LET TER FROM OUR DIRECTOR Wow! 2020 is a year for the record books! Great change has happened to each of us personally, physically, and financially. The farm is no exception. We received many animals due to the owners getting sick or financially unable to care for them. We lost income due to canceled events, field trips and parties as well as no donations were coming in as we were all shut down. Life was a struggle but it gave us the opportunity to accomplish tasks that we could not before. As we had great need, blessings were found. We have been blessed by the community to be able to continue to serve. I, the animals, the children, and all of our volunteers are so thankful to each of you.
Veronica Pasciuto
CONTENTS 4
FARM & EQUALITY
6
ROOTER’S GROWTH
8
4 THINGS BEFORE YOU ADOPT
24 SUMMER ACTIVITIES 26 WHAT BLOOMED IN 2020 46 GRUFF’S TRIBUTE 54 TITAN 60 SUGAR & SPICE 68 2020 FINANCIAL
THE FARM & EQUALITY The biggest lessons I learned this year will effect me for the rest of my life. I thought I understood bigotry and privilege. I learned how ignorant I really was in regards to equality and race relations. I learned how to say and do things in a better way that makes all of us feel safer and more comfortable. It is important to remember we can be different and still stand together for change. It will only make us stronger as a community, nation and world. I am thankful for those who have had patience with me while I learned and grew this year. It is also important to remember that we are all in a different place of understanding and we can all change. Every day is a new day to educate and better ourselves. We strive to ensure that Celestial Farms is a safe place for everyone. If at any time you feel threatened, please let one of us know so that we might remediate the problem. Celestial Farms Staff
ROOTERS STORY
One of the largest in demand rescue is pigs! At the farm we receive at least three calls a week about taking in another pig, at times that number has reached over twenty. Unfortunately, we have to turn away these rescues and give resources to aid in them in finding a forever home. Rooter is a special case, brought to us at only a few days old and lost his mom. The wonderful family who took him in explained to us that his mom met her untimely end at the hands of teenage boys. After mom had babies, these boys said she was ‘aggressive’ and took matters into their own hands. All of her piglets scattered and Rooter was the only one who could be saved. Baby pigs require around the clock care, eating approximately every thirty minutes in the first few days. Our staff, director and volunteers, all taking turns ensuring Rooter’s nutrition and love. It was no small feat and came with sacrifice of sleep for all of us hear on the farm until he was able to sleep through the night.
Now, Rooter has become a Celestial Farms favorite as people book appointments to come see how big he has gotten! You can often find him roaming the playgrounds looking for a treat or napping in the sunshine. He even sneaks back into the house when he needs a people break!
4 Things to know before you adopt
Saving one farm animal may not change the world, but for that one farm animal the world will surely change.
Birthdays On The Farm MOST POPULAR PACKAGE PRICED AT $300 LEARN MORE AT CELESTIALFARMS.ORG/BIRTHDAY
Today’s Youth Is Tomorrow’s Future Breanna Santiago, a Jacksonville local and a long time Celestial Farms supporter was able to help raise $1,200 this past year with her social media presence and with the help of CheerLyfe. A brand that helps youth find their passion and dream big! We are so incredibly thankful of Bre and her whole family and ongoing support of the farm. Instagram.com/breannasantiago.bre
Summer Activity Days
This year we have made the choice to discontinue our Summer Camp Program. The decision was made not only due to COVID but also provide another way for us to help service the community and keep our doors open. In place of our 10 week sumer camp, we are offering two classes a week throughout summer for anyone to join. These classes help youth experience the farm in a different way from just a normal visit to the farm. We are so excited to start classes June 7, 2021. As always we like to keep things as affordable for the community as we can, so these classes just have a $5 donation for anyone participating! Classes will be available Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the summer, all starting at 10am to avoid the heat as much as possible. Classes will range in times, but most will not pass an hour. As for COVID precautions, we will always be meeting outside and have hand-washing and sanitizing stations throughout the farm.
You can keep up with the latest updates on activity days on our website or our public Facebook Group
June 7 | Berry Picking & Painting June 9 | Grooming Day June 14 | Nature Pinch Pots June 16 | Great Boat Race June 21 | Kite Day June 23 | Garden Exploration
What Bloomed a visual
This Year? journey
Remember
ring Gruff
We often share Gruff’s story here on the farm. His story showcased how much love can help you overcome tragedies, and how important it is to treat others with kindness, love and empathy. Gruff’s story began at a farm in Orange Park, he was just one years old when a young boy trespassed on to the property and wrecked havoc. That day many animals on the farm did not make it; however, Gruff did. From there, Gruff had a long road of recovery, as his injuries were life changing. Shredded ears, a permanently broken leg and a distrust of humans. As time continued on, Gruff was able to feel safe again and began to trust humans once more and became a favorite here at Celestial Farms. Our biggest priority for Gruff was making sure he was not in severe pain, we worked alongside our vet, barn managers and educators in homeopathic remedies to find the best ways to help Gruff. Though the look of how he would walk across the pens could be daunting, it never once stopped him. He learned to adapt and continue on, he had a will to live and made sure we all knew it.
