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Ken lives in Kearney. He considers himself an Army brat having lived in Germany for 12 years.

Ken and his wife have four children. Ken is employed on the family farm.

His hobbies include basketball, hunting, jogging

"I believe that working with the horses (being so big & strong) has a calming effect & makes you realize how to problem solve."

"We take a different approach to healing and learning."

Danelle is from Kearney, Nebraska.

She is a wife and mother of two - Callie & Tyler.

She is an active member of the Air national Guard where she has served our country for over 15 years. She has been deployed on several post 9/11 missions.

She grew up with a background in ranch & rodeo. She loves the country life & everything associated with it.

Savannah is a native of Kearney, Nebraska.

As the Project Lead for Compass, she loves organizing fundraising events & developing the mentoring program. She loves connecting people to help the most vulnerable members of our community.

She and her daughter, Kailie, love camping, spending time on the water and volunteering.

Nancy & her husband, Dan, are co-founders of BraveHearts.

Hobbies include riding motorcycles & horses, crafts & spoiling grandchildren.

She received a K-6 grade teaching degree and K-12 School Counseling from the University of Nebraska @ Kearney.

"Horses have a unique way of getting to the heart of the matter in an instant."

Heide is a Nebraska native. She currently lives in Pleasanton with her husband, Pat.

She enjoys working with children and volunteering in various children's ministries.

"I really see a need for animal therapy in this community. I have seen the transformation of a person's demeanor when they interact with horses. It softens the rough edges of our lives."

PARENTING FROM THE BARN

An interacting equine-assisted parenting class allowing parents to build better relationships with their children. Skills to include conflict management and communication.

LIFE SKILLS

Coaching workshops are available for individuals, couples, families and mentoring groups

Equine Empowerment is for boys & girls ages 7-18. Focus is on self-regulating emotions and building self-confidence skills.

LEARNING

Step out of the classroom and into the corral with HorsePowered Reading -Math - Ponies & Preschool. Not only do the children work on academic skills, but they also work on the issues that keep them fromlearning in the classroom.

PSYCHOTHERAPY

BRAVEHEARTS uses horses to reach out to people in all walks of life in a relaxed, informal setting. Learn to view and experience life in a new and positive way.

Heide Epley

KeN Robinson

Danelle Nelson

nancy Lyon

savannah Lyon

Our Board Members

Dan and Nancy Lyon share a love of teaching, helping others, and horses. Through the creation of BRAVEHEARTS, they founded a nonprofit to integrate these passions. BRAVEHEARTS has become a powerful tool for teaching and healing. Dan and Nancy are both graduates from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and hold education degrees. The two have spent the majority of their time working with at-risk youth. Nancy and Dan are certified through EAGALA as Equine Specialists. As Equine Specialists, they are trained to monitor the safety and well-being of both the clients and the horses. Equine Specialists work in the arena with licensed therapists as well as the participants and the horses.

BRAVEHEARTS is a non-profit and a component fund of Kearney Area Community Foundation.