Leg Up Farm Gets $5.6 Million
11/14/2008
Lou Castriota Jr. said he's waiting for the day when his project of 11 years, Leg Up Farm, will be open, and he'll see children walk through its doors.
"That, to me, is the ultimate moment, (and) that's just around the corner," he said.
On Thursday, Castriota's nonprofit organization received two checks totaling $5.6 million. The money will finance the construction of an all-inclusive physical and occupational therapy center for children with disabilities in East Manchester Township.
Castriota, an advertising executive from New Freedom, began planning Leg Up Farm in 1997 after finding it difficult to shuttle his daughter Brooke to various therapies. Brooke, now 12, suffers from mitochondrial disease, a condition similar to cerebral palsy.
He began speaking with parents and therapists and developed the concept of having multiple therapies under one roof, making it easier on children and their parents. In addition, he thought a farm setting would be the most appealing to children.
Thursday's ceremony saw Leg Up Farm receive $2.8 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and $2.8 from York Traditions Bank, Castriota said.
"It was thrilling that after so many years of work, to know that we're going to break ground very soon, and we're going to open our doors in early 2010 -- it's just really exciting," he said.
York County President Commissioner Steve Chronister, who attended the ceremony, praised Castriota's perseverance, calling him a "phenomenal young man who wouldn't give up . . . What a great thing for York County."
By TED CZECH, The York Daily Record/Sunday News