2001

Lou Castriota, Jr. cares about people. It is what motivates him to serve people, and it is what motivates him to give finacially to others. When Lou talks about serving people with disabilities, listeners get tears in their eyes. Lou has a vision, and he will not stray from the path he is on until that vision is reached.

Lou is the creator and chairman of the board of Leg Up Farm. This is a nonprofit organization spearheaded by Lou in 1997. His vision is that by 2004, Leg Up Farm will be a progressive and comprehensive rehabilitation center for children with special needs.

Lou, 30, and his wife Laurie are the parents of four children -- Olivia, Toby, Brooke, and Lauren -- from ages three to ten. Lou graduated from Dallastown High School in York County in 1988. For the past decade, he has been in sales, nine years with Fox 43 in York, and now as the national sales manager for WBFF Fox 45 out of Baltimore.

Caring about the needs of children with disabilities is not new to the Castriota family. Their five-year-old daughter, Brooke, has a metabolic disorder called mitochondria disorder. It is a big word with even bigger symptoms. Individuals can have different symptoms with this disorder. For Brooke, it affects her motor skills, balance and speech. However, it has not stopped Brooke from being an integral part of her family's life. "She is the one who's sensitive to everyone's moods. She's the sweetest, happiest little girl imaginable," Lou said.

Lou first heard about Easter Seals last year at York's Business Expo. He spoke with staff about the mission of Easter Seals -- "to help bring independence, equality and dignity to children and adults with disabilities." These principals mattered to Lou.

Later in the year, he met with Matt Ernst, the Easter Seals recreational therapist. Lou liked what he heard about the many recreational and therapeutic community-based programs offered at Easter Seals. Children with disabilities were participating in programs such as swimming, wheelchair basketball, tennis, soccer, water-skiing, snow skiing -- the list is long.

"My wife and I believe in making worthwhile donations that will have a positive impact on people. I will do everything in my life to make things better for people, particularly children," Lou said. This past year, he gave $1,000 to Easter Seals, which makes him a member of the Presidents' Council.

"My hope," he said, "is that I will have a positive impact on thousands of children for many years."

Easter Seals Newsletter

Whoa there, all you Leg Up Farm people. You don’t really think you can just go ahead and open up a rehabilitation center for sick kids, do you? Not without our say-so, you don’t.

And hoops to go over?

What an unfortunate reaction by East Manchester Township officials to such a wonderful project.

Late last month, East Manchester Township landowner Barbara Warren announced that she would allow part of her 200-acre property to be used for the Leg Up Farm. The farm is the dream of Lou Castriota, Jr. of Shrewsbury Township, who has been working for several years to create a rehab center for children with a variety of physical disorders.

The dream began while he was shuttling his your daughter, who has a disease similar to cerebral palsy, around to various therapy locations. Light bulb: Why not create a rehabilitation center with all the various therapies available in one location, in a farm-like setting? The center, he imagined, would include a pool, a gymnasium, and indoor riding arena, etc.

The only problem was finding a place for the Leg Up Farm. Then last year he met Warren, and the siting problem was solved. She would generously allow part of her property to be used for the farm, and Castriota could turn his attention to raising the $7.2 million he needs for start-up.

The two invited local media, township officials and others to a press conference March 28 to announce the good news.

The media showed up. Lot of other interested folks did, too. But no one from the township.

So municipal officials had no one but themselves to blame for the fact that they had to (horrors!) “read about it in the paper.” They were dismayed that Warren and Castriota had failed to inform officials of their plans.

Imagine the nerve: A property owner planning to do something with her land without so much as a “by your leave” from the local burgomasters. Never mind that Barbara Warren was planning to do something decent and generous. She can’t do any such thing in the supervisors’ little fiefdom without their permission first.

So they had their lawyer fire off a letter to Warren advising her of such. “There are hurdles she needs to jump through,” said Supervisor Terry Gingerich.

The letter notified Warren that she would be required to share her plans with municipal officials, and the project would likely have to go through the township planning commission, possibly the zoning hearing board and the board of supervisors – the whole bureaucratic ringer.

Of course, a friendly phone call might have sufficed as a gentle reminder of the zoning imperatives. Had township officials bothered to call (or showed up at the press conference announcing a major initiative in their municipality), they might have learned that Warren was well aware of the permitting process and the zoning of her property. In fact, she might have reminded them that she had served for more than 10 years as a member of the township zoning hearing board.

Instead, supervisors took the officious route and sent out a letter from a lawyer – a methodology that’s all too typical of municipal officials nowadays. And that’s truly unfortunate, given one common justification for Pennsylvania’s vast web of municipal bureaucracies. Apologists say we need all these little jurisdictions because they offer more personalized service than large, faceless governments. But in practice, they behave just as impersonally as any imperious federal bureaucracy.

