
July 2022
First Nature Notes
Dear Friends of First Nature Foundation,
Even though summer doesn’t officially end for almost 2 months, for more practical purposes it’s coming to an end soon, with school resuming in just a couple of weeks here in Florida. And that also makes it feel like the resumption of the business year as lots of folks have been busy vacationing before school is back in session. For those of us whose work is largely outdoors, though, we still have brutal summer heat and humidity for all of August and September, and in recent years, even into and through October. So, we’re only half way through our hot, humid, sweaty, rainy season, and the height of hurricane season is still ahead of us.
The horses have shade from the sun, but they still become quite sweaty, sticky, and filthy, and need to be rinsed off a couple of times each week unless the rain intervenes, and that we can never be sure of! For a laugh see the photo below of Max and Buster taken 2 minutes after completing their afternoon hose down: they quickly rolled in the dirt immediately after the hosing and were dirtier than before the rinse…but at least the sweat and stickiness had been rinsed off and when they dry the dirt will flake off. While I applaud the meteorologists, their ability to accurately predict thunderstorms is pretty limited at this time of year. It rains when it’s not supposed to, or the reverse! While it’s a slow time for programs this time of the year, work on management of the facility is in high gear as the foliage grows at an accelerated rate due to the daylight and rain levels.


We’ve started with the next cohort of veterans in our Horse Wisdom for Heroes program, and have added an additional assessment to the program that will give us new data on how it might help build resilience in the participants. You’ll hear more about that in an upcoming newsletter once this cohort has completed the program and we’ve had an opportunity to analyze the data.
Earlier this month we submitted a grant application to Disney and have our fingers crossed that we will be approved for a grant to support the veteran’s program for the next year. Keep your fingers crossed for us! Meanwhile, might you consider helping us continue this and other programs by becoming a monthly donor or sponsor?


As usual, lots of folks have been coming to the ranch for ranch tours as potential sponsors, donors, clients, and volunteers. We are excited for a number of potential playshops that are in the works for fall. Please contact us if you’re interested in a playshop for your group or renting the facility for an event or retreat.
In case you didn’t catch it in the last newsletter, we’ve had really beautiful a new video produced, and we’ve gotten such great feedback on it as moving and inspirational, and also gives a much better idea of what our work is about. Please feel free to let us know what you think of it by replying to this email. Special thanks to Kristina Bozanich and Chris Brookens for their excellent work on the video.
Although the details are still being worked out, we will be holding another special VIP appreciation event in September for our donors and sponsors. If you’ve donated or have signed up for sponsorship this year keep an eye out for an invitation in the next few weeks! We’re looking forward to inviting all our donors and sponsors once again, so please reserve the afternoon of Sunday, September 18 for this event! Even a one-time donation, if you haven’t made one recently, will help us, and will get you an invitation. Here’s a link to donate. And here are some photos from our January donor/sponsor appreciation event.


We are willing to host retreats and other events at the ranch as long as there is some alignment with our mission, so please do refer us to those you think would be interested, or reach out if you have an event you think you’d like us to host. Or, perhaps you know groups or experts who might want to run a program or two at the ranch now that we are scheduling them?
As always, I’d be happy to give you a private individual tour. Please contact me at kerul@firstnaturefoundation.org or click one of the following links to conveniently schedule a tour!


Take care and stay healthy!
Kerul and Crew
First Nature Ranch / First Nature Foundation
“Where the past, present, and future of leadership come together for the dignity and benefit of all.”

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