So you know our story over the last eight years. We bought a horse farm with our close cousins, the Hoffman family. We absolutely love the community and the relationships we have developed here in Wells, Maine.
In March of 2021, our lives changed forever when ”Farmer Bob” Hoffman suffered a massive ruptured aneurysm and two strokes. While Bob may appear to look fully recovered, the cognitive deficits are very present, reducing his quality of life, as it relates to his career, social relationships, and both basic and instrumental activities of daily living.
Cat and I went into full on support and survival mode for the Hoffman clan… and for ourselves. It’s been a difficult two years to say the least and the farm has taken a back seat. But we are folks of faith, and we looked for what we might need to learn from this set of circumstances, and we prayed for guidance.
As a result, our business plan has adapted. Equine assisted therapy has always been on the table for our business plan, and Bob’s injury has brought it close to home. At least 8.4 million people in the United States are caring for someone with mental illness and everyone in our nation knows someone that suffers from mental illness or cognitive disabilities.
Instead of stepping back when faced with adversity, the LWF community launched forward to build an organization with a long term vision to make our community better and help those in need.
In February of 2023 we launched Living Wells Farm Equine-Assisted Services (LWF-EAS). We have an initial fundraising goal of $100,000.00.
LWF-EAS is a 501c3 non-profit with an active Board of Directors (BOD), a dedicated staff, and certified therapists ready to expand services to our community. Our mission is to build a sustainable social services organization dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of children and adults with physical, emotional, and cognitive challenges through equine-assisted services. We need financial assistance to accomplish this.
We have immediate needs to make the Farm accessible by meeting ADA requirements. This includes updating bathrooms, building ramps, creating meeting spaces, updating staff housing, and making the grounds safe for all visitors. At the same time we need to conduct continued training with new and existing horses so they are ready to be active participants in the program.
Our 2023 fundraising goal is 100k. With this level of support, coupled with revenue generated from the Farm’s camps, we can make the required upgrades and meet our financial obligations. We are thrilled to have one donor that has agreed to fund the last 25k of this goal. That leaves us with just 75k to raise. Later this year, we will be announcing our goals and programs for 2024 and beyond.
Please share our mission with your friends, families, and on social media. Below is a link to our donation page:
Helping us to complete these ADA required projects enables LWF -EAS to start serving hundreds of people each year who need our services. Through equine-assisted services at Living Wells Farm, let’s provide this opportunity to many others. By donating to Living Wells Farm, you will help improve the lives of those in our community that need it the most. We hope you see the value in our mission and thank you for considering a gift to our organization.
With Much Love,
Chris & Cat Curley