Whisper Hill Clydesdales Special Needs Foundation
The Present to the Future

A few moments in time can change the course of history. My life changed in a few moments. My name is Tim Wiskow; I founded a non for profit organization called Whisper Hill Clydesdales Special Needs Foundation. In the next few moments of your time I would like to go over my inspiring business endeavors. My foundation comes at a time when people need the most support; hope where there is none. The wagon services we will provide go to where help will be received. Such places are nursing homes, hospitals, ARC (Association for Retarded Citizens), and special events. As time passes, my foundation grows, so too will the benefits. I hope to draw people from all over the United States by providing a therapeutic fun center and stable in the near future. The challenges for my foundation are only beginning. Let me take you through the doors of my future welcoming center.

Sliding back the doors on their large steel rollers the Whisper Hill Stables Welcoming Center emerges. Special people and guests will be mesmerized by Clydesdale draft horses grazing in the pastures through the barn’s open rear door. Greeted by a volunteer, you would be briefly taken through what to expect and what we expect from you during your time at our stable. As the tour continues, you will soon be in the petting area of the stable. This area accommodates wheel chair access to pen or walk up areas, which makes touching baby calf, miniature horse, Clydesdale draft horse, sheep, or llama, easy and controlled. Allowing you to feel the warmth from the animals helps open hearts and minds alike to our learning center.

The freedom to move we take for granted, our handicapped and special needs friends have to struggle with every day. Freedom to move to many areas with great ease will be a focus of my center. After the petting area and the learning center, visitors will be able to do as they please. For example, one might decide to have a picnic lunch out in the shaded picnic area, near the pastures to watch the Clydesdales or the cows grazing on the land. Several shelters will be over the property so you can catch a glimpse of the beautiful country scenery and air. With so many options visitors will be hoping for a second day on the property. This is the moment visitors have been waiting for, a trip a journey.

Next we will venture over to the wagon hitching and loading area which is surrounded by the warm green grass and blue sky. Living in Wisconsin we need to really plan for the weather, you just never know. Of course if our day is beautiful, we will go for a horse drawn wagon ride pulled by a team Clydesdales. Out on the trail blazed land, giving my special guests another chance to see the beautiful country side. On the other hand, the over sized arena will make the best of any damp Wisconsin day. The elements of the weather will not affect us. A wagon ride that they could only have dreamed about until now, will be underway. Would you like to try your hand at driving yourself?

Another area that I’m looking into is called therapeutic driving. The difference between therapeutic driving and therapeutic riding is that riding requires lower body strength where as driving doesn’t. Therefore, a disabled person who has the upper body strength would be able to participate in the driving. They are able to use their upper body for driving a horse and cart. Therapeutic riding is where the clients go up on the horse, but so many can’t because of their disability limitations. However, with driving, any one with upper body strength can learn to drive a horse and wagon. This ride I’m hopping will put the biggest smiles ever on these people’s faces, because we all know they deserve it. I tell myself everyday, the sky is the limit.

Limits are what I’m hoping my foundation will break. In order to break these limits, I foresee many challenges along the way. Many challenges for my foundation will be the requests for corporate and individual sponsorships to help achieve this goal. With many real needs, a horse trailer, to pull the horses and wagon to special places until the therapeutic fun center stable are built. There is a need for monetary donations to help pay for insurance costs, a newer trailer and other expenses. Insurance is my largest obstacle! Since this business is considered high-risk, the insurance premiums are very outrageous in price. Coming so far, this will, with everyone’s help, not stand in my way for long, until the Stables of Whisper Hill Clydesdales Special Needs Foundation open the doors of the fun center to the general public

Historically, Clydesdales have had a long exciting history of struggle and achievement in Wisconsin. Their inspiring story reflects Old World Wisconsin, the art of farming both past and present. The learning center's resources will include exhibits, as well as hands on learning experiences. Horse drawn equipment and various milking units will be on display. Much attention to present technology will be paid to inspire the hearts and minds, using video, computer, and interactive long distance learning.

The bright sky of our Wisconsin horizon will be seen by many soon. I will be putting the smiles on the faces of these special people. I’m seeking any type of help where you are willing to donate time and energy to help get this Foundation the kick-start it needs! Anything I can get in words of help, in order to make this foundation grow is welcome.

Over the next 3 to 5 years this will be a million dollar plus project. I’m seeking a grant writer to help us find any form of grants that would be available to us or any other moneys to make this dream become total reality.

Tangible needs include: 30 foot horse trailer for hauling the horses and wagon, the wagon to have the horses pull my special needs clients, insurance, and a training cart or fore cart to make sure the gentle giants are well broke and completely safe before there big venture. Another large need is 100 to 200 acres of land, an equestrian center (therapeutic fun center) where my special guests will have one of the best days of their lives. Most but not least, people just like you, who have the interest, maybe the know how, or maybe even this special person who I am going to put the special Whisper Hill Foundation Smile on to last a life time!!

We need people to help me plan this, people to help with fundraisers and organize, people to help locate a good place to purchase 100 to 200 acres of land to build the stable. This is not only for the community of Fond du Lac and surrounding areas but I’m trying to get this project spread all across the entire United States where people from all over will be here to see this special needs foundation. I have sent a news paper article done up on the starts of my foundation out to numerous papers throughout the United States in order to gain inquiries. A few people that I have contacted and sent emails to is Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Charities, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Action Advertiser, New York Times, Nashville Tennessean, and a few others but so far I have gotten no response. If you know of anyone who would be interested in my story please send it to them.

Thank you to all my family and friends that have and are still supporting me with all my endeavors. A Very Special Thank You to my Parents Darrell and Annette Wiskow who have been behind me 100% of the way. Dad, thank you for the past 6 years, of all you have helped me do with my horses. All the hay and grain that you and mom could of sold but because you have believed in me you have been there on my side. If it wasn’t for Mom and Dad, family and friends I wouldn’t be where I am right now. Thank you everyone from the inner depths of my heart!

- Tim Wiskow

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