"Energy and persistence conquer all things." - Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

This quote is one that Lou (“Louie”) Castriota tries to incorporate into all presentations and interviews about Leg Up Farm. In his drive to bring Leg Up Farm to fruition, Lou’s situation has certainly paralleled that of a steeplechase rider facing daunting hurdles. Through it all, Lou has persevered and successfully landed all of the jumps he’s encountered. Successfully navigating obstacles is a theme not only of the creation of Leg Up Farm but also that of the daily life of Lou’s daughter, Brooke.

In February of 1997, Lou and his wife, Laurie, had a vision that merged their love of horses with their desire to give back to their community through the creation of a therapeutic riding center for children with disabilities. Ironically, six months after their vision was borne, their daughter Brooke was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease. The disease is a metabolic disorder that causes both cognitive and motor function delays. While Brooke has her own unique ways of communicating with her family, her speech is very limited and she typically struggles to maintain her balance.

When Brooke was first diagnosed, Lou and Laurie did what concerned parents do. They searched for support and services and were stunned by what they found. The state of Pennsylvania offered an excellent early intervention program, but it only served children up to three years of age. After age three, children are then dependent on school systems or private doctors for therapeutic programs.

The major issues that families face once leaving the state’s early intervention program are cost of services, service environments not designed to support the specific needs of the children, and fragmentation of care services. The Castriota’s research found huge gaps in availability and affordability of services that led them to envision a facility offering more than a therapeutic riding center. Lou’s dream then became to develop a facility that would be unique across the country in its offering of comprehensive, customized and coordinated therapy for children with a wide variety of needs.

Lou’s first major obstacle came in the form of a location for the farm. Accessibility of location was critical and that translated to major expense. After an exasperating two-year search for land for Leg Up Farm, local resident and ecologist Barbara Warren stepped forward and donated 18 acres of her farm for the project. Not only was the donated land easily accessible from two major thoroughfares, but it also sat atop a beautiful scenic plateau overlooking a pond and gently rolling hills bounded by pine forests and a nearby apple orchard. While this major capital cost was avoided, daunting challenges remained - $200,000 for the land development plan and $9 million in capital to actually build the facility and cover the first year operating expenses.

In pursuit of his dream over the last 12 years and with the help of many, Lou has been able to raise over $1.5 million in funding through a combination of private contributions, public fundraising events, and state, federal, and foundation grants. Critical to his success, however, was securing 50% of the capital funding through the state of Pennsylvania. In 2006, after working with the state more than six years to release the money, he turned his attention to securing a loan. In November of 2008, Lou and Leg Up Farm finally received a $5.6 million loan split between USDA Rural Development and York Traditions Bank.

Lou’s dream of providing a motivating environment with customized care for each child is now within reach – with groundbreaking scheduled to occur in mid 2009. The vision of speech, occupation, and physical therapies in the form of art, music, horseback riding, swimming, fishing, hiking and more is within sight.

However, the need for funding continues and donations of all sizes are generously welcomed. Lou’s other two daughters, Olivia and Lauren, have raised money over the years – donating increments of money from part-time jobs and personal allowance. No donation is too small – the collective efforts of the combined community make a huge impact and will be needed to sustain the dream of Leg Up Farm.

Many hurdles have been navigated and more remain, but Leg Up Farm will open in 2010. Lou’s story is Leg Up Farm’s story – a story of love of horses, family and community combined in a supportive environment.