We were lucky to catch up with Ann Henderson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ann, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

To be clear, I did not come up w/ this idea. It was given to me in a very profound dream one night over 30 years ago. God showed me a blue horse arena w/ a silver star & he whispered in my ear “Rainbow of Hope”. He not only used my vision but my hearing as well to make an impression on me. I carried that dream in my heart for many years until God used my husband, Jack to bring us to this exact location. Our Mission is to enhance & empower lives of our young adults w/ autism & other abilities through the healing power of horses, life skills & social skills. Once our young adults hit that magic number of 22 years old, all public school stops in Texas. The programs that are offered to them are far & few between. Being a former Applied Behavior Analysis Therapist, the children that I once served are now adults & they need programs like Rainbow of Hope to continue to grow & develop into contributing members of society!

We are partnering with True to Life Ministries @ Re-Fresh Boutique I’m Lake Jackson where our young adults are learning job skills. We are also partnering with Harvest for the Hungry in Freeport where they are building a 4K sq ft Education Center & many life skills will be taught out of that building. For example, cooking, laundry, etc..

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I was a practicing Applied Behavior Analysis Therapist for 7 years. I worked with ages 18mo. – 18years. I truly believe during those 7 years , God anointed me w/ a special gift to touch many lives & witness miracles in this field. For example, I remember teaching a young boy who was probably 3 years old & never uttered a word out of his mouth. Through the practice of ABA & Sign Language I was blessed to here him sound out “Ma” right in front of his mother, I remember this miracle like it was yesterday! Tears of joy came streaming down his mothers face. I was honored to witness his first sound at age 3. I believe what sets us apart from others is the fact that Rainbow of Hope Texas is tailor made for each individual student. Not only are we providing an Equine Experience but teaching job skills, life skills, creating entrepreneurs & so much more! We want to pair retired Chefs, Florist, Seamstresses, Teachers etc… w/ our young adults. They say if you retire & just sit, your just waiting to die. We want to give our retired community purpose! The job skill or their passion that they have, we want them to share it w/ our young adults, so that they can have purpose in life too,
This model is not something I made up, this model of Rainbow of Hope Texas is a direct download from God.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

My husband Jack, of over 20 years of marriage knew we were going to need a place to “escape” the elements. The heat, the rain, the cold etc.. He took 40k from his retirement & turned a junk room in our barn into what is now known as the “Rainbow Classroom”. This room is where true miracles happen. Where our young adults can enjoy a meal w/ their peers, do arts & crafts, teach academics, etc.. Shortly after the room was built he took another 15k & closed his retirement account. He spent all his savings to start up a dream that God gave me many years ago. Last year, my husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Although, it has been extremely challenging for him, he continues to put one foot in front of the other & I am incredibly proud of him! He is the LOVE of my life & Rainbow of Hope Texas would not be in existence today, if he hadn’t answered the call to build the classroom.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social Media has been a true God send in building Rainbow of Hope Texas’s brand. When we first started our 501C3 in the middle of the pandemic in 2020, I would post what I was doing. At the time I had 2 students, Jonnathon, 23 Yrs old & Abel 23 years both w/ Autism. I really didn’t know what I was doing but my background as an ABA Therapist was kicking in after all those years. Kind of like riding a bike, once you learn you never forget. I realized that being out in the country opened up a broader opportunity for them to open up, it used to be called NET, Natural Environment Training. We would take walks in the field, play games, etc…. One day Abel was standing outside & said “ I see a horse.” His mother & I both had tears running down our face. It was a beautiful moment, one of many I will never forget. But from there I would post on Facebook & people wanted to know & be a part of whatever was happening out here. God brought people back into my life I hadn’t seen in 15-20 years! Two therapist I used to practice with & my dear friend Michael, who now sits on our board, So yes, the power of social media is huge. The best advice I would give someone starting out is not to give up your job of posting to someone else, especially early on while your building your brand. Only you know your business best, you are the one that is passionate about it. You are the one that is telling the story, don’t put that responsibility in someone else’s hands.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Rainbowofhopetexas.org
• Instagram: rainbow_of_hope_texas2022
• Facebook: Rainbow of Hope Texas
• Linkedin: Ann Moon Henderson
• Youtube: Rainbow of Hope Texas
• Other: N/A

Image Credits
Christy White Photography