Coshocton native and her horse return to her hometown to help the Salvation Army

Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune
Updated ·2 min read

COSHOCTON − Honoring the memory of her late father brought Coshocton native Tammi Regan home with her pal, Hank the Horse.

Regan, who now lives in Kentucky, rescued an emaciated Hank from a muddy, abandoned field when he was 3 years old. Not knowing anything about horses at the time, Regan was told by many there was no way she could train him and Hank would never amount to anything.

Tammi Regan and Hank the Horse recently rang the bell for the Salvation Army red kettle campaign at Buehler's Fresh Foods in Coshocton. Hank has rung the bell at various locations for six years and has helped raise close to $50,000.
Tammi Regan and Hank the Horse recently rang the bell for the Salvation Army red kettle campaign at Buehler's Fresh Foods in Coshocton. Hank has rung the bell at various locations for six years and has helped raise close to $50,000.

Today, Regan spearheads For Hank's Sake, a nonprofit organization encouraging children to read aloud. Regan calls Hank a good listener who enjoys hearing kids read to him. The Tennessee Walking Horse is 17 hands tall and 1,400 pounds.

For Hank's Sake rescues neglected and unwanted horses that are housed at BraveHearts Equine Center in Paris, Kentucky.

Hank also has been ringing the bell for the Salvation Army's red kettle campaign every holiday season for the past six years. He's helped raise close to $50,000. Regan said $555.48 was raised via donations from their recent trip to Buehler's Fresh Foods, with a match from For Hank's Sake bringing the total to $1,112.96.

Hank ringing the bell locally coincided with the birthday of Regan's late father, Duane Regan, who died in 2015 at the age of 71. Regan promised him she would bring Hank to Coshocton to ring the bell for the Salvation Army once he was trained. It took some time to get here, but Regan's glad they finally made it.

"I've been wanting to do this for almost a decade. It's so exciting," Regan said. "We love to serve and to be here and help the community I grew up in, and the Salvation Army helped me when I was a child, I feel like I'm really giving back and it means a lot."

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Coshocton native and her horse ring the bell for Salvation Army