time, but it would be to something fabulous, I'm sure."

Levesque says while the extra funds will go a long a way, the additional awareness for Literacy for Life is priceless.

"It's usually more about specific programs that we might be running to try and educate people to know that we exist in the way of coming to our programs," she says. "But, this was more of an opportunity to be out there and have it so people are learning about who we are, what we do, and the community members we're serving."


Levesque, who painted Literacy for Life's horse from this year and last year herself, says it shows the different stages of literacy, which is more than just books. 

"We chose the river rocks as the foundation," she says. "On the lower part of the horse, there's music notes to show the more of early stages of language and learning development. As the stones get larger, we represented it with 'ABC," which is another step in language development. Then, at the top, this is part of our Literacy for Life logo, is our dancing person, which represents a happy, healthy adult, successful in their own means in the community, kind of at the top. The water at the top is more like the river of learning, and there's still a bit of turbulence for them to get through, but all-in-all, with a strong foundation, it's showing that success and a strong foundation for making your way through life."

To view, or bid on Literacy for Life's horse, click here.

Other Foothills charities with horses on display at Spruce Meadows are the Heritage Pointe Firefighters Association, The First Priddis Scouts, Rowan House, and the Foothills Country Hospice.