Legacy Farms

Ensuring a positive Future for Adults with Autism in Northern Virginia

Welcome to Legacy Farms

We are a green care social venture dedicated to providing support services and agrarian based vocational training for adults with autism, as well as other developmental and social challenges.

Our goal is to foster independence and a sense of achievement by recognizing and developing individual potential in a supportive farmstead environment.

By focusing on the individual talents of those we work with, we work to hone their skills and match them with the needs of the local job market.

A Working Community

Legacy Farms is currently operating out of Temple Hall Farm. Our hope is to one day have a farmstead community of our own. Such a community will act as:

• A place for both residents and day program participants to learn a variety of agrarian based skills they may use in day-to-day farm operations, or take with them to a local farm.

• A self-sustainable living environment where residents and live-in staff grow their own food, tend the crops, and maintain a working farm.

• A place that teaches the residents to live to their fullest potential, while ensuring an opportunity to work and learn at their own pace without judgment.

• A unique social environment that inspires everyone to reach toward achieving their own personal goals.

The Facts

• The CDC States that 1 in 45 children will be diagnosed with ASD in the next year.

• In the next 8 years over 500,000 people with autism will become adults.

• 17% of young adults with autism have never lived alone.

• Currently, only 24% of people with developmental disabilities aged 16 to 64 work.

• In June 2014, only 19.3 percent of people with disabilities in the U.S. were participating in the labor force – working or seeking work. Of those, 12.9 percent were unemployed, meaning only 16.8 percent of the population with disabilities was employed. (By contrast, 69.3 percent of people without disabilities were in the labor force, and 65 percent of the population without disabilities was employed.) (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014)

• In the next 8 years, over 450 adults with DD will graduate from Loudoun County High Schools, and they will be looking for a job.

We can Help!

We believe the time is now to start planning for the influx of adults with autism looking to enter

the job market. It is vital that a variety of options are available

to these adults, and diverse trends are developed to provide residential and vocational

solutions currently not available in our area. Legacy Farms hopes to be there as this boom of

young adults needs them, and we hope to inspire others to help as well.

Why a Farmstead?

There are many physical benefits of working on a farm that will ensure those involved will be getting plenty of daily exercise. What really counts though are the social and therapeutic benefits of living and working on a farm. They include:

• Meaningful, purposeful work• Daily social interaction• Developing a sense of accomplishment• Daily cognitive exercise, which constantly

stimulates the mind• Allowing those who have always been cared

for the opportunity to care for others• Daily seasonal and yearly rhythms of farm life

are compatible with the strengths of people with ASD

Legacy Farms: Today

A career in gardening and farming is one that is unhurried and rhythmic. There are schedules to

meet, however things move much slower on a farm. This is a perfect learning environment for

adults with developmental challenges. By providing such an environment for students to learn

agriculturally based job skills, they should feel more comfortable working on a farm in the future.

Legacy Gardens

In 2014 we created “Legacy Gardens” to provide the local community with a place to:

• Learn about The Legacy Farms vision• Experience a gardening environment• Test a few gardening styles, and get our own

hands dirty• Hold Legacy Garden party and other

fundraising events

This year Legacy Gardens was the foundation for our 2015 LEGACY FARMS SUMMER GARDEN

PROJECT.

2015 Legacy FarmsSummer Garden Project

Last summer, through a joint partnership with Temple Hall Farm, we delivered an

amazing pilot program: The 2015 Legacy FarmsSummer Garden Project

Our objective was to teach a select group of students the skills and techniques they

need to find work in the Northern and Central Virginia Agriculture industry.

2015 Legacy FarmsSummer Garden Project

Our goal was to create a program that would do three things:

1.Provide a teaching garden for adults with autism, as well as those with developmental and social challenges.2.Raise awareness of our cause by demonstrating our participant’s skills, while educating the public about autism and the need for more vocational solutions.3.Improve community resiliency through gardening education programs, workshops and a hands-on demo garden highlighting a variety of gardening techniques.

We met these goals and then some.

2015 Legacy Farms Summer Garden Project

Participants, with support, planted seeds and transplanted seedlings, according to written/picture symbols.

Participants, with support, maintained the garden by watering, hoeing, pruning, and pulling weeds, as needed, choosing the correct tool(s) for the jobs.

Participants identified “ripe” produce, using pictures and real life examples, and picked them from the garden plants and sorted them for donation to Loudoun Interfaith Relief

Participants identified “over-ripe” or “spoiled” produce, using pictures and real life examples, and dispose of them in composter.

Participants, with assistance, will plan, organize and run Legacy Garden Party.

Project Weekly Schedule

The 5 week program ran from 10-noon every Tuesday thru Friday and each week we spent on a different topic:

1.Week 1: We focused on safety in the garden and spent time generalizing the interns to their settings.2.Week 2: We spent time on garden maintenance, weeds and watering.3.Week 3: We taught The Lifecycle of a plant.4.Week 4: We explained how to judge when a vegetable is ready for harvest and began harvesting a portion of the garden.5.Week 5: We put it all together and started another garden at a local school.

Success!

We set out to motivate our “interns” to take an interest in farming. • We worked with 18 participants during

the Summer Garden Project, of these interns:• 6 were already employed with

ECHOworks• 4 are still in high school students• 1 moved away• 7 were eligible for employmentAs of this month we’ve not only inspired our participants, 2 are working at Tarara Winery and 1 is working at Sunset Hills Vineyard.

Jacob get’s paid!

Jacob Lautenschlager was one of our interns. He and his mom, Michelle

attended daily and have become key members of The Legacy Farms Team.

