Equestrian Program Preparing to Resume in Late Spring

As we reach the end of another winter season, preparations are being made to restart the equestrian program for 2020 in late spring. With indoor and outdoor arenas the program is enjoyed by participants with developmental disabilities every year. Program participants can ride the horses if they choose, or they can enjoy therapeutic interaction with the horses without riding. Participants can be of any age, and they do not have to be residents or day program participants at Safe Haven to enjoy the equestrian program.

Have questions, want to learn more, or ready to register for the program? Click here to send a message to the equestrian team: https://www.safehavenfarms.org/equestrian-inquiry

A Job Well Done!

For the past 12 years Denny Rogers has served as President of Safe Haven Farms’ Board of Directors. Denny has given crucial leadership and thousands of house of planning and work as a founding board member. His contribution to the success of Safe Haven Farms cannot be exaggerated. Denny’s daughter, Emily, has been the inspiration in all his efforts. Denny, there are not enough kudos and thank-yous.

Denny continues to serve Safe Haven Farms as a member of the Board of Directors, as Treasurer, and as a volunteer in various other capacities. Pamela Lockwood now serves as Safe Haven’s President.

Seen at the annual Share the Love dinner/fundraiser in February 2020, new President Pam Lockwood, left, and past President Denny Rogers, right.

Seen at the annual Share the Love dinner/fundraiser in February 2020, new President Pam Lockwood, left, and past President Denny Rogers, right.

Annual "Share the Love" Dinner

Our annual “Share the Love” dinner/fundraiser was held on February 12 at the Grand Finale restaurant. Once again it was a delightful evening filled with terrific food and company. Many thanks for the generosity of all the participants and to our sponsors - Impact Autism, Inc., First Financial Bank, Ken Anderson Alliance, Truepoint Wealth Counsel, Fey Bruder Insurance Advisors, LLC, and The John & Shirley Davies Foundation!

Provider Update

Choices in Community Living, which provides residential and day services at Safe Haven Farms, has extended their service contract through 2020. They are working to add new participants to the day program, and several have started in recent months. Participants with any developmental disability are now able to participate thanks to rezoning which was approved earlier this year. Openings in the day program are available and we hope to recruit “farmers” who wish to participate in our agricultural and animal programs. Our vision for the farm is to have a true farmstead model with each participant engaged in as many farm activities as they are interested and capable of performing. Thanks to all of the staff and all of the Choices in Community Living management for their hard work.

College Education Assistance Opportunities

Please spread the word to all college students who need or want to work that there are terrific opportunities with Choices in Community Living at Safe Haven Farms. Choices employees selected to participate in the Education Assistance Program at Safe Haven Farms will be doing good by making a different for adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities. At the same time, they will be gaining meaningful work experience, earning a regular paycheck, and qualifying for an end of semester bonus of up to $1,500. The bonus amount is based on points accumulated and hours worked.

Opportunities are available to work days of the week as well as evenings and overnights. The greatest need is on weekends.

Openings are available now. For additional information about working for Choices and participating in the Employee Education Assistance Program go to cicljobs.com.

Property Improvements

Thanks to the generosity of our many donors and grants from local foundations, we are continuing to improve and grow the facilities at Safe Haven Farms. This summer and fall, we completed construction of our new hydroponic greenhouse and installed electrical and plumbing services to it. We look forward to using it this winter to keep our vegetables coming all winter.

We received a grant from an anonymous donor through the Hamilton Community Foundation in March to allow us to replace the leaking roof and the gutters of the Welcome House (office building). The original roof was built in 1972 and had been re-shingled a couple of times. All of the old shingles were removed, and new ones installed in August, so now it’s as good as new!

Our horse barn roof has been peeling paint for a couple of years and it was down to bare metal in some places. We had it stripped and repainted this fall. It looks great and should be good for several more years.

After 10 years of wear-and-tear, the carpets in the living rooms and staff rooms of our four residences needed replacing. We replaced them with vinyl plank flooring this spring which will make for longer life and much easier cleanup for the staff. Your continued donations and participation in our fundraisers are what makes these kinds of important property projects possible. Thanks to everyone for your support.

Fall Agriculture on the Farm

Fall is a busy time on the farm. The last of summer harvest and the weekly Middletown Farmers Market are finished.

Late fall activity has turned to winter vegetable planting of spinach, Swiss chard, arugula, garlic, and lettuce blends in SHF vegetable hoop houses. While these will not be grown for market, residents of the farm will have fresh produce available for their own use.

SHF wants to thank its growing list of supporters who come to the Middletown market to especially buy SHF produce and flowers. The community support has been amazing as has the interest in farm activities been gratifying.

Late fall is also a time of planning ahead for next spring. Seed ordering and bed preparation are well under way in anticipation of seed planting in late winter. The goal is to broaden the selection of seedlings planted so that there is a succession of vegetable produce throughout the year. To support this, SHF received a generous donation to purchase and build a Hydroponics operation for the Farm.

This will allow an expansion of the year-round growing season. Winter 2020 will be the initiation of the hydroponics initiative. The plan is to continue the weekly farmers market in Middletown and to add a produce retail store at SHF as well. Stay tuned for more details about this new operation.

Fall Visitors to the Farm

We have had a lot of visitors to the farm this fall! It was a good opportunity to make some new friends and spread the awareness of Safe Haven Farms throughout the local community.

Twenty-two (K-5th grade) elementary students with developmental disabilities from three classrooms at nearby Madison Elementary School visited the farm for a field trip on September 13th, along with ten teachers, aides and volunteers. They had lunch in the picnic shelter, took a hay ride to the back pasture to pick pumpkins and stopped by the garden to pick some fresh vegetables to take home. Then they went to the barn where they interacted with our horses and alpacas and make an “alpaca people” craft in the viewing room. Everyone seemed to have a good time. We are hopeful that this experience will encourage some of them to join our equestrian program in the future.

Four parent advocates representing DD programs from several local high school districts came out for a tour and to learn more about our programs on October 18th. Lakota, Middletown, Princeton and Oak Hills school districts were all represented.

They viewed the houses, gardens and greenhouses, barns and Hatton Center and got a good understanding of the activities at Safe Haven Farms to take back and share with their parent groups in their districts. This could be a good pipeline for future day participants and equestrian riders.

On October 28th, five students with disabilities and five teachers and aides from Madison High School visited the farm for a few hours to enjoy the fall weather and experience farm activities. They had lunch in the Hatton Center, took a hay ride, collected pumpkins and vegetables and interacted with the animals.

It’s very satisfying to see visitors discover us for the first time. They are generally amazed at our farm and the opportunities it presents for individuals with disabilities in the area.