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McHenry County News DISPLAY ADVERTISING & CLASSIFIEDS: 815-654-4850 • CIRCULATION: 815-654-4854 • E-MAIL: McHenryNews@RVPublishing.com
VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 35
11512 N. 2nd ST. • MACHESNEY PARK, IL 61115
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2018
Help local Veterans begin the Trail to Zero next month By Anne Eickstadt CORRESPONDENT
Meggan Hill-McQueeney is the President/COO for BraveHearts, the largest non-profit program in America providing equine therapy and various programs for veterans. “Last year, we served 726 veterans in over 13,000 sessions, all at no cost to any veteran,” Hill-McQueeney said. “We are in our seventeenth year of operation and our twelfth year working with veterans. I run two farms that operate year round as a Premier Accredited Program. “Last year, I took veterans through downtown New York City for 20 continuous miles with the full support of the NYPD mounted in awareness and exposure of programs like ours where veterans attribute horses to saving their lives. “We received so much positive feedback after the successful ride people started asking to duplicate the efforts in 2018 in Washington D.C. We will be riding 20 miles in Washington D.C. on Sept 8 and 20 miles in New York City on Sept. 15. We are looking to potentially ride with approximately 14 horses and riders, mainly veterans, and one Gold Star Father. “Losing veterans every day in the United States is an epidemic and through this ride we hope to increase suicide awareness and prevention
COURTESY PHOTOS McHenry County News
Seeing New York from horseback.
and, most importantly, reduce the number of great men and women we lose daily who have served our country. There are a few ways that we are asking the community to help us. “One way is to become a corporate sponsor for a minimum of $2,500. We will feature the company logo on our website and t-shirt. The
Trail to Zero watches day break over the Empire State Building.
support will go toward ride expenses such as a much-needed horse trailer and, most importantly, continued free equine programs for veterans. Another way is our campaign called ‘A Mile on Me.’ A $100 donation will support one mile for one veteran. Our goal is to raise $100 per mile, per veteran riding. “We have created a website specifically for this ride at www.trailtozero.org.” Here is what participants have to say about Trail to Zero: “On October 22, 2017, I had the honor of participating in BraveHearts Trail to Zero in Manhattan, NY. Myself and four other Veterans-led by Meggan Hill McQueeney and Aaron Ralston, rode 20 miles to raise awareness of the 20 military veterans that commit suicide every day, pretty much forgotten. “Those 20 veterans have faces to me. Almost every veteran I know is overcome with the desire to give back to the veteran community and end the cycle that leaves veterans thinking that they have no place in society and that suicide is the only way out. They have lost their sense
of purpose. Many feel or have felt that way. “The horses and people at BraveHearts helped me to find mine: showing others the special bond with horses I have found. Everyone on every street wanted to take our picture and know what we were doing. The ride helped us to reach others to help accomplish our mission at BraveHearts. I gained so much confidence in myself, in Rosie, and my fellow riders in New York because of how we all dealt with such a large feat as a team. “If it’s even possible, Ride to Zero became even more important to me because I found out that I passed the PATH instructor test as we finished the 20 miles. Now I am able to help other vets find the peace that I have found working with and riding horses. “The mission of the ride directly relates to the work done daily at BraveHearts. Only a few weeks later I had the privilege of teaching riding in my first Veterans retreat. I’ve done many as a volunteer, and they are by far my favorite of events at BraveHearts. I want to help create
as special of an experience as I had at my introduction to horsemanship. From herd dynamics, to round pen work, to riding, I think the couple days of being completely immersed with understanding the horses and how they relate to us is invaluable. We have the power to end this cycle of hopeless in veterans. “The recent reactions from the vets from Aurora reaffirms my belief that veterans benefit immeasurably from being at BraveHearts. Seeing the excitement and focus in these veterans from different conflicts gives me even more hope for the future of what I now have the privilege of doing - showing veterans the healing power that I myself have found in our horses and the people I have the privilege of working with.” - Jenny McDonald “Since I had the day off after our return from New York, I had a chance to take my time thinking about what we did, and where we were instead of fitting it in before, during and after everything I need to do during the daily plug and chug. Even though I haven’t asked for permission from the others to confirm this, I know we all felt valuable and thoroughly cared for from the time we stepped into the BraveHearts truck to begin the drive, all the way until our return. “All the BraveHearts staff who supported our trip made sure we had the best road trip snacks, roadside assistance, and delivery tracking services only the elite have access to. While on the road Jeanna and Jenny were available to us every time we beckoned. And if Meggan had ever been in the military she would not have needed rank in order to get anyone to follow her. She has our trust and confidence that everything will be all right. “Our goal was to ride from Central Park to Ground Zero and back again attracting attention to the fact that 20 veterans commit suicide each day, and to exhibit our program as one of many great ways to prevent them from doing so. I was thrilled to have been invited
See TRAIL TO ZERO, Page 4
Lightning victim released from hospital Woman, 22, struck while at Country Thunder By Jason Arndt STAFF EDITOR
A 22-year-old Illinois woman struck by lightning on the Miller Park campground at Country Thunder in Twin Lakes July has a long road to recovery, her family said last week in an online post. Brittney N. Prehn, of Woodstock, according to the post, was released from Loyola University Medical Center and transferred to an undisclosed rehabilitation unit for further recovery. “Brittney still has a long road ahead of her, she is definitely a living miracle in progress,” her mother, Lisa Prehn, wrote on Brittney’s GoFundMe page. Before she was released, her mother said Brittney underwent surgery, and could have more procedures ahead of FROM GOFUNDME McHenry County News
(Left) Brittney Prehn, 22, as she appears in a photo posted to an online fundraising page. She was released from the hospital late last week, according to her family.
her. Prehn, on her phone at the time, suffered serious injuries to her ear, leg and foot from the lightning strike at about 12:30 a.m. Authorities said the lightning strike traveled through her body and exited through her foot. Emergency responders found Prehn unconscious and without identification when they arrived to the campsite. Authorities also discovered a shattered cellular phone nearby, from which they could not extract any identification from because of the damage. Prehn was transported to Northern Illinois Medical Center, but after an initial assessment in McHenry, she was moved to Loyola University Medical Center near Chicago. Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said Prehn’s mother, who learned of the lightning strike on the news, attempted to call Prehn and later notified authorities after she did not receive an answer. Authorities verified Prehn’s identity through tattoos described by her moth-
er.
The lightning sent terrified campers seeking shelter and also caused some damage to a nearby truck. “It actually short circuited a truck that was right next to the girl that was struck,” Beth said. According to her social media account, Prehn graduated from Woodstock High School and attends the College of DuPage where she is studying special education. Her mother, Lisa, states on Brittney’s GoFundMe page her daughter has a “love for all things outdoors.” “Brittney and the entire family would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support,” Lisa wrote in the July 28 update. About 300 people are struck by lightning annually, according to the National Weather Service, which indicated 30 of the 300 cases result in death. Contributions can be made to Prehn’s fundraising page by visiting gofundme.com and searching for her name.