LexLin Gypsy Vanners support American Veterans
Knoxville’s November 11th Veteran’s Day Parade was an energy charged event for LexLin Gypsy Ranch. We were able to show our support of American veterans and troops around the world with our family and friends through the parade with our Gypsy Vanner stallion Dreammaker. Eric and Mechelle Barton, Jon and Christal Helpingstine, Matt Lawson and Ashley Jenkins rode in the carriage while Lexi, Lindy, Ben, John and Abigail waved flags and carried the LexLin banner.
Veterans have a very special place in the hearts and lives of the family and supporters here at LexLin Gypsy Ranch. Eric Barton and much LexLin’s staff are veterans. The Bartons have donated over $50,000 in support of veterans in 2010 thus far, and fully support the veterans initiatives through STARs “Horses for Heroes” — a therapeutic riding program for wounded warriors in east Tennessee. We helped encourage troop morale overseas with the Bagram 10k fun run this past summer in conjunction with RELYANT and continue to look for opportunities to reach out and express our thanks.
Supporting our troops and the freedoms they fight to ensure Americans have here in the United States is so important to us. Many men and women have given their lives and or a portion of their lives to this most noble cause. Eric’s and Mechelle’s dads are both former marines. Eric was meritoriously commissioned from Sergeant to Lieutenant and our family is very much a military family through and through.
We’re proud to be Americans and show our support through opportunities that arise such as our local parades and proudly display two American flags at the barn 24/7 year round.
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Thank you so much for what you do for our servicemen and -women. They certainly need all the support and kindness possible, and your rehabilitation program, even apart from your financial donations, is truly a great and wonderful experience for those able to participate. My husband was also a Marine, and a friend of our daughter and son-in-law, Hans Rieger (I hope that’s correct) and his wife did the same thing for others (nonmilitary, I believe, but maybe for both) for many years, until they retired. I met them in Aspen. Their larger ranch was near there, and then they moved to a much smaller ranch. Anton Uhl and Leslie are now in Basalt, Colorado.
I’m very happy to have tripped over your website, and grateful to know that you are doing such wonderful work through the medium of those amazing, magnificent Gypsies.
Terry
Thanks so much Teresa for you note. We are so happy to do this and we are planning to make it an annual event. Please stop by our website anytime to read about all of the goings on!
We are sad to see Braveheart leave but excited to see him go to a new loving home…all of our nominees are truly deserving.