Zoning laws are important, of course, and Leg Up should be required to meet all requirements. But it’s a pity East Manchester couldn’t have welcomed a land-use proposal that will preserve open space (as opposed to, say, a housing development with 1,000 cookie-cutter homes) rather than greet it with a bramble of legalese.

Oh well. At least there’s a silver lining: The township’s zoning warning served to give Leg Up, which has a lot of money to raise, some free publicity (call 843-8341 to donate).

And at least Warren can take comfort she doesn’t live in a place where they take zoning rules really, really seriously – a place like Fairfax County, Va., which for two months has jailed a golf course owner for failing to plant enough trees and shrubs.

East Manchester Township isn’t that bad. Not yet, anyway.

Our Views, The York Dispatch/Sunday News

Barbara Warren says she is confident her plans to lend part of her East Manchester Township property for a rehabilitative center will move ahead despite concerns raised at a recent township supervisors’ meeting.

Warren has offered Lou Castriota, Jr. the use of part of her 200-acre property for a farm-based therapeutic and rehabilitative facility for children with special needs. Castriota, whose 5-year-old daughter has a disorder similar to cerebral palsy, plans a 77,000 square-foot facility.

Leg Up Farm will feature a wide array of therapies both recreational and occupational. It will employ about 25 people and be located on North Sherman Street Extended.

At a recent meeting, East Manchester officials expressed concern that they weren’t informed of Warren’s intention, or given a heads-up on the project.

Terry Gingerich, a township supervisor, said East Manchester officials learned of the plans by reading a newspaper article. The supervisors had their solicitor, William Poole, Jr., write Warren, advising her to communicate with the township concerning her plans.

There are “hurdles she needs to jump through,” Gingerich said.

Township officials say any modifications to the property will need to go before the township planning commission, possibly the zoning hearing board and eventually the board of supervisors.

Poole said the township was not offering an opinion on the proposed use, but that as township solicitor he must determine that zoning and subdivision laws are adhered to.

In early stages: Warren said she intends to involve township officials. She said she served on the township zoning hearing board for more than 10 years and is aware of the proper process.

She described the project as being in its initial stages, saying a topographic study must be completed and boundary lines delineated before she goes before the zoning hearing board.

Warren said the township was invited to send representatives to a March 28 press conference announcing her decision to donate the use of her land but none attended. She said details of the project were not included in the invitation because that “would have defeated the purpose” of the press conference.

The conference might have been “putting the cart before the horse,” Warren said, but the event was “good PR for the campaign.”

The facility needs an estimated $7.2 million for start-up, Castriota has said. Leg Up Farm received a $60,000 state community development grant last June and state Sen. Mike Waugh, R-Shrewsbury, added the project to the state’s capital budget for a $4.5 million matching grant.

Castriota, who lives in Shrewsbury Township, said he’s aware of his obligations to involve East Manchester officials in his plans.

“I’m a little shocked that someone would think that we wouldn’t know that we’d have to go through subdivision approval and zoning,” he said.

Castriota said there’s plenty of time. Preliminary information may be given to officials in about six months, he said.

The planned facility would have several structures, including a two-story main building, stables, and indoor riding arena, a pool and gymnasium.

By AMY MARCHIANO, The York Dispatch/Sunday News

Riding horses generally is easy for mentally and physically disadvantaged persons, former President Ronald Reagan told this writer in a White House conversation on June 13, 1986.

“The riders move with the horse’s motion and are relaxed,” Reagan said to this reporter and four others assigned to his table at a media luncheon.

The conversation covered numerous subjects – including his late 1940s visits to York and Gettysburg as a Hollywood representative of General Electric plants.

The horses and Reagan’s keen interest in them, along with the value of horseback riding by persons with mental or physical problems, outweighed all other parts of our conversation.

It is the one part of that two-hour luncheon that remains indelible in my mind and served as a reminder when a press release about a new York County project, “Leg Up Farm,” was received in the mail from its chairman, Lou Castriota, Jr. of Glen Rock.

Horse therapy is one therapeutic service for children with special needs, including those with congenital defects, accident victims and those with developmental or cognitive disorders.

“Leg Up” will provide other services, including speech, physical, occupational, recreational, music, art and aqua therapy.

The program will take place at the Warren Eco-Farm property, owned by Barbara Warren, on North Sherman Street Extended in East Manchester Township.

Warren, also an ecologist, donated the land.

“Leg Up Farm” received a $60,0000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to cover first-year operating expenses and fund necessary expenses.

