"Energy and persistence conquers all things." - benjamin franklin
Leg Up Farm; an organization focused on the future and how to help children with special needs find their full potential through activities designed to engage and teach, as well as entertain. With their focus set on giving these children the best opportunities, their efforts are assisting in the movement to spark a global initiative raising disability awareness. They offer a wide range of programs from equestrian therapy to a simulated real-life town that allows children to develop life-long skills during play.
Leg Up Farm was started by Louie and Laurie Castriota, who wanted to create a therapeutic horse riding center for children with special needs, and to give back to their community. They used their daughter, Brooke, as inspiration and motivation for their efforts after she developed a condition leaving her with mental and physical delays. Both Louie and Laurie were shocked to find that, even though there were some great early intervention programs out there for young children, these children had to rely heavily upon the public school systems once they reached the ages of four or five because early intervention stopped servicing children after the age of three or four. The years progressed, and the Castriotas raised millions of dollars through both private and public fundraisers in hopes of starting their own riding center. In 2008, Leg Up Farm finally received a loan of $5.6 million from the USDA Rural Development and York Traditions Bank.
Now, Leg Up Farm operates as a functional therapeutic riding center that also offers a variety of other therapies. One of their most noted features, however, is Matthew's Town. Matthew's Town is a play area designed to help children focus forward and learn what it is like to be an adult in the real world, while having fun and gaining valuable life skills at the same time.
Along with therapies, Leg Up Farm also offers summer camps and classes for children with special needs, as well as their siblings and parents. They plan on creating new assistive programs that will reach out to adults as well. Leg Up Farm has already purchased a facility on North George Street where they plan to service adults from the ages 18 to 59 with special needs. It will consist of many Able Services, including a greenhouse and shirt printing process. This will create a real job experience that will also be a source of funding for LegUpFarm. Another new step is the LegUpFarmers Market, which will provide an organic grocery to the the public and expanding concept of nutrition.
For more information on how Leg Up Farm came to be, click here or click here to visit their website and see just how they are focusing forward to make the world a better place.
Now, Leg Up Farm operates as a functional therapeutic riding center that also offers a variety of other therapies. One of their most noted features, however, is Matthew's Town. Matthew's Town is a play area designed to help children focus forward and learn what it is like to be an adult in the real world, while having fun and gaining valuable life skills at the same time.
Along with therapies, Leg Up Farm also offers summer camps and classes for children with special needs, as well as their siblings and parents. They plan on creating new assistive programs that will reach out to adults as well. Leg Up Farm has already purchased a facility on North George Street where they plan to service adults from the ages 18 to 59 with special needs. It will consist of many Able Services, including a greenhouse and shirt printing process. This will create a real job experience that will also be a source of funding for LegUpFarm. Another new step is the LegUpFarmers Market, which will provide an organic grocery to the the public and expanding concept of nutrition.
For more information on how Leg Up Farm came to be, click here or click here to visit their website and see just how they are focusing forward to make the world a better place.
the global connection
The struggle for people with disabilities has been a prominent issue for many centuries. The conflict surrounding disability rights have been dated back to ancient times. Disabilities were regarded as punishment for sins, or for making deals with the devil. However, once the 19th century rolled around, people began to realize that disabilities were more of a social issue effecting people's lives, rather than punishment. People started seeing how disabilities could be regarded, and how they could adapt the world for those who needed it. Out of this came the first school for the mentally handicapped, which was established in Paris in 1837. There were also many acts passed to help make the lives of those with disabilities better and to prevent discrimination; such as the Zimbabwe Disabled Persons Act – criminalizing disability discrimination – and the Ghana Disability Act, which worked towards stopping employment and workplace discrimination based upon disabilities.
Because of the incredible stances above, society has become both more accepting and better acclimated for those with disabilities. Leg Up Farm is one of these incredible organizations that have made a conscious effort to aid with this, and to improve the overall lifestyle of people with disabilities. |
Photo by: Renovation Church.
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