Governor delivers help for housing Gov. Maura Healey pledges state tax credits to support a plan to develop rental units in the Berkshire County Savings Bank building in Pittsfield. Page 3
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Berkshire Business Journal MARCH 2026 I VOL. 5, NO. 3
Ranch has stable of support
STEPHANIE ZOLLSHAN
Visitors meet Zephyr, a therapy horse, during the “Romance at the Ranch” Valentine’s Day celebration at Berkshire HorseWorks in Richmond. A recent batch of grants from local organizations will help the ranch continue its mission amid an uncertain economic climate.
Berkshire HorseWorks lands grants, donations to carry on mission By Dylan T hompson RICHMOND — As a kid growing up in New York City, Hayley Sumner was first introduced to horses at a farm camp in Cape Cod, where her parents sent her from age 6 to 11. It was a formative experience, she said. “You couldn’t do any sports until you did your animal duty,” Sumner said, adding that it taught her a lot about responsibility. When she was 10, she wrote a business plan for a ranch to help at-risk kids. Now, Sumner is living out that dream as the founder of Berkshire HorseWorks, a nonprofit that provides equine-assisted therapeutic and educational programs on a roughly 8-acre property. The ranch currently has four part-time staff members and roughly 15 volunteers.
Since its founding in 2013, the nonprofit has served more than 4,200 people by providing them with access to therapy animals in a controlled, safe environment. And despite challenging times with cuts to federal and state programs, Sumner is adapting by finding support from local community organizations. Berkshire HorseWorks has reeled in more than $56,000 through a cluster of recently announced grants and donations that will help the ranch navigate the rest of the year, Sumner said. And they will bolster the ranch’s ability to provide mental health services by enhancing program capacity and ensuring long-term sustainability. “In this incredibly difficult environment, we are forever grateful to the organizations for believing in us and the work that we do,” she said.
Among those organizations is the summer life skills program, according Berkshire Taconic Community Foun- to a press release. dation, which has provided five grants The RanchLife 101 program will be totaling $18,500. Anreturning for its other $28,000 came fifth season this from Berkshire Since its founding in 2013, summer, starting United Way, BerkJuly 6, running shire Life Founda- the nonprofit has served for six consecutive tion, Jewish Womweeks for children en’s Foundation of more than 4,200 people by ages 5-12. The prothe Berkshires and gram focuses on the Bianchi-Bar- providing them with access life skills develbarotta Foundation. to therapy animals in a opment, horseThe grants obmanship, team tained through the controlled, safe environment. building and naBerkshire Taconic ture-centric craft. “Being able to Community Foundation will help provide equine-as- be around something that is so calmsisted learning and team building, ing where you don’t have to use your equine-assisted speech language ther- words… but they can understand and be apy and full scholarships for low-in- a good companion or support for you is come children to the RanchLife 101 BERKSHIRE HORSEWORKS, Page 3