Community Futures Oxford celebrates entrepreneur awards

Alisha Wilson of Transitions Equine Assisted Learning was recently awarded the Community Futures Oxford Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award at a ceremony in Ingersoll. (Contributed photo)

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Ingersoll-based Community Futures Oxford handed out its yearly hardware last week and among the winners was Alisha Wilson of Transitions Equine Assisted Learning.

The unique Tavistock-are business specializes in equine-assisted learning and wellness and provides a variety of unique experiences. Those consist of team building and leadership programs, Reiki, mindfulness programs, mindset coaching and therapy. Wilson took home the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and said the most unique part of her business is no one needs experience with horses.

“We’ve taken our horses, who are all rescues, and given them a better home, a better life, and we’ve turned it into a place of refuge for horses and people,” explained Wilson. “We don’t just do equine-assisted learning, we also partner with other local businesses and do things like ponies and pottery.”

Wilson said she also has an Indigenous elder come to the farm monthly for full-moon smudge gatherings, which are spiritual or ceremonial events that typically combine the symbolism of the full moon with the Indigenous or spiritual practice of smudging. These gatherings are often held to promote healing, reflection, intention-setting, and community connection.

“I am a Reiki master, and we have sessions in the fields with the horses. We also do corporate team building, and I can take what I learned in the banking industry and tie it back to the obstacles we are doing in the arena with the horses and provide people with those a-ha moments.”

When asked why horses are so crucial to her business model, Wilson gave a clear and concise answer.

“Because they provide immediate and non-judgmental feedback. If you make a mistake with a horse, it’s going to let you know right away, but kindly. No one is going to get kicked, but they let you know through their body language and then they’re going to forget about it.”

The program run by Equine Assisted Learning was created in Saskatchewan, specifically targeting at-risk youth, by a group of mental health professionals, psychologists and horse professionals. Wilson also offers summer camps for ages five to seven, eight to twelve and thirteen to sixteen. A few spaces are still available.

Wilson added she loves what she does for a living, particularly when she sees results, such as in a girl who has shown remarkable progress.

“A 12-year-old Woodstock girl who has been coming out here for the past two years. When she first started, she was very anxious. She didn’t want to ask questions because she was afraid of getting in trouble but has blossomed into this very confident little girl who loves life.”

A media company recently filmed a documentary on the girl’s story which will appear on Animal Planet and AMI networks in the near future. “Collar of Duty’ is an original Canadian series that captures the incredible true stories of service and therapy animals that are transforming people's lives.

More information is available at https://transitionseq.ca.

“Again, this year, we are excited to recognize our clients who contribute to the growth of a vibrant Oxford County economy,” said Allan Simm, General Manager of Community Futures Oxford. “ We are pleased to support their creativity and commitment to building resilient businesses.”

Mike Christiaens of the U-Fill Water Centre in Tillsonburg won the Access to Capital Program Entrepreneur of the Year award. He expanded his business by opening a self-serve location in Paris, acquired an Ingersoll location, and added a third location in Simcoe.

The ’Good for the Soll Music Festival’ with Deb Hulet of the Ingersoll Lions Club took home the Community Economic Development Project of the Year honour. The event received an abundance of praise and recognition for a new initiative last year, drawing nearly 4,000 people to the town for an evening of free music featuring Helix.

Since its inception, the organization has disbursed $27,368,764 in loans and equity to 444 businesses that were starting or growing in the community. This directly impacted 3,363 jobs. Since 1993, CFO has awarded 391 grants totalling $1,385,508.