“It is therapy in a farm environment, will employ a staff of 25 and will open in the year 2004,” Castriota tells Around Town.

“President Reagan is right when he talks about horses and disadvantaged persons. The movement of the horses blends with these riders, who gain confidence and self-esteem,” says Castriota, a horse lover whose wife, the former Laura Reed, is a horse show competitor.

By 2003, a groundbreaking ceremony will be held, and, in the meantime, the organization will seek $7.2 million. Insurance benefits for rehabilitation of the disadvantaged persons will help pay for the operating expenses, says Castriota, a Fox-TV Baltimore salesperson.

It is expected to be the first comprehensive pediatric therapy center in the United Sates, destined to draw national attention and support. It will provide services for thousands of special needs children and families in Central Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland.

Around Town readers interested in contributing to the program should send checks to Leg Up Farm, Inc., PO Box 345, York 17405-0345. For more details, phone 843-8341.

By HARRY McLAUGHLIN, Around Town - The York Dispatch

It is easy to focus on the negativity in the world. It is all over the television and all over our newspapers. Murder, child abuse, homelessness, plane crashes … and yet if you look into the little sweet corners of the world, you can find a story that lifts your heart.

I wanted to comment on an article that ran March 30 regarding the proposed Leg Up Farm and one man’s efforts to make his dream come true – all for the good of his 5-year-old daughter and for the good of a community.

Lou Castriota’s incredible will to build a rehabilitation facility for special-needs children was inspiring. For four years he has turned a small idea into a reality. Aside from Lou’s generous spirit, one woman’s unselfishness to donate land was equally moving. I suspect if we all followed our dream to even half the extent as this one man, and gave even a fraction of what Barbara Warren donated, the world would be a better place.

By DOREEN PHELAN, Viewpoints - The York Dispatch

Thumbs up to Barbara Warren for giving the proposed Leg Up Farm a … well, a leg up.

Warren, the owner of a large piece of property off North Sherman Street Extended in East Manchester Township, has agreed to allow the proposed rehabilitative center to build a 77,000 square-foot building on her land and use her 200 acres.

It’s an incredibly generous gesture, especially when seen against the backdrop of large property development proposals that have been in the headlines of late.

Warren’s gesture is all the more remarkable.

And if the planned “Leg Up Farm” meets expectations, it will be a truly remarkable facility.

The man behind the proposal is Lou Castriota, Jr., who for four years has worked to establish a farm-based therapeutic and rehabilitative facility for children and young adults with special needs.

His quest began with his 5-year-old daughter, Brooke, who has mitochondrial disease, a metabolic disorder similar to cerebral palsy.

As Brooke underwent various therapies for her condition, it occurred to her father that there was no local facility that could offer all the physical therapies she needed at one location. So he decided to create a facility that offered many different therapy options – in a farm-like setting.

The planned Leg Up Farm will feature physical, horse, aquatic, speech, art, music, recreational and occupational therapies in a place that offers pastures, nature trails and woodlands.

The facility will consist of a two-story main building, stables, an indoor riding arena, a pool and a gymnasium, along with a tranquility garden to be shared with nearby Starview United Church of Christ.

The farm will employ some 25 people, including administrators, therapists and assistants.

In his search for a site (which at one time focused on the county-owned Horn Farm), Castriota met Warren last year, and she offered to allow the use of her 200-acre property for the venture.

She says her partnership with Leg Up Farm will demonstrate her “firm belief that being close to the land and all the elements on it promotes healing.”

Indeed.

Now all they need is money.

In the past year, Leg Up Farm has received a $60,000 community development grant from the state Department of Economic Development. But the facility, which Castriota hopes to have in operation by 2004, will require $7.2 million to build and another $1.8 million to operate the first year.

Thumbs up to state Sen. Mike Waugh for adding the project to the state’s capital budget proposals for a matching grant of $4.5 million. But Leg Up can’t get that money unless it raises $4.5 million first.

Here’s hoping local residents will be as generous in donating to this nonprofit venture as Barbara Warren was in donating the use of her property to help children heal. For more information on how to contribute, call 843-8341.

Our Views, The York Dispatch

Play is an important part of healing.

For father Lou Castriota, Jr. of Shrewsbury Township, the dream of special-needs children participating in therapy – fishing in a handicapped-accessible pond, riding horses and romping on nature trails – pushes him toward his goal of establishing Leg Up Farm, Inc.

Group members working to create the therapy farm for children said Wednesday they will build on a site along North Sherman Street in East Manchester Township.

Barbara Warren donated land for a building, and she will allow the children to use many areas of her 200-acre farm. She is giving the group permission to construct a building large enough for administrative offices, rooms for indoor therapy sessions and a pool.

