OREGON – Pegasus Special Riders, Inc. is seeking donations after a windstorm on Saturday, March 5 severely damaged its main arena building.

The high winds tore off about 120 feet of canopy, twisted the steel frame and the large front door was blown off and landed inside of the arena, said Sara Morris, Pegasus administrator. She said the back doors were blown off the tracks.

All 11 horses and the two cats were not harmed.

Pegasus Special Riders, located at 6668 S. Carthage Road, has been operating since 1997. It is a therapeutic riding program for children and adults with special needs. Volunteers perform all of the required duties, such as working with the riders, caring for the horses and facilities, raising funds and providing the necessary administrative support.

Twelve volunteers come out on March 6 to help with some cleanup. Lessons at Pegasus are supposed to start on April 19, but it is unclear when and where those lessons will happen.

Anyone who would like to donate to Pegasus can use the Donate button on its Facebook page or website – www.pegasusspecialriders.org.

"Thank you everyone for your continued support towards the program,” Morris said. “We are in need of volunteers for lessons, feeders, grounds and additional instructors." 

There will be volunteer training on March 18 from 1-4 p.m. Volunteers at Pegasus help with anything from lessons to feeding the horses. If you are interested, please RSVP by calling Morris at 815-973-3177.

Help from the community in the form of donations is already coming in too. Rochelle Kiwanis Golden K recently donated to Pegasus to help cover costs of the damage to the facility.