{"id":962,"date":"2017-07-28T09:00:09","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T13:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=962"},"modified":"2017-07-25T18:52:56","modified_gmt":"2017-07-25T22:52:56","slug":"purpose-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=962","title":{"rendered":"Purpose Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Living with a Purpose<\/em><\/h1>\n

By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMy earliest memory in life is riding a rocking horse nonstop. My parents could not get me off of that thing for years,\u201d said Sandra Seabrook, the president and founder of Purpose Farm.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fitting that Sandra now runs a nonprofit organization, pairing primarily rescued animals \u2014 many of them horses \u2014 with children ages 6 to 18 who have undergone emotional trauma from neglect or abuse.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely know that this was my purpose,\u201d Sandra said.<\/p>\n

Sandra and her family established Purpose Farm in 2012, after feeling called to action by a missions trip to Romania and the death of an abused and neglected 12-year-old girl in Palermo, N.Y.<\/p>\n

The efforts started with a horse farm, and Purpose Farm has since grown to house more than 40 animals, most of which are rescues.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you have the farm, and you have the room where you can take them in, it just kind of spawned from that,\u201d Sandra explained. \u201cAnd the need is unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The farm is run primarily by Sandra and her family, with the help of a few volunteers. Sandra and her daughter, Raven, run the sessions for the children, who visit every other week from June through November. On the farm\u2019s offseason, the family keeps in touch with the children with get-togethers, visits and pen pal letters.<\/p>\n

The Purpose Farm team currently works with local agencies and some individuals, but Sandra would like to eventually expand to offer their services into local school districts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where we can really blossom and grow,\u201d she said, adding that the children they\u2019re helping now definitely do need their presence. \u201cI want to reach some [children] who haven\u2019t been found yet. But we\u2019re just not big enough for me to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

In order to expand their reach, the team would need to add more paid staff. She\u2019d like to be able to hire more individuals to lead sessions, but that would require more funding.<\/p>\n

While the news of Purpose Farm has been spreading and they\u2019ve received more funding lately \u2014 the family\u2019s own income was the original monetary source \u2014 a lot of the money coming in has been from one-time awards, such as A Cause to Celebrate and 100 Women Who Care.<\/p>\n

Sandra explained that while the awards have immensely helped Purpose Farm, they still get concerned about, \u201cWhat\u2019s going to happen next year \u2014 or next month?\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019re awaiting word on a couple grants at the time of this interview, and do have a few monthly donations from individuals.<\/p>\n

And recently, they\u2019ve discovered the power of goat yoga \u2014 which is simply yoga with goats \u2014 as a sustainable fundraiser. \u201cIt\u2019s the most steady funds that we\u2019ve been able to get,\u201d Sandra said with a smile, \u201cand the biggest steady funds that we\u2019ve been able to get.\u201d<\/p>\n

When a visitor to the farm suggested they explore the option of hosting goat yoga, Sandra didn\u2019t look into the idea right away. But when she eventually did, she realized it was a popular trend, and one that hadn\u2019t yet hit the Syracuse area. They decided to try it out.<\/p>\n

The Purpose Farm team put the word out about their first goat yoga class to contacts at Syracuse.com, and within 30 minutes of the article\u2019s online publication, the session was sold out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was at that point that we knew that we had something good here,\u201d Sandra said.<\/p>\n

Sandra hopes to continue offering goat yoga classes until the winter. Keep an eye on Purpose Farm\u2019s Facebook page, facebook.com\/PurposeFarm<\/a>, for more details. SWM <\/em><\/p>\n

For anyone who wants to help the cause, monthly support is encouraged. Visit purposefarm.org<\/a> or email info@purposefarm.org for more details. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Living with a Purpose By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm \u201cMy earliest memory in life is riding a rocking horse nonstop. My parents could not get me off of that thing for years,\u201d said Sandra Seabrook, the president and founder of Purpose Farm. It\u2019s fitting that Sandra now runs a nonprofit organization, pairing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1003,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[156,309,293,152,310,133,308,262],"class_list":["post-962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-alexis-emm","tag-alexis-emm-photograffi","tag-august-2017","tag-for-a-good-cause","tag-goat-yoga","tag-lorna-oppedisano","tag-purpose-farm","tag-syracuse-woman-magazine"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photograffi-3.jpg?fit=5200%2C3501&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":861,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=861","url_meta":{"origin":962,"position":0},"title":"Teresa Martini","author":"Staff","date":"June 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Tere of Transformation By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm Life is full of surprises. \u201cYou have one idea for yourself,\u201dTeresa Martini mused as she peered through oversized sunglasses. \u201cI thought I would be an organic farmer or travel the world or whatever free-spirited, crazy thing I thought I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Inspire-tere_0717.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Inspire-tere_0717.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Inspire-tere_0717.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Inspire-tere_0717.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Inspire-tere_0717.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1166,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1166","url_meta":{"origin":962,"position":1},"title":"Deborah Bender & Marilyn Sanson","author":"Staff","date":"October 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"25 Years of Wishes By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm Make-A-Wish of Central New York has granted more than 1,500 wishes since its inception in 1985. It\u2019s also nurtured a long-lasting friendship between longtime Make-A-Wish wishgranting volunteers, Marilyn Sanson and Deborah \"Debbie\" Bender. Marilyn and Debbie\u2019s sons started\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/AEP-SWM-NOV-4-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/AEP-SWM-NOV-4-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/AEP-SWM-NOV-4-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/AEP-SWM-NOV-4-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/AEP-SWM-NOV-4-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1095,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1095","url_meta":{"origin":962,"position":2},"title":"Cheryl Heller","author":"Staff","date":"September 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Seeking the Silver Lining By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm The tale of local business owner and four-time cancer survivor Cheryl Heller\u2019s battles with the disease starts out like many other busy women\u2019s stories. \u201cI was concentrating on so many other parts of my life at that point,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Alexis-Emm-Photo-Syracuse-Headshot-Photographers-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Alexis-Emm-Photo-Syracuse-Headshot-Photographers-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Alexis-Emm-Photo-Syracuse-Headshot-Photographers-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Alexis-Emm-Photo-Syracuse-Headshot-Photographers-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Alexis-Emm-Photo-Syracuse-Headshot-Photographers-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1595,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1595","url_meta":{"origin":962,"position":3},"title":"Linda Lovig","author":"Staff","date":"March 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Birth of Syracuse Midwives By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm\u00a0 When Syracuse native Linda Lovig moved with her family to Flagstaff, Ariz., she wanted to do something for her community, and decided to get certified as an EMT. 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That\u2019s how I try to teach,\u201d Syracuse City School District teacher Jenniffer Benedetto said. \u201cI educate and inspire with that mindset, with love and determination.\u201d Jenniffer didn\u2019t always dream of being\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photo-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photo-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photo-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photo-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photo-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1041,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1041","url_meta":{"origin":962,"position":5},"title":"Museum of Intrigue","author":"Staff","date":"August 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"A New Kind of Story By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm \u201cI\u2019ve done a lot of strange things with my life,\u201d Jono Naito, Museum of Intrigue developer\/lead designer said. \u201cI\u2019ve studied chemistry. I\u2019ve worked in the [American] Museum of Natural History in New York City. I was in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/SWM-Alexis-Emm-Photograffi-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/SWM-Alexis-Emm-Photograffi-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/SWM-Alexis-Emm-Photograffi-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/SWM-Alexis-Emm-Photograffi-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/SWM-Alexis-Emm-Photograffi-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=962"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/962\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":963,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/962\/revisions\/963"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}