In September 2015 Jacob filled out his first job application paperwork at Sunset Hills,

opened up a bank account and then received his first paycheck!

All of this After participating in the Legacy Farms Summer Garden project.

Changing live’s!

“As Jacob’s parents we have worked very hard to teach Jacob skills he will need in the future. Every person deserves & has a desire to feel they are a part of society. As Jacob entered high school we began to look hard for opportunities that would be available to Jacob as he finished his education. We then discovered and partnered with Legacy Farms. It is through such programs offered with Legacy Farms that Jacob is now learning things most parents take for granted regarding their child’s future. The opportunities Legacy Farms and Sunset Hills Vineyard have given Jacob are all very basic concepts, yet for someone with autism they are much more. As his parents, we prayed for Jacob to find a trade/job he will enjoy. As his parents it's always been a matter of "if" instead of "when" for Jacob, and with this opportunity those prayers have been answered."

Legacy Farms 2015 Summer Garden Staff

Working with developmentally disabled adults is challenging and therefore requires a skilled group of instructors, aides and volunteers.

Martha SchonbergerProgram Director

Martha Schonberger is a Special Education Teacher at the high school level in Loudoun County, Virginia. She has worked with students with ASD from ages 5-22. Her autism program specializes in vocational training, providing work experience, and successfully integrating her students into the community. Martha has extensive experience with ASD, Down Syndrome, Intellectual Disabilities and Fragile X. She was also awarded The Shenandoah University Teacher of the Year in 2007. Martha will be working alongside Patsy and Pam, helping with the students and adjusting the program as needed.

Pam Quinn

Pam Quinn is a Special Education Teacher at the high school level in Loudoun County, Virginia. She has worked with students with ASD from the ages of 2-22. Pam’s elementary autism program was chosen to participate in a two year grant with the National Professional Development Center for Autism. While working with students with autism for many years, Pam has a strong desire to assist in meeting the post-secondary needs of adults with autism and developmental challenges by providing residential and vocational opportunities within a farm environment. Pam will also be instructing and working alongside Patsy and Martha.

Susan AitchesonFinance

Susan Aitcheson is a CPA and the Accounting Manager at the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), a non-profit organization located in Herndon, Virginia. Susan joined the board of Legacy Farms with the hope of using her business and accounting skills to benefit a local non-profit group. Since becoming involved with Legacy Farms, she has learned a lot about autism and the special needs community and is passionate about establishing a residential farmstead in Northern Virginia for adults with autism and other developmental challenges. Susan will be managing all financial, tax, insurance and licensing to ensure Legacy Farms is operating properly.

Tracy MonsonGardening/Volunteer Coordinator

Tracy Monson, as a proud mother of her adult son with autism/ID, and has also spent many years collaborating with her local school district to help facilitate highest and best educational practices for children with autism. Tracy’s personal experience raising a child with autism and gardening background make her a key staff member and essential to the program. She will also work closely with the volunteer staff and help coordinate the gardening program.

Patrick CoxGarden Manager

Patrick Cox, Legacy Farms Director of Community and Media Relations, has been studying to be a Master Gardener and is well educated in a variety of farming techniques. His plan to create a small plot farm with the land provided, will ensure the students have plenty of produce to work with and sell all summer long. Patrick will be on hand throughout the summer to ensure the farm is operating correctly, and on schedule. He will also oversee the planting and harvesting schedule, which is an ongoing process with Small Plot farming. Patrick will also help with the branding and marketing of Legacy Farm produce.

Michelle Lautenschlager and Brandi Carr

Michelle and Brandi are two of many volunteers that have been essential to our success. From helping with fundraising and managing volunteers to helping and instructing at The Summer Garden Project, these two deserve to be acknowledged for ALL their hard work.

Volunteer Staff

To keep costs down and encourage community involvement, Legacy Farms provided over 500 hours of volunteer time. They handled a large portion of the logistical and maintenance needs such as set-up and take down of the tables, provided drinks and snacks, helped in the garden, worked individually with the participants on specific projects and harvested and bagged produce for donations..

Keys to SuccessEstablishing a program such as The 2015 Legacy Farms Summer Project was not easy. It took a lot of hard work, determination and the help of the entire community to ensure the program was a success.

Community Partnerships

We received a lot of help from local business and organizations such as:• Tarara Winery donated the vines for vineyard and hoops for hoop garden• Barnhouse Brewery donated plants for Butterfly garden• Temple Hall Farm donated the land• South Riding Nursery donated mulch• Home Depot donated timber and supplies for Raised Bed Accessibility Garden• Salon Khouri and Cycle Scene both held fundraisers to help cover costs• Hudson Woodworking and Restoration made signs, donated services and provided seeds• Claude Moore Foundation and FedStar made sizable donations

Special Needs Support Providers

ECHOworks

Paxton

LCPS

DARS

Fundraising and Networking

To ensure word got out about our program we engaged with local leaders and organizations. Through a variety of methods word spread fast:• One Love Loudoun raised money and awareness of our

cause• We coordinated several Happy Hour Mixers with the

community• Online engagement on Facebook and Twitter is at a all

time high• Increased email engagement• Encouraged community leaders to share our message and

pass this along to those you know who may need our help• Washington Post, Loudoun Times, and Ashburn Rising

wrote articles about the program• We kicked off the summer with a ribbon cutting ceremony

attended by 150 community leaders, family, and supporters

• A team of dedicated workers, volunteers and board members

Thank you for your time and consideration.

To learn more about our future plans go to

www.LegacyFarmsVirginia.comOr

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