Spotlight on Animal Heroes:
Nancy Van Wie and Eddie Mrozik, Crane Mountain Valley Horse Rescue, Inc.
About Crane Mountain Valley Horse Rescue, Inc.
Crane Mountain Valley Horse Rescue, Inc. (CMVHR) is an award-winning, not-for-profit, humanitarian and education organization founded in 2003. Husband and wife team Eddie Mrozik and Nancy Van Wie established the rescue after perceiving the need for a local humane agency that would serve as a lifeline for horses. For two decades, they have stayed true to their mission and have amplified it to include helping people in need through the healing power of the horse.
Both horse lovers since a young age, they have always had horses in their lives. Nancy’s pony attended the University of Vermont with her and was her “partner in love for nearly 25 years.” Later while rescuing horses, she met Eddie through a rescue mare named Posey and their love story began and continued.
They’ve had the opportunity to see the impact of their work over time – on animals and on people. They’ve saved hundreds of horses over the years and love receiving updates from their adoptive families on how the horses have changed their lives for the better – in so many cases, the rescue was mutual.
Programs Offered
Their education and outreach programs are as critical to their mission as saving horses. The community enrichment program has included veterinary and communications internships for course credits for college, job shadowing programs for high school , talks on the realities of establishing and running a horse rescue operation, doing school presentations, and much more. They have hosted an “Investigating Animal Cruelty Workshop” in partnership with NYSHA and local law enforcement.
Volunteer Programs
CMVHR’s volunteer program includes adults and youth. They have family volunteer workdays, individual programs for developmentally disabled adults, volunteer workdays for summer camps and school programs, and more. They also do individualized work with local agencies for at-risk youth.
Many of their early youth volunteers and program participants are now adults who stay in touch and visit with their spouses and kids! One, Dede, returned after college to become their full-time rehabilitator and trainer. Their veterinary interns are now practicing veterinarians or vet techs, and tell them of the positive impact volunteering there has had on their lives.
Hardest Part of Work – People Wanting to Give Up Their Old or Sick Horses
The most frustrating part of their work is the dozens of calls per month from people who want them to take older horses that are “no longer useful to them,” so they can get another horse, or taking injured horses they don’t want to care for, or people who “save a horse” but aren’t set up to care for it.
Long-term goals are to continue educating people on animal husbandry and to support strengthening laws related to equine cruelty.
Nancy summarized by saying, “To remain positive, when seeing such heartache and inhumanity, we choose to stay focused on the good side of humanity, like our volunteers, adoptive families, those who share our passion for spreading kindness and compassion, and of course, our donors, without whom our work would not be possible. We find hope every day in the kindness and compassion we see in people who share our vision and want to make a difference. When we see this in the eyes and hearts of our youth, it gives us the greatest hope, as they are our future.”
Learn more about Crane at cmvhr.org. A not-for-profit, they receive no state or federal funding nor funding from the counties they serve in cruelty investigations. They rely on private philanthropy from individuals and foundations.
New York State Humane Association Humane Review, Vol. XLI, Spring 2023.