Book by elayna parkhurst

A DIFFERENT KIND OF THERAPY A NON-PROFIT FOR THE CREATION OF SMILES ELAYNA PARKHURST

a diFFerent kind oF therapy a non-proFit For the creation oF smiles elayna parkhurst

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dedication I

dedicate this book to my teachers at Freestyle Academy, without whom this book would have been impossible to make. I thank them for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to create this book.

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Above-Welcoming sign at the Smile Farm

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acknowledgements T

his book would not have been possible without the help of my teachers Jason Greco and Leslie Parkinson, and my community reader, Marissa Parkhurst.

Additionally, I would like to thank Vicki Amon-Higa, Simone Haroush, LeeAnn Wilson, and Kristen Amos and her two children Christopher and Aubrey. The guidance, insight, and kindness contributed by the aforementioned people was invaluable to the creation of this book.

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Contents

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Preface

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blossoming

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Introduction

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branching out

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seed to sprout

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Works Cited

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preFace I

went into my documentary project knowing that I wanted to portray something that had to do with animals. When I was younger, I remember visiting the backyard of my mother’s friend and seeing it filled with farm animals. This was the beginning of Animal Assisted Happiness (AAH). As I thought about different organizations that I knew of that worked with animals, I remembered the backyard filled with farm animals. It had been a few years since I had last visited AAH, and by this time it had grown far past the original backyard that I remembered it as. When I reached out to the co-founder, Vicki Amon-Higa, she quickly responded positively and invited me to visit the new location, the Smile Farm. The Smile Farm blew me away. I could barely believe that what was once a backyard of animals was now its own farm with its own address and location on Google Maps.

For the documentary, I was able to interview four individuals connected to AAH: co-founder Vicki Amon-Higa, Program Manager Simone Haroush, Farm Manager LeeAnn Wilson, and parent of two children who frequent the Smile Farm Kristen Amos.

All of these women told me such beautiful stories about the good AAH does and gave me valuable insight into the organization.

With their help, my film partner, and my teachers, I was able to document this beautiful non-profit and create a book to memorialize the work they do as they come up on their 10th year.

Left-Houses for the AAH bunnies

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introduction W

hen I entered the location for the Smile Farm into Google Maps, I was very excited to see what Animal Assisted Happiness had become. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect since it had been many years since my last visit. Pulling into the parking lot, I noticed an oasis of trees surrounded by an open gate. My partner and I lugged our tripods and camera bags through the gate and were met with the sound of doves and the sight of trees in full bloom. If this sounds ethereal, then my description might be doing it justice. The Smile Farm is unapologetically different from the norm of the Silicon Valley in which it is located.

Paths lead you through the farm showing you the numerous animals. Doves, chickens, bunnies, guinea pigs, goats, alpaca, pigs, sheep, miniature horses, and a donkey exist in their separate enclosures, all of them waiting to leave a smile on anyone and everyone’s face.

AAH makes use of animal assisted therapy, which over the years has grown in popularity. More research has emerged that proves the benefits to using animal assisted therapy, and AAH is an example of this new type of therapy working. Additionally, AAH gives children in the Silicon Valley an option to get outdoors and experience these wonderful animals. The benefits of spending time outside, learning and playing, are added to the list of aid AAH can offer.

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seed to sprout B

efore AAH was a successful non-profit, it was just a family with a love for animals. Vicki Amon-Higa and her husband had animals in their backyard for their children and for their own enjoyment. Vicki recalls being around animals her whole life since she grew up in the California countryside. The idea for Animal Assisted Happiness came to mind after some friends of a young girl named Riley asked if Vicki’s miniature horse, Lollipop, could visit with her. Riley had been diagnosed with brain cancer and was confined to a wheelchair. When Lollipop visited Riley, Vicki says there were many smiles that were created, and seeing that planted an idea in her head that she could be doing more with her animals than just having them for her family. Lollipop is still at the Smile Farm, but Riley passed away a month after her visit with Lollipop. Vicki goes on to tell us that Lollipop is, “...our inspiration and Riley...is our angel.” This statement was only reinforced as we interviewed and talked to more people that are involved with AAH. Kristen Amos told me, “Lollipop is the name that I constantly hear. ‘Mom, have you -- do you know about Lollipop? How’s Lollipop doing?’ And it’s usually when they start asking about Lollipop that we schedule a visit.”

AAH started out in the Amon-Higa’s backyard, but the organization soon outgrew the confines of a backyard with

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neighbors that didn’t exactly want an organization operating next door. This is when Vicki started looking for a permanent location, and after some time they settled at Bayland Park and created the Smile Farm. A lot of the work at the Smile Farm is done by volunteers who vary in ages but are mostly students.