Gruff was the boss of the goat yard, all of his fellow goats knew he was large and in charge. First to the fence line to gobble up all of the treats from guests and to get loved on. Gruff’s most favorite time is when our local food pantries would drop off leftover food especially when it included cake! Gruff will always hold a special place in our hearts at Celestial Farms and we will continue to share his story or triumph and love. Without love and empathy Gruff may not have had the drive to continue on, without kindness Gruff would not have trusted humans again. Gruff’s story shows just how important it is to treat animals with respect, learn from them and get to know them. He is our prime example of healing, learning and growing. Even with the passing of Gruff, we will continue to share his story, continue to teach the community about how much compassion, forgiveness and empathy can change a life. Not just an animals life, but human lives too. The impact Gruff made on not only us here at Celestial Farms, but on all those who had the chance to meet him is extravagant. He stole the hearts of so many, even some who only knew him through social media.
During our field trips we take the kids to our barnyard and would share the story of gruff in a way that works for all ages and teaches a tangible lesson, helping them to really understand and have something to relate back to in memory. A wonderful tool we used to help visitors really hold onto the lessons the Gruff helped teach about how hurting others, both people and animals is never okay to do.
Do you know the story of Three Billy Goats Gruff? In the story of Three Billy Goats Gruff, there is troll. Our Gruff had a troll in his life too. His troll was a 12 year old boy who was very angry and one day made a bad choice. The trolls bad choice hurt many farm animals that day. What are some better choices you can make when you are angry?
Some better choices are: take a deep breath, count to ten, or talk to someone you trust.
Gruff |2010 - 2020
Titan came to us in September of 2020, he was found on the side of the road with a leg that was
essentially mummified. We believe that he may have been tied up or became stuck in something that cut off the circulation and caused his leg to stop growing. Our vet, Doctor Gina with Jacksonville Equine came out and assessed Titan’s leg, her findings told us that in order to keep Titan alive and healthy the entire leg needed to be removed and we prepared for surgery. Titan was a champ through surgery and came out of it as a happier goat. You would think that he had three legs his whole life for how he moves around! Being without a limb has not hindered him in anyway, you can find Titan bouncing around the farm and squeezing out of the pens looking for more humans to befriend. He has made such progress on his journey of forgiving people and adapting to his new way of life, we hope that you will join him on his journey of life by visiting the farm and showing him how much good humans are capable of.
BARN
RENOS
Sugar & Spice And mostly everything nice
Sugar and Spice are a mother daughter duo who came to us Spring of 2020, they were well loved but their owners just did not have the time they felt Sugar and Spice deserved. We like to remind people that animals who are able to be re-homed and in good health we aim to find their forever homes. While we love them endlessly here, we also know that there are other animals who do need our help as well. Spice was able to be matched with her forever home, and even though it makes us sad to separate the duo Sugar still needs lots of socialization before we could consider matching her in a forever home! Sugar may be sweet, but she can also be quite naughty! Over the summer we celebrated her first birthday, and like many human 1-year-olds, Sugar has a bad habit of nibbling. Over the past few months she has mostly gotten over this bad habit and her favorite pastime is playing with BK, Blossom and Ginger!
Spice & Her Forever Home
Receiving photos of our rescues in forever homes like these make our hearts so full! Spice is truly living her best life and we couldn’t be any happier.
Now Booking Camp Outs CelestialFarms.Org/Camping
2020 Financ
2020 was a year for the record books in so many ways. In March, we had more bookings than we have ever had. We were on the path to success! Then, Covid hit. We had to refund prepayments for parties and field trips. All events canceled. We were devastated, but we pulled through. Then, in the Winter, when we realized we had no reserves for our typical slowest months, I issued a cry for help. That cry for $50,000 was met with an overwhelming response from people all over the world. We were so blessed. Thank you all for restoring the farm and our faith in humanity.
cial Overview
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A S SISTAN T DIR E CTOR
TAMI GU E ST R EL ATIONS
CHL
A S SISTAN T
T CELESTIAL FARMS
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S AMI
MA STER G AR DENER
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N OT PI C T U R ED : MR . BO B, KANDIN, DAPH NE , D EL ANE Y AN D ALL OF O U R WONDER F U L VOLU N TEER S
Thank you for all your support of Celestial Farms, we hope that you enjoyed this magazine. Please feel free to reach out concerning any ads, volunteering or interests in any of our programs. We have so many wonderful changes happening on the farm and hope you can visit soon to see them and the animals in person!
Celestial Farms is a not for profit farm animal rescue and
educational center located in Jacksonville FL. They are open by appointment to the public Monday to Saturday,
where guests can spend time with the animals or in the gardens. This organization runs on donations which assist
in community programs, classes, events and includes the care and rehabilitation of farm animals.
