Gail Scott

Former Volunteer

We’ve seen couples meet at Little Bit and then marry—but for one former volunteer, it became the place where her family began.

GAIL’S STORY

In 1986, my insurance brokerage boss, Rob LaBow—then also a Little Bit board member—came rushing into the office one day, excitedly waving a videotape. “You have to see this,” he insisted. We went to the conference room and watched the tape. I was deeply moved by what I saw: the riders, the horses. There was something truly special there. That very weekend, I went out to Little Bit with my friend Sister Mary Julia to see the program in person. I signed up to volunteer—and over the years, it became so much more than that.

There was simply nothing else like Little Bit. Watching the instructors, the riders, and the horses working together, it felt magical.

One of my favorite memories comes from volunteering with the Friday night group home classes. I worked with an adult student, Donna, who began each session so timid and unsure of herself.  Each week, however, something would shift. By the end of each session, she was laughing, smiling, braver, more confident, and full of joy.

Over the years, I never saw a 10-week session where a miracle didn’t happen.

Another memory never fails to bring tears to my eyes. A longtime friend of mine volunteered with me back at the old Little Bit barn—where before the remodel, when if it rained outside, it rained inside, too. She worked as a side walker with a rider named Jimmy, a 39-year-old man who was vision-impaired and non-speaking. No one had ever heard him say a word.

Each week, as they circled the arena, Norm, who was Jimmy’s horse leader, would softly sing a little song under his breath while leading the horse. Norm sacrificed a lot to volunteer at Little Bit. He lived in Moses Lake and worked in Ephrata. Each Friday he would travel all the way to Woodinville to help with the Friday night sessions. One week, when snow blocked the mountain pass, a substitute leader stepped in for Norm. After class, while I was untacking my horse, friend Debby came rushing into my horse’s stall, tears streaming down her face. “He sang,” she said. “Jimmy sang Norm’s song tonight.”

The following week, both Debby and Norm were absent and something even more remarkable happened. Jimmy sang Norm’s song, this time louder, filling the arena with sound and even interrupting the lesson. But no one minded. As we volunteers gently reminded the instructor, “The world has waited 39 years to hear Jimmy sing. Let him sing.” The instructor heaved a sigh and said, “Ok, just go to the end of the arena to ride.”

That is what Little Bit does, it creates miracles.

For me, Little Bit also brought something extraordinary into my own life—it brought my daughters—Jenni, Brooke, Melissa, and Molly.

The beginnings of my family happened at the Evergreen Classic Horse Show, at Marymoor Park. Little Bit helped and provided volunteers for the event and I took a week of vacation every year to help staff the volunteer trailer. Jenni, then a young girl in foster care after losing her mother to cancer, came into my life as a volunteer.

Cheryl, Jenni’s “big sister” from Big Brothers/Big Sisters volunteered Jenni to help at the hunter jumper show. My initial interaction with Jenni at Evergreen Classic, eventually led to her moving out of foster care and becoming my first daughter.

About a year later, our case worker, Clare, called. There was a 13-year-old girl who needed a new home. Her custodial grandmother was having health issues. After our meeting with Carol, another case worker, and Brooke, I asked Jenni what she thought. She smiled and said, “She likes chocolate cream pie—I like her. She’s okay!” That was all it took.

The next week, we welcomed Brooke into our home and lives. With her came her inseparable best friend, Melissa, who became my “bonus daughter.” Though she was never formally adopted, Melissa was and still is every bit a part of our family. Five months later, Brooke’s one-year older biological sister Molly joined us— completing what I always describe as ”a butterfly with all its wings.” Separated, Brooke and Molly each had only half of their butterfly wings. Our family has continued to grow over the past 30+ years, spanning generations with adopted children, Godchildren, extended families and now 15 grandchildren.

Little Bit didn’t just change my life—it helped shape my daughters as well. All four of my girls volunteered in therapeutic riding in different ways through their teenage years, giving back to the place that had given us so much.

And the impact extended even further, to the creation of an education exchange with the Seattle Aquarium. For 21 years, the Seattle Aquarium partnered with Little Bit to create incredible experiences for Little Bit families in return for special needs education for the Aquarium’s staff. The after-hours Overnight Adventure program offered the opportunity to explore, connect, and enjoy simple moments of camping out and enjoying the marine life of the Aquarium, things that might not have otherwise been possible.

When I look back, I am filled with pride and admiration for Little Bit. I remember when it was a small program—just an idea and dream taking root. To see what it has grown into today is nothing short of incredible.

I can’t even begin to put into words all the lives Little Bit has touched—participants, families, staff, volunteers.

When I think of Little Bit, one word comes to mind: miracles. In every sense of the word.

And I know this: if Little Bit were not part of my life, there would be an empty space in my heart that nothing else could ever fill.

With love and appreciation, Gail

Find more 50th anniversary stories HERE.