There are also a couple of employees that take care of the animals, bring the animals out on visits, and manage the day-to-day at the Smile Farm. When we talked to Simone, the program manager at AAH, she told us that there are three programs that AAH does.

The programs are mobile barnyard, vocational programs, and private visits. This is to accommodate for children that want to come to the Smile Farm for private visits, children who need the animals to come to them, and giving children more responsibility with the animals. We were able to talk to a mother of two children who come to the Smile Farm for private visits. Kristen said that her son is going to participate in a vocational program this upcoming summer which they are extremely excited about.

Christopher is just one example of many children that benefit from the opportunities that AAH provides. Vicki and the team at AAH work tirelessly to build a force of good for their community, and as they come up on their tenth year it is incredible to look back at some of the good they have done.

Above-Dove Aviary

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"For us it was about creating a place that could be [a] destination, sanctuary, inclusive, location where people could interact with animals."

-Vicki Amon-Higa

Left-guinea ay area Left -guineapig pigplplay areaand andpathway pathwaythrough throughthe theSmile SmileFarm Farm

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blossoming T

he effect that Animal Assisted Happiness has had on the community is great and undeniable. While interviewing people connected to the organization, stories animal interactions were the easiest thing to come by. Everyone was able to recall several times that animals were able to brighten a child’s day.

Over the years, more and more research has been done into the effects of animal assisted therapy and the benefits have become more apparent. Lisa Geng, the executive director of The Cherab Foundation, a non-profit that for children with neurological or genetic impairments, talked about some of the studies of animal assisted therapy in an article. She cited, “Studies of animal therapy have shown repeatedly that exposure to animals helps improve morale and communication, bolster self-esteem, [and] calm anxiety.” Kristen told me her own personal experience with animal assisted therapy and its positive effect on her kids. She told us her kids “...both have ADHD so, I find that this is one of those places where they really, really try hard to keep it calm and keep it mellow, and it is really hard for them to do, and this is the most inspiring place for them to do that at, because they want to come here so bad.”

AAH has given Kristen and her kids a place for them to grow, have fun, and smile. The animals help her children stay calm and

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make her children want to work hard so that they can have a fun experience. When I was able to shadow Kristen and her children on one of their private visits, even I could see how excited the children got around all the animals, but also how hard they worked to keep in mind the rules of interacting with the animals and to keep a calm demeanor. The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo’s AnimalAssisted Therapy Program also works to connect children with special needs to animals, and they have noticed that “Forming a connection with the animals involves emotion and trust. Adapting to the animal’s needs fosters responsibility which, in turn, boosts confidence to perform tasks independently” (“Animal Assisted Therapy”).

This same sentiment was reflected in a story that LeeAnn Wilson, the Farm Manager, told me. LeeAnn said, “I also had a...private child, Jayden, who visits me at the farm...and he is a nonverbal, autistic child, who is very afraid of animals, and he came here, and on his third visit...he bonded with one of our goats and he looks forward to seeing him, and he walks him and hugs him and surprised his mother where his leash was all kind of tangled up in his feet and I said, ‘You’re going to have to help Moose get out of that mess’ and he reached over and he problem-solved and got the leash undone and his mom goes ‘I’ve never seen him do

something like that before.’” All across the world animals are able to make connections with children that help them come out of their shell. This invaluable connection is created constantly by the animals from the Smile Farm and facilitated by the people that work there.

Lisa Geng also wrote that, “Interacting with a pet, a child can easily achieve a level of intimacy that teaches them the meaning of friendship.” This is a lesson that cannot easily be taught from a book or from a crafted lesson plan. Friendship is something that most people need to learn about through real life experiences. It can also be added to the list of services that AAH can provide. Simone Haroush, the Program Manager, helped give me more insight into the deeper, unspoken bond that animals make with people. When asked about the Mobile Barnyard that takes the animals to different places she said, “... the kids that we see, especially the kids with trauma...even if we don’t know that they know that we’re there and we’re putting a bunny on their bed and...we take their hand and pet with them some of the kids are just a lot calmer after that.” How you know what you’re doing is creating good isn’t always an obvious thing. Most of the time it is a small shift in someone’s mood, a couple of smiles, or just trusting in the bond between children and animals.

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"iF we can create a smile with someone thats not being able to interact with the bigger world, that means everything to us."

