A CENTER FOR 21ST CENTURY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT:
Where the wisdom of the past, present, and future of leadership comes together for the dignity and benefit of all.
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Your Donations are Tax Deductible.
September 2024
First Nature Notes: Support FNF This Fall
Dear Friends of First Nature Foundation,
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We hope your weather has been a little better than ours, though we really can’t complain. It’s been a rather wet and very hot and sweaty summer, where we have a day or a few hours or so without much rain, in between utter downpours. Everything is soggy and the ranch has gotten incredibly buggy…we’ve been going through fly spray for the horses more than we ever have! But we’re grateful we haven’t been hit hard with hurricanes or tornadoes, as of yet. We’re still at the peak of hurricane season, and hoping for the best, though. With all the lightning and wind-driven rain, we are relieved that the walled shelters we built last year, with their lightning rod protection, have been available for all of our horses to use. And use them they do! Keeping up with the mowing and fence-line maintenance has been a challenge, as the grass grows so rapidly, and we are looking forward to November when growth will slow down (as well as the heat!) and then we can focus on other tasks we’ve been putting off during the growing season.
If you’re a local to Central Florida and like whiskey or are curious about trying it, grab your ticket before all the seats are gone! Our Whiskey Dinner at the Ranch Fundraiser, scheduled for the evening of October 12, is raising funding for our Horse Wisdom for Heroes program. We’re thrilled that we already have 2 of our 3 available sponsorships filled! A big thank you and shout out to The Transition House, who is our Glass Sponsor; they are helping defray the cost of custom Glencairn whisky glasses that comes with each ticket. And thank you to 3Beez Honey Farm who is our Bar Sponsor, covering the costs for our bartender and spirits.
We’re still looking for our catering sponsor to help cover the costs of our biggest expense for the event, our elite gourmet menu, catered by ChayceNSugar. If you have a heart for our country’s Veterans or for First Nature, this sponsorship is still up for grabs. We have just added two more sponsorships to help mitigate the cost of the little extras that every event needs. Check out the graphic below to contribute to our event!
The fundraiser is important because we’ve been running the Horse Wisdom for Heroes program without any sponsorships this year to date, and we plan for this event to help cover the costs for putting close to 50 veterans through the program this year. What’s included with the price of the ticket? Here’s what it comes with: one welcome cocktail, custom whisky glass, whiskey tastings, and a 3-course meal from expert caterers. There is also time for selfies with our horses, Fall photo ops, outdoor games, tours of the ranch, and networking with local influencers. Those who attend will also have access to primo raffle and silent auction items exclusively available only for this event, including an exclusive $300 bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon, a complimentary 2-night stay at Hyatt House, a set of tickets to Universal Studios, a wine tasting from the Boisset Collection, and gift baskets from Curious Cork, Gatorland, Osceola Magic, and Lime Fresh! We’re 50% full so be sure to grab your ticket before it’s too late!
Volunteer Spotlight: We know it may be confusing, as last month we introduced you to one of our younger volunteers, Rylee, and this month we’d love to introduce you to another young volunteer whose name is Kylee.
Kylee has been volunteering since June, and she has learned the ropes amazingly quickly. She’s studying in virtual school, so she can help us with our morning feedings, horse care, facility care, and even programs. Kylee has an awesome work ethic, always asking what else she can do, and doing everything with excellence. She’s made huge strides in her horsemanship knowledge and skills, and we are thrilled that she finds the ranch a fun and engaging place to volunteer. We hope she is with us for a long time to come!
Have you been considering volunteering? You don’t have to get hot and dirty helping with horse care and programs, if that’s not your style. Maybe you could connect us with potential sponsors, donors, and clients, or help us with events and fundraising. Learn more about volunteering and applying here! And see below for other ways to support us. You might even end up on television!
We’re delighted to share that our little nonprofit was on television earlier this month! Jennifer Sierra, introduced here a couple of months ago, was featured on our regional cable news channel, Spectrum News. Their weekly spot, called Everyday Heroes, ran on Labor Day and is now up on their website. Take a peek!
