Sep 30, 2009 4:00 pm US/Eastern
Brotherly Love: Farm For Special-Needs Kids
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
Children and animals -- when you put the two together you get a great story and a unique way to help kids with disabilities! Mary Beth Drobish has always loved children and animals. One day, she decided to bring the two passions under one barn.
Sit back and enjoy the hay ride with children from the Overbrook School for the Blind.
Welcome to Spring Brook Farm. Mary Beth Drobish, a widow, built this farm three years ago so kids with special needs could enjoy what country life has to offer.
"To me, this is a very special experience -- to go to a farm, be in a barn and work with the animals," said Drobish.
Not only do kids work with the 23 farm animals, they get to sit on them, feed them, and, of course, milk the cow.
"The children are my inspiration," said Drobish. "When I see these children enjoying this experience, we are enriching their lives."
Milking a cow or just touching one is something children with disabilities often don't get a chance to do because most farms aren't handicapped accessible. The staff from Overbrook School for the Blind says just petting an animal can be therapeutic for these kids.
"Animals that are maybe just a concept to them, they can get in there and play with them and find out about them. It's fantastic," said Gerald Kitzhoffer, director of Overbrook School for the Blind.
Spring Brook Farm also has summer camp for the kids.
So how much does this fantastic experience cost? Absolutely nothing. Mary Beth Drobish built the farm, and now it's all done by donations. Her volunteers say, she's an angel.
"She is a benefactor. She just loves to give," said volunteer Peggy Conaway. "This was a vision of hers, and she brought it to fruition."
"It's an amazing way to live," said Drobish. "I get up in the morning, and I can't wait to get down here and work with the animals and children."
More than 600 children have visited the Barn at Spring Brook Farm. There are opportunities for free individual programs, adopt a horse, therapy sessions, barn guides, and summer camp.
Do you know someone like Mary Beth Drobish?
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RELATED LINK:
The Barn at Spring Brook Farm
www.springbrook-farm.org
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