Richland, Delaware, and Morrow County Ohio Farm Bureaus raised $5,000 when they joined forces Saturday evening to host a fundraiser for Flying Horse Farms, a camp for children with serious illnesses.
“Flying Horse Farms is a magical place,” said Donald Wiggins, Director of Community Relations and In-Kind Donations at Flying Horse Farms. “It’s a place where kids can forget about being sick for the week and just be a kid.”
The camp opened in the fall of 2010, said Wiggins, and in 2011 served 300 to 325 children and their families. The number has steadily increased with over 500 children and families attending in 2012, and 698 in 2013.
“Our goal this year,” added Wiggins, “is to serve close to 1,000 kids and their families.”
The camp has the capacity for 120 children during each week-long camp, but the current budget limits the number to nearly half that.
Chief Executive Officer and President of Flying Horse Farms, Mimi Dane Esq. said, “One thing to keep in mind is that we operate solely on donations. We never charge for camp.”
The camp receives no state or federal funding. All operational funds come from grants, corporate sponsorship, and private donations.
“Our biggest opportunity is to find groups like this that are willing to take a leap of faith and provide us with money to bring kids to camp,” said Wiggins.
Wiggins approached the Farm Bureau after a group from Leadership Columbus built raised garden beds at the camp. He hoped to find funding for plants and other needed gardening materials.
“We bounced around the idea on how we could help out,” said Tim Hicks, Organizational Director for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF).
“We decided to do it a little bit differently. We wanted to have a meal. We wanted have a dinner, host an event at Flying Horse Farms, where we were able to really bring together the local ag community and share with what we do and love best, and that’s food,” added Hicks.
Dane said that Flying Horse Farms will use the funds raised in a combination of operation expenses and the children’s garden. “The goal is to help fund the growth of that garden so we can do more farm to table activities at camp itself,” she noted.
Joseph Motter, Malabar Farm Restaurant chef and owner, said that when he was approached about the event he was unaware of Flying Horse Farms.
“Only then did I learn how important this is. We are really honored to be a part of it,” said Motter.
Attendees received a tour of the camp before enjoying Motter’s culinary creation: three courses inspired by “upscale camping food,” each paired with an Ohio wine.
Tables were filled with discussion of the facilities as well as the food, and common interests were found among many in attendance.
Teresa Troyer, an attendee from Union County said of the facility, “I’m going to have to think a while about how this impacts the children that get to come here. It’s got to be so deep. Having a child with special needs, I understand the concept of her not being able to go everywhere she wants, and for these children that are even more limited than she is, I can’t imagine the joy.”
“This night was such a great opportunity to not only see this amazing facility, but to meet new people, enjoy amazing food, and now we have these lasting friendships,” noted Jodie Snavely, an attendee from Richland County.
At least one table of newfound friends discussed planning a reunion dinner at Malabar Farm Restaurant.
Sponsors of the event included: Marion Technical College; Luke’s Country Meats; Kokoborrego Cheese Company; Sippel Family Farm; Homestead Acres; Nationwide Insurance Marla Evans Agency; Farm Credit Mid-America; Katherine Harrison; Ag Credit Country Mortgages; and Morrow, Richland, and Delaware County Farm Bureaus.
“Flying Horse Farms is a magical place,” said Donald Wiggins, Director of Community Relations and In-Kind Donations at Flying Horse Farms. “It’s a place where kids can forget about being sick for the week and just be a kid.”