-leeann wilson

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Right-Christopher petting a bunny at the Smile Farm

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branching out H

ow often do you get outside to play? How often do you get the opportunity to hold a bunny, walk a goat, pet an alpaca? How often do you think majority of children are given that chance? Not only does AAH give children with special needs this opportunity for interaction, but the numerous volunteers are as well. Many of these volunteers are students themselves, and the Smile Farm is an escape from normalcy in this area. LeeAnn gave me her take on it when she said, “I think in today’s world Animal Assisted Happiness brings reality, in some ways, to a very busy, hectic, techno world. There’s nothing more basic than an animal. There’s nothing more real, and rural...this farm offers an opportunity for people...to come and see the animals, learn about the animals, work with them, clean them, which, in an urban environment, you just don’t find anymore.” This is a service that I feel can easily be overlooked when discussing the good the AAH does.

According to research from the National Trust, a charity focused on restoring natural sites for public use, “... children spend half the time playing outside that their parents did.” For all the children that visit the Smile Farm and the volunteers that spend their time there, they are combating this unsettling statistic. It is a sad truth that children are spending so much less time outdoors in the modern age, and it isn’t just because of the fresh air. Evidence from the same National Trust research shows that, “Outdoor play leads to physically and mentally stronger kids that are more confident and socially

better adjusted.” Although not every interaction facilitated by AAH takes place outdoors, they do still draw countless people out the the Baylands for an hour or two that would have probably been spent indoors. Vicki Amon-Higa fully understands this impact and told me that it is important to her because, “...building a place like the Animal Assisted Happiness Smile Farm where kids across the Silicon Valley can come and volunteer, as well as kids with need can come and have a private hour, for me just reinforces...health, it reinforces getting away from technology, it reinforces downtime, and it really goes more to just get outside and play.”

What started out as a hope to create more smiles has grown to a place where it combats the excess time children are spending indoors. Animal Assisted Happiness has become a true force of good over the nine years it has been a nonprofit. The people that work there lead with pure hearts and intentions. Undeniably, beneficial time is given to children who get an escape from the stresses of normal life. Animal assisted therapy is utilized to its fullest potential in a sanctuary of farm animals. An alternative to spending all day inside, staring at a screen, is offered. Countless smiles are created through organic and beautiful interactions between animals and children.

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"Just, the looks on my kids Faces everytime we pull up here, or everytime they see the neXt animal...everything about this is Fantastic."

-kristen amos

Left-pathway past the goat enclosure at the Smile Farm

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conclusion I

am happy to live in a community where people care enough to create something like AAH. The understanding that even making just one child smile or creating a slight shift in mood is worth the struggle of running a nonprofit shows the character of everyone involved in AAH. I could not be more thankful that I was able to see some of the good that AAH does and that I am now able to share it with everyone that reads this book. There is always more good that can be done in this world and there are always more ways to help. Vicki and everyone else that works at AAH found a way that works for them and I, and countless others, are so glad they did.

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Above-Aubrey getting a greeting from Lollipop

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Above-signs for direction through the Smile Farm

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Works Cited Amon-Higa, Vicki. Personal Interview. 11 March 2018.

Amos, Kristen. Personal Interview. 24 March 2018.

Haroush, Simone. Personal Interview. 6 March 2018.

Wilson, LeeAnn. Personal Interview. 21 March 2018.

“Animal Assisted Therapy for Special Needs Children.” GlobalGiving, www.globalgiving.org/projects/animal-assistedtherapy/.

Geng, Lisa. “Pet Assisted Therapy For Special Needs.” Pursuit of Research, 29 Jan. 2017, pursuitofresearch. org/2016/10/20/animal-assisted-therapy-for-special-needs/.

Kennedy, Rebecca “Children Spend Half the Time Playing Outside in Comparison to Their Parents.” Child in the City, www.childinthecity.org/2018/01/15/children-spend-half-the-time-playing-outside-in-comparison-to-their-parents/.

Kids, Baby. “The Benefit of Animals.” ABC Montessori, 31 July 2017, abc-montessori.org/2016/03/the-benefit-ofanimals/.

“Therapy Dogs Can Be a Patient’s Best Friend.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 19 Aug. 2016, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/pet-therapy/art-20046342.

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about the author E

layna Parkhurst is a Junior enrolled at Freestyle Academy. She was born in Los Altos, California and has lived there her whole life. She involves herself in demonstrations for animal and human rights as a way to act on the things she feels passionate about. Her involvement in the Freestyle program has helped her gain new skills and explore a possible future in the creative arts. In her free time, Elayna enjoys trying vegan restaurants, exploring new places, and taking pictures.

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A DIFFERENT KIND OF THERAPY A NON-PROFIT FOR THE CREATION OF SMILES ELAYNA PARKHURST