A CENTER FOR 21ST CENTURY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT:
Where horses and nature bring the best of leadership together for the dignity and benefit of all.
First Nature Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your gift is tax-deductible and directly supports healing, leadership, and growth.
May 2026
First Nature Notes: The Work Within the Waiting
Dear Friends of First Nature Foundation,
After a dry start to spring, some recent rains have thankfully brought much-needed relief and helped re-green the pastures, much to the delight of both the horses and all of us at the ranch. Everything feels a little more vibrant again.
We’ve also been making a few improvements around the property. A new drip irrigation system with a timer was recently installed in our triangle garden, and it’s already keeping the space healthier, greener, and more resilient. Up next is a much-needed pressure washing and re-sealing of the barn. Between Florida’s intense sun, relentless humidity, and summer heat, even pressure-treated wood takes quite a beating over time.
After quite a few revisions, our very first annual First Nature Foundation Impact Report is finally complete! We wanted it to be informative, professional, and something we could truly be proud to share — and we’re excited to announce that it’s now live on our website! You can find it at the bottom of our homepage in a beautiful magazine-style format.
We would genuinely love your feedback after you’ve had a chance to look through it. If you’re subscribed to our email list, you’ll also receive a direct email with access to the report.
In some especially exciting news, First Nature Foundation was one of just eight qualified nonprofits randomly selected to be featured on a LYNX Public Service Bus!
Over the next 12 months, our logo will travel throughout Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties alongside the other selected organizations, giving us valuable visibility and helping increase awareness of our mission across Central Florida. The Osceola News Gazette even printed a small announcement about this and highlighted us! How exciting!
We’re thrilled for this opportunity and enjoyed attending the official bus unveiling this week, where we had the chance to meet Mayor Buddy Dyer.
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The excitement continues to build as we also announce a brand new local board member, Eunice Torres! Her support and involvement has already been phenomenal and we cannot wait to see the enthusiasm and energy she brings to our board.
Eunice Torres is a senior project and operations leader with 15+ years of experience across pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and regulated industries, including Fortune 500 companies, agencies, and startups. As a board member of First Nature Ranch, she brings executive-level expertise in program development, operational strategy, and stakeholder engagement to help scale the organization's mission. Eunice is deeply integrated in the Central Florida community and actively serves on several nonprofit boards, contributing her operational expertise to organizations driving meaningful, lasting local impact.
The continued success of our quarterly Nonprofit Roundtable has inspired us to officially schedule our next gathering for June 29 at 10:30am at the ranch. We would love for you to join us! This quarter’s roundtable will feature speakers discussing practical and timely topics surrounding Social Media and AI for Nonprofits.
While the roundtable is designed with nonprofits in mind, it’s truly open to anyone including business owners, entrepreneurs, and community leaders who want to become more connected and engaged within the local community. These gatherings have become such a meaningful space for collaboration, networking, and sharing ideas.
A special thank you to The Oasis at Moss Park Preserve for generously sponsoring refreshments for the event!
Speaking of Oasis at Moss Park Preserve, please join us there on June 17th for a wonderful event they are hosting, which will feature us as the supported nonprofit [look for Victoria’s write up for the event].
We were also recently at the Lake Nona After Dark event, spreading the word and meeting new organizations, and had some fun at the Saint Cloud Chamber of Commerce annual golf tournament.
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While May has been a slightly quieter month at the ranch for programs, exciting opportunities continue to take shape behind the scenes. We have another meeting scheduled with the Orlando Health Cancer Institute Team to begin placing sessions on the calendar for patients, caregivers, and care teams to participate in our Horses Healing Hearts programming. We’ve also scheduled a June Coffee Connections event with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as part of that same initiative.
In addition, we are currently coordinating with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for our Horse Sense for Teens program. Our PASOS program continues to meet twice monthly with 10–12 participants at each session, and the second 2026 cohort of Horse Wisdom for Heroes will celebrate graduation at the beginning of June.
We’ve also been actively pursuing several grant opportunities to support and expand these programs, while also helping us implement a platform that will better assess and report program impact and streamline key administrative processes behind the scenes.
If you’ve worked or volunteered at the ranch over the past year, or if you are a local donor or sponsor, you are warmly invited to our annual Appreciation Day on June 20.
We’ll be gathering for an afternoon of refreshments, games, archery, and — of course — plenty of time for selfies with the horses. This year will also include a special moment as we dedicate Dakota’s memorial bench and unveil his shadow box.
Invitations were sent out this week to staff, volunteers, donors, and sponsors, but if you believe you should have received one and didn’t, please don’t hesitate to reach out so we can make sure you’re included.
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And in exciting upcoming news, we’ve officially scheduled our annual Whiskey Dinner Fundraiser — so go ahead and save the date: Saturday, October 24!
This signature evening will include cocktail and mocktail reception time, horse selfie opportunities, and a catered three-course dinner thoughtfully paired with whiskey selections. Guests can also look forward to raffles, a silent auction, and plenty of great company all in support of our Horse Wisdom for Heroes program for veterans.
Our calendar continues to fill quickly with both weekday programs and weekend bookings. If you’re considering First Nature Ranch for an event, retreat, or program, we encourage you to reach out early to explore available dates.
We’d also be happy to welcome you for a tour if you haven’t visited yet. It’s a great opportunity to see the facility firsthand and meet the horses. Simply reply to this email to schedule a visit or conversation.
One of our most popular offerings continues to be the First Nature Foundation Serenity Sessions. For $60, you can spend a supervised hour with one of our horses — grooming, petting, walking alongside, or simply spending quiet time together (no riding involved). You choose the horse, and the experience is designed to be calm, grounding, heart-lifting, and genuinely restorative.
It also makes a meaningful gift for someone who could use a reset or a moment of peace. In fact, one of our valued team members first came to the ranch for a Serenity Session, later became a volunteer, and eventually joined our staff — it truly can be that impactful. We recommend booking early to secure your preferred date and time.
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A note from Allyn, our Executive Director:
Looking at this month and how it has been quieter than the previous four, I’ve been thinking about something that’s easy to overlook in nonprofit work: waiting is not the same as standing still. So much of what we do involves waiting, for grant decisions, for responses, for opportunities to unfold. But that time is anything but idle. It’s when relationships are nurtured, ideas are refined, programs are strengthened, and the groundwork is laid for what comes next.
Even when progress isn’t immediately visible, the work is still moving forward in meaningful ways. And I’m grateful to be in that in-between space with a team and community that continues to show up, stay engaged, and keep building alongside us.
From Our Herd to Yours,
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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