Leg Up officials estimate the project will cost about $7.2 million, and it is scheduled to open in 2004. The farm will provide a range of daily services for children, but has no plans for overnight facilities at this time.

“Almost every child in our area can benefit from this project in some way,” said Castriota, who is chairman of the board. He sees staff working with special needs children, and promoting interaction with other area groups like the Boy Scouts.

In 1997, Castriota kicked around the idea of creating a horse-therapy farm. Six months after he thought about it, he learned his own daughter could benefit from his vision. Brooke, who is now 5, had been diagnosed with a metabolic disorder that causes her to have difficulty with motor skills, balance and speech.

“We can use the assets of a farm in the therapy program,” he said. “By bringing all of these therapies together, we also can create a better way of delivering the services.”

One untraditional approach is horse therapy, a type of activity which allows a child to build muscle strength, balance and promote self-esteem, Castriota said.

Leg Up Farm is on the governor’s capital wish list, said state Sen. Michael Waugh, R-Shrewsbury Township.

“I know they have their heart and soul in the project,” Waugh said. “When it’s finished, it will be a great addition to our health services in York County as well as the whole region.”

By JENNIFER NEJMAN, The York Daily Record

For the last four years, Lou Castriota, Jr. has worked to establish a York County farm-based therapeutic and rehabilitative facility for children and young adults with special needs. He called it Leg Up Farm.

This morning in the Lafayette room of the Yorktowne Hotel, Castriota announced that a York County landowner has agreed to allow Leg Up Farm to build a 77,000 square foot facility and use her 200-acre property in East Manchester Township.

The facility will feature physical, horse, aqua, speech, art, music, recreational and occupational therapies in a setting surrounded by pastures, nature trails and woodlands. What’s unique about the facility is that these therapies are rarely combined in one site, making it difficult for a patient who needs multiple therapies; in addition, they are rarely ever in a farm environment, Castriota said.

The site is on North Sherman Street Extended, less than five miles from both Route 30 and Interstate 83.

“Our most exciting moment is yet to come, when children enter the front gate with smiles on their faces, anticipating the excitement that awaits them inside Leg Up Farm,” Castriota said.

Castriota said he met landowner Barbara Warren early last year while trying to find another site for Leg Up Farm and she offered him the land in December.

He plans to open the facility sometime in 2004.

“The partnership with Leg Up Farm will demonstrate my firm belief that being close to the land and all of the elements of nature on it, promotes healing,” Warren said in a press release.

Matching grant proposed: Castriota also said that with the assistance of state Sen. Michael L. Waugh, a longtime supporter of the project, Leg Up Farm has been added to the state’s capital budget proposals for a matching grant of $4.5 million.

This means if Leg Up Farm can raise $4.5 million, and the governor agrees, the state will match that amount.

The facility needs about $7.2 million to start up and another $1.8 million for the first year’s operating costs, Castriota said. The facility will consist of a two-story main building, stables, an indoor riding arena, a pool and a gymnasium. It also will include a tranquility garden to be shared with the nearby Staview United Church of Christ.

Employment opportunity: Leg Up Farm will employ about 25 people, including administration, therapists and assistants, he said.

“We’ve seen great therapeutic riding centers, but that’s all they do. There’s traditional hospitals that care for children with traditional therapies, but there’s nobody that brings all of these together under one roof in a child-friendly environment,” Castriota said.

Castriota’s supporters include politicians such as the York County Commissioners (with late President Bob Minnich), parents of special needs children and doctors.

Within a year, Leg Up Farm has received a $60,000 community development grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development and has set up a 13-member board of directors and a 10-member advisory board.

Castriota’s inspiration for Leg Up Farm is his 5-year-old daughter, Brooke. She has mitochondrial disease, a metabolic disorder similar to cerebral palsy.

As Brooke worked with several therapists, the idea for Leg Up Farm germinated in Castriota’s mind.

Brooke is featured on a poster board for Leg Up Farm. Her picture is in the center of a circle, surrounded by colored puzzle pieces, a different therapy in each piece. Surrounding the pieces on the outer portion of the circle, are the groups of people that will make Leg Up Farm possible: Family and friends, teachers, physicians, community, volunteers and therapists.

Looking for site: Castriota said he met Warren early last year, when he worked with her on a committee to propose the idea of Leg Up Farm and two other facilities for the Horn Farm in Hellam Township. Castriota said he soon realized it may take several years for all of the controversy surrounding the Horn Farm to be ironed out and began looking for a site.

By TED CZECH, The York Dispatch/Sunday News