You're invited! Enjoy an afterhours opening reception celebrating our new special exhibition, "GiddyUP! Youth Empowerment Initiative". Refreshments provided.
About the Exhibition:
Explore ten entrepreneurial projects aimed at enriching the equestrian ecosystem designed by students in the BridgeUP GiddyUP program at Collierville’s own Southern Blues Equestrian Center (SBEC), displayed alongside paintings by program mentor and visual artist José Valverde.
How does BridgeUP GiddyUP work? Launched in 2021 by SBEC in partnership with the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation, the program offers Whitehaven youth access to personal development through horseback riding. Completely free of charge, accepted students receive transportation to Collierville for two weekly riding lessons, healthy meals, and complementary activities led by mentorship leaders in the broader MidSouth community. Across three years of operation, youth riders in the program report feeling more confident and better able to work with peers, while parents have observed improved academic performance and aspirations for higher education.
