Cultivating Community

Building a Foundation of Healing and Wellness

In 2024, we launched the Cultivating Community Campaign to secure a permanent home for Cultivate Care Farms — and thanks to you, we did just that.

After years of leasing, we officially purchased the historic Bolton farm property in January 2025, ensuring this therapeutic haven will continue to support the mental health of children, adolescents, and families for generations to come.

Our Impact

Cultivate Care Farms (CCF) currently offers a variety of therapeutic services and community activities that are at full capacity. Our therapy services include individual therapy sessions and three clinical groups: a sustainability group, a young teen group, and a teen group. Each of these groups has reached its maximum number of participants. Additionally, we engage the community through events such as Pride Day, the Baby Goat Shower, and the Black Sheep Knitters Club. Our outreach program extends our impact and accessibility by bringing baby goats to local libraries and schools, creating unique and meaningful interactions.

CCF employs nine full-time salaried clinicians, four fee-for-service clinicians, and 20 volunteers. On average, our team serves the clinical needs of 220 clients per week from 56 towns in 5 counties. In 2023, over 370 clients with the following diagnoses received treatment at the Farm.

“Being at the Farm has helped me so much. Taking care of the animals and being outside makes me feel calm. I’ve learned that I can handle tough things.”

— Client, age 14

Opportunity and Urgent Need

As the demand for innovative and effective mental health solutions for children and adolescents grows, so too does the waitlist for our services, which currently exceeds 80 individuals. This is in addition to the 240 clients that are already receiving therapeutic services each week. This bottleneck highlights a critical shortage of available therapeutic spaces relative to the needs of our community. By acquiring and restoring the Sawyer property, we can increase our service capacity by over 30% by the end of 2027, reducing wait times and making our therapeutic programs available to more people in need.

  • Farm-Based Therapy (FBT) at Cultivate Care Farms is a pioneering model in mental health treatment, offering transformative benefits through hands-on interaction with animals and nature. This therapeutic approach involves activities like animal care, sustainability projects, and creative opportunities to foster skills development, empowerment, and emotional healing. Clients engage in  tasks that promote mental wellness through a deep connection with the environment and animal life, both of which are integral to the FBT process. This modality has been shown to help clients develop resilience, self-confidence, and a sense of community and belonging.​

  • The John Sawyer House and barn are cornerstones of our local history, dating back to 1827 and 1874, respectively. These structures are not only architecturally significant but also deeply embedded in the local community's agricultural and industrial heritage. Preserving this property means maintaining a vital link to the past, while repurposing it as a community resource and hub of healing and wellness.

Campaign Goals

  • Objective: Secure the historic Sawyer property by the end of September 2024 to ensure a permanent home for Cultivate Care Farms.

    Leverage the first-right-of-refusal clause in our lease to negotiate the purchase, coordinating with legal and financial advisors to complete the acquisition process smoothly and efficiently.

  • Objective: Repair and renovate the Sawyer property to ensure long-term building integrity, meet modern building and safety codes, and preserve the Farm's historical essence.

    Engage with town officials, restoration experts, and local contractors to develop a comprehensive renovation plan. This includes structural assessments, securing necessary permits, and ensuring all updates comply with local codes and ADA standards to enhance accessibility.

  • Objective: Increase our service capacity by over 30% by the end of 2027.

    Renovate existing structures and build new facilities to create additional clinical and professional spaces. This, in combination with work towards ADA-compliance, will allow us to hire more full-time staff and accommodate more clients, addressing the current bottleneck in service provision.

  • Objective: Reduce wait times and increase the impact of our services.

    Implement a phased approach to service expansion, including the introduction of new therapy programs and the extension of current offerings.

  • Objective: Strengthen our ties with the local community and increase awareness of our services.

    Leverage new spaces and increased staffing to organize additional community events and outreach programs, such as open house days, educational workshops, and collaborative projects with local non-profits, schools, and libraries.

  • “From the moment we stepped onto the Farm, we felt an immediate sense of peace and hope. Cultivate Care Farms has truly been a life-changing experience for our entire family. Our child has regained their smile, their confidence, and their zest for life.”

    — Client Parent

Budget and Funding Needs

From Preservation to Possibility

Since securing the property, we’ve been hard at work — not just preserving this special place, but expanding its capacity to serve.

  • The Barn: Thanks to generous support, we replaced the roof and exterior envelope of our 1874 barn. This essential work protects the historic structure and allows us to activate grant funding to convert the adjacent garage into a workshop for vocational training and therapeutic group activities.

  • Curly’s Clubhouse: After consulting with architects and contractors, we’ve refined our renovation plans. Rather than retrofitting the barn for clinical use, we’ll preserve it as an agricultural space and instead renovate our historic shed into a dedicated group therapy space named Curly’s Clubhouse. This centrally located, ADA-accessible building will include electricity, heating, cooling, and a bathroom, making it a welcoming, year-round option for therapeutic groups and school partnerships.

  • Building & Grounds Leadership: With property ownership comes stewardship. Our Board has formed a Building & Grounds Committee to oversee renovations, hire and manage contractors, liaise with community partners, and ensure every project aligns with our mission and values.

Your Impact So Far

Together, our community has raised over $370,000 of our $500,000 goal since this campaign launched in August 2024. Every dollar has gone toward:

  • Finalizing the property purchase

  • Critical repairs and preservation

  • Preparing the site for expanded access and services

With several grants pending and construction plans in motion, we are closer than ever to achieving our full vision.

What Comes Next

We’re ready to move forward with construction of Curly’s Clubhouse and outfitting the garage workshop, both key components of our ability to increase capacity and serve new populations, including students with physical and developmental challenges. These new spaces will help us reduce waitlists, offer more group sessions, and continue pioneering Farm-Based Therapy as a model of mental health care.

With your help, we’re cultivating a stronger, more connected community—one child, one goat, one therapy session at a time.

Your Impact

Imagine a future where the expanded Cultivate Care Farms becomes a cornerstone of healing for our community. With the successful acquisition and restoration of the historic Sawyer property, we envision a place where every year hundreds of children, young adults, and community members find solace and strength through Farm-Based Therapy. Picture these young individuals, once burdened by mental health challenges, now thriving as they learn to care for animals and nurture plants, gaining confidence and emotional resilience. Envision these children growing into adults who understand the value of care and community, contributing positively to society. The effects of their healing will extend beyond their personal achievements, influencing their families, schools, and eventually their own children—a generational transformation seeded by the therapeutic power of Cultivate Care Farms and your transformational support.

The acquisition and renovation of the Sawyer property will have a profound impact on our ability to serve our community. By increasing our capacity, our goal is to reduce the current waitlist by 30% over the next two years, providing timely and effective therapy to those in critical need, while expanding community engagement and wellness programming. This project will not only enhance individual mental health outcomes but will also contribute to the overall well-being of the entire community, reducing the long-term social and economic costs associated with untreated mental health issues.

Be a Part of Our Future

Join us in creating a future where everyone has the opportunity to overcome mental health challenges in a supportive and nurturing environment.

By contributing to the Cultivating Community Campaign, you are not just helping to secure a property; you are helping to secure a brighter future for countless young lives. Your support will enable us to expand access to our innovative FBT model, provide more spaces where children can learn to manage their emotions through real-world tasks, build lasting relationships, and leave each day feeling a sense of accomplishment and belonging. Imagine a community where our youth are equipped with the tools to lead healthier, more productive lives. This is the future you are helping to create through your generosity.