Last month I mentioned that one of our treasured employees had left due to family circumstances and that we’d brought on a new staff member. Please meet Haylei Romack, who just completed her one month trial period and earned her ranch gate remote device. ☺ Haylei owned and took care of her own horse for a while, so she had some horsemanship experience. She’s a highschooler who has just a few credits to complete before graduating, and she’s been settling in well at the ranch. Her favorite horse is Max, the most amusing and also the most challenging member of our herd, as she identifies with him. She says she loves working with our staff and being around these horses. It’s the highlight of her weeks and she loves being able to care for them.
We are just about ready to announce a partnership with another local nonprofit to get our Horse Sense for Teens grant programming started. The program is focused on helping teens enhance their self- and social-awareness and regulation, and their emotional resilience, is. Using this grant, awarded through Central Florida Foundation, we will bring at minimum of 100 teens through the program by the end of June 2025. We’ll soon be issuing a press release after all the t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted.
In other programming news, this month we welcomed our 4th cohort of our Horse Wisdom for Heroes program participants. Our PASOS program, the grief support group for parents and spouses of suicide loss continues to provide solace and connection to people from an ever-increasing roster of states. Last month I mentioned the 8 states our regular members have hailed from, but I forgot to include Texas, Indiana, Iowa, and Massachusetts. We’ve served a number of Florida residents, especially at the start of the program before we got national exposure that brings us regular new members. We do not charge participants for this virtual grief support group that meets twice a month, though we do have program expenses. If suicide grief is near to your heart or has touched you, might you consider helping us continue this programming? Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to Advent Health for their sponsorship, which is helping cover a portion of the programming costs.
We’ve had great ongoing success with our Horses Healing Hearts programming for Help Now of Osceola County. While we entertain their children with activities like horse grooming and nature scavenger hunts, we help the women find some peace and comfort among the horses, as well as give them experiences of setting and maintaining boundaries and discussions about the hopes and plans for their future. You may recall that this program helps families who are recovering from domestic violence. We are thrilled at the reports we get from the Help Now leadership and staff about the program impact. As you read this we will be almost through half our year of programming. The grant funding for this program covers only part of our expenses, so if domestic violence is a cause near and dear to your heart, please donate.
Our calendar is filling up for the last quarter, and we have some additional dates on the schedule. Many of these are private events and retreats, but as our rates are affordable, with discounted prices for nonprofits and governmental organizations, as well as for individuals, if you are looking for a venue for an event you may want to check out our gorgeous facility and see if there’s a possibility to use our first class facility for your event: contact me at kerul@firstnaturefoundation.org.
Thank you for reading our newsletter, which in itself is a form of support, and for your reply emails congratulating us on our growth and our work – those emails really bolster our spirits! We’d be delighted and very appreciative if you might forward this newsletter and share with anyone who works for an organization that invests in employee wellbeing and leadership development, or that funds charitable organizations. We continue with making some progress with our “The Year of Revenue” but we are well short of our target, so if you could help connect us with any potential sponsors, or with interested businesses who might want to book a date for our Horseplay for Leaders playshops for their leadership teams (which help subsidize other programming expenses), or nudge your friends to donate, maybe through a Facebook birthday fundraiser it will help us continue our programs! And if nobody comes to mind, there are other ways you can help…please continue reading!
How Can You Help First Nature?
Each person is bestowed with gifts or resources that are valid and valuable. Every little bit helps, and your support can make a big difference in our mission and out community. Below are some ways First Nature is looking for assistance:
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Advocate: Let your connections know about us. Share our posts on social media. Forward our newsletters to a community leader who could use staff development for their team.
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Fundraise: We’re looking for someone to help us with grants and sponsorships. Have you helped a nonprofit with fundraising? If so, reply to this email and let’s talk!
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Donate: There are a variety of donations we accept; one time, recurring, in-kind gifts, etc. You can find out more and donate here!
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Volunteer: Your time and skills help us maintain our horses and facility. Get the application here. Or are you interested in serving as a board member for our nonprofit? We are still looking!
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Sponsor: Make an impact in the lives of a veteran, a teen, a survivor of domestic violence, or a parent or spouse of suicide. Become a program sponsor or just sponsor the whole organization! Learn more here.
Wishing you a lovely Autumn,
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.”
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