Lara & Louie

SAFE is surrounded by wonderful people who each contribute to the mission in different ways. Our volunteer of the month for February, Lara Lutz, first came to us as an adopter, taking home the lovely Amber in May 2010. A long time supporter, Lara became a volunteer a few years later when she took over as our bookkeeper. Lara has done an excellent job in keeping SAFE on the straight and narrow, and is an absolute joy to work with. We are so fortunate to have someone with her skills and ability on our team. Recently, Lara made us even happier by offering a home to Louie, and we could not have dreamed up a happier ending for him.

Here’s a bit more about Lara!

Tell us a little bit about yourself… I have been riding horses for over 15 years now and somehow talked my parents into letting me get my first horse at age 13, a beautiful Arab mare named Opal. She and I competed in hunter/jumpers and even some barrel racing, then took to mainly trail riding in her later years. It was truly a once in a lifetime bond. After the devastation of losing her, I decided that I wanted to continue with horses and this time, adopt a rescue horse and that is when I found SAFE and adopted Miss Amber in May of 2010. I have a special place in my heart for Arabians, and decided to recently adopt Louie to be a herd-mate for Amber and second riding horse for me. When I am not with the horses, I work as a contract bookkeeper, where I do many bookkeeping/finance functions for local small businesses and individuals. The best part about being a bookkeeper is that it gives me the flexibility to often work from home, allowing me to have more time to invest in the horses and their training. I am married to my wonderful husband, Tad, who puts up with my horse-craziness and enjoys being the official “treat-giver” to Amber and Louie. We also have a wonderful rescued Shetland Sheepdog named Ryan. I always like the phrase “the best things in life are rescued.”

How long have you been volunteering with SAFE? I have volunteered as SAFE’s bookkeeper since around August of 2012.

What made you decide to volunteer with SAFE? I decided to offer my time and skills to SAFE because I had a few open hours a month to take on more bookkeeping projects and could think of no better organization to dedicate time to. SAFE has been a organization that I have been a part of, through the adoption of Amber and then Louie, for a few years now, and have enjoyed following the progress of each horse that passes through the SAFE program.

Who is your favorite SAFE horse? I am the proud “Mom” to former SAFE horses Amber and Louie, so I’d have to say that they are my favorites. Although I’ve always thought that Honeycutt is one handsome fellow! 🙂

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your experience with SAFE? I am always amazed at the work of SAFE and the dedicated army of volunteers is takes to run such a responsible, transparent and effective organization. I couldn’t imagine life without my two Arab gems, Amber and Louie, and am so thankful for the role that SAFE played in their rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing.