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April 2025
First Nature Notes: Busy and Bettering the Community
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Dear Friends of First Nature Foundation,

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It’s been a busy spring so far at the ranch. Just this morning, we wrapped filming for an Experience Kissimmee podcast with a couple of celebrities (one from a very famous series!). We can’t announce anything more than that until the podcast is released this summer, but Allyn and I had a blast coaching these famous ladies through our leadership course. More to come when Experience Kissimmee releases some B-roll footage to us, and we’ll share the podcast link here and on social media, of course.

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I’ve also been featured, for the second time this year, on an influencer’s podcast that was filmed at the ranch about emotional intelligence. Debra Gaskill is a neighbor here in Harmony. She is a Bible teacher, author, podcaster, missionary and healing advocate, and has almost 9000 followers around the world. She first asked me to be a guest on her Inspire Hive podcast in February where we discussed becoming mindful, living calmer lives, and making wiser choices as we connect with nature. I broke her podcast record for views back in February. The April podcast also broke her podcast view record!

Staff Spotlight:

Isabella Sical, one of our staff members, started out as a volunteer. Because she’s so capable, dependable, and very easy to get along with we brought her on as a staff member just a few months later. Here’s what she says about working at the ranch:

“I heard about First Nature Foundation about a year ago. From the first time I went till now, I always leave with a smile on my face. I have learned so much about each of the individual horses as well as of myself. Being there has been a amazing experience but also of growth. I have met some incredibly interesting people through programs and as well as coworkers that I now consider my personal friends. The relationships I have built there with staff

and volunteers are such a blessing as well as being able to work at such a beautiful and peaceful place.”

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​One thing we haven’t been very busy with yet this spring is mowing. It’s been a very dry month, with little rain in the forecast, and our pastures are brownish yellow and crunchy, as you can see in the pictures below. We’ve been through this in previous years, so we know to supplement the horses with hay, and that the grass will green up with just a few good rains. Fingers crossed they come soon!

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Thanks to those who attended our Wine Tasting Fundraiser! We raised enough to support a round of our Horse Sense for Teens program. If you’re a whiskey fan or loved our first annual Whiskey Dinner last year, stay tuned! We're working on the next in the series scheduled for October 4. We’ll release details and tickets this summer.

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Would you like to experience the ranch and our amazing herd of horses in person? Come for a visit, meet the horses, and hang out with the horse of your choice by booking a Serenity Session, a sweet, supervised hour where you can help feed, groom, love on, and enjoy the peace that comes with hanging out with one of our herd in their stall, the arena, or the pasture. Booking one early allows you to pick your ideal date and time!

This week we will welcome the Help Now of Osceola County team for a staff retreat at the ranch, and our second cohort of the year in the Horse Wisdom for Heroes program will come for the 3rd of their 6 sessions.

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We are only $800 away from our Outdoor Lighting Capital Campaign goal! A huge thanks one amazing donor and her matching employer donation to bring us so very close to our goal! If you haven’t yet, please know we still need your support to fund the last few dollars of this initiative to add lighting inside and outside our covered arena so we can run evening programs and events.

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Are you looking for a facility for an event for up to 100 people? We offer our classroom space and more if there’s any alignment with our mission. It’s a first-class facility and is also beautiful and serene, and our rates are affordable and competitive. We offer discounted prices for nonprofits and governmental organizations, as well as for individuals. Want to check it out? Contact me at kerul@firstnaturefoundation.org if you’re interested.

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From Our Hearts to Yours,

Kerul and Crew

 

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First Nature Ranch / First Nature Foundation  

“Where the past, present, and future of leadership come together for the dignity and benefit of all.” 

A big thank you to our sponsors! (1640 × 800 px) (1640 × 924 px) (4).png
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