JOHNSTOWN — The alpacas are coming! The alpacas are coming!
Located in The Learning Spectrum (TLS) North East education center near Johnstown, the Learning 4 Life Farm is under steady construction after two years to full completion. And getting the therapy animals in January means the seven-acre facility, also with gardens, is one step closer to providing job training for teens and young adults on the autism spectrum.
“The alpacas are easier to care for, and they are good for therapeutic training and therapy,” said Amy Hurst, operational director of Learning 4 Life Farm, at last year’s barn rearing event. “The kids really like the animals and they’ve taken trips to nearby alpaca farms.”
“Once we have the alpacas, we want to bring in students from other local school districts,” Hurst said last week at a summer open house that kept the community updated on progress. “We just got an EQUIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) grant from USDA for the well, pollinator habitat strip, manure composting facility, and shed driveway.”
The 36×80 foot barn, which will house alpacas on one side and a workspace/gift shop on the other, was erected in October. In winter and spring the electricity, the septic system, the roof and the plumbing are installed. The final steps are a concrete floor, drilling a well and finishing the interior, including a walk-in cooler and HVAC.
Phase 3, the latest for the project, will cost $137,871 and will also include five acres of three fenced pastures for the alpacas and a 1.5-acre organic garden for cut flowers, herbs, vegetables and a pumpkin patch. The community has been very supportive of the company overall. Of the $193,765 spent to date, $62,222 has come from individuals, $52,372 from businesses, and $22,621 from donated materials and services. The rest comes from grants and TLS sponsorship.
“The Jeff Robinson family sold a vintage Porsche and donated the money to us to pay for our septic system,” Hurst said. “That was great, very generous, and many other foundations and sponsors have contributed.”
A hoop house was built to grow flowers and vegetables year-round, and it is USDA-equipped with raised beds.
Phase 1 of the project, completed in Fall 2020, was funded with $25,000 in donations from community members and includes the driveway, elevated shed path, drainage and bioretention rain garden. A fruit, vegetable, herb and flower garden is cared for by high school, high school and younger students and has expanded to 2,500 square feet. Two beehives were also added to the property.
During last week’s open house there were flowers, vegetables and herbs for sale that were grown by the students. They have enhanced their work and life skills by watering vegetables, pulling and harvesting weeds, cutting and arranging flowers, building the raised garden beds in the hoop house and learning beekeeping.
“They all thrived independently and developed their skills,” says TLS North East high school teacher Carmella Bojarzin of Newark. “They like to take home the vegetables that have grown out of their skills. We give them the training they need to go out into the world, and we work on their social skills. They understand money and taxes. “
“They love that the community is here and seeing what they’re doing,” said Mount Vernon’s Kelly Kinnear, a paraprofessional at TLS North East High School. “They learned to make bouquets and they love to make soap. The students built the hives and painted them, and those who were comfortable with it got involved in beekeeping. This really helps them build confidence , and they’ do more in the classroom, learn conversational skills.”
The TLS Board of Directors is excited to see the students’ progress and excited about what the future holds for them. Learning 4 Life Farm wants to put a big dent in the statistics that 85 percent of young adults with autism are unemployed or underemployed. It hopes to launch its full vocational training program next year.
Westerville board member Matt McEnery works for MAC Construction in Worthington. His middle son, Charlie, is on the autism spectrum.
“I started working with Jill Medley (Executive Director of TLS), Canal Winchester Building Projects, and I was stunned to work with her,” said McEnery. “I wanted to see what I could do to help, and Jill invited me to be a board member.”
At Learning 4 Life Farm, McEnery and MAC Construction provided advice and provided materials, time and labor. They helped build the barn, raised gardens, plan the pastures, and even added modular classrooms for TLS North East School.
“The learning spectrum is growing like crazy,” McEnery said. “It’s something that’s needed in Central Ohio.”
Angela Ramos-Fields of Columbus originally got Spectrum communications involved with Learning 4 Life through a grant while working there. Now part of IBM network services through Kyndryl, she wants to do the same with her new company.
“I’m still actively involved as (TLS) board vice president, and I want to make them (IBM) aware of the plan and really get them involved,” she said. “My son is 21 and went to The Learning Spectrum in Columbus, so it’s a decades-long relationship and I want to support all of their efforts.”
“I imagine there’s a lot more to come out of this (Learning 4 Life Farm) initiative,” Ramos-Fields said. “The farm gives them the work attributes they need. It polishes their skills so they can live their most fulfilled lives.”
dweidig@gannett.com
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