A different kind of funny farm
By Natasha Marar
nmarar@uwo.ca
Derek Vasseur is too big for his body.
The 13-year-old east London boy suffers from stiff skin, a rare disorder that hardens and thickens his flesh. He grows, but his skin doesn’t grow with him.
Stiff skin causes him daily pain and limited mobility and forces him to waddle as he walks. The small, fair-haired Derek, who weighs a mere 30 kilograms, is also developmentally delayed and has a host of other physical illnesses. He is often frustrated and used to lash out physically at others because of his pain.
Derek’s mother, Victoria, sought help from programs at the Child and Parent Resource Institute and the Thames Valley Children’s Centre, but “those programs didn’t work. They were teaching us how to deal with his condition instead of teaching him how to deal with the world,” said Vasseur.
Then Vasseur met Kelly Franklin.
Franklin, 47, is a social worker and owner of Funny Farm Ministries. But this funny farm is not a hospital. It’s a registered children’s charity that provides activities from youth and adult mentoring to hosting children’s camps and church groups on a four- hectare animal farm near Aylmer.
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Photo by Natasha Marar
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| Kelly Franklin’s four-hectare Funny Farm Ministries is expected to attract 1,200 children this year. |
Every Tuesday for the past two years, Derek has attended counselling with Franklin to deal with his anger.
“It makes me feel better,” said Derek of his talks with Franklin. “She really works with kids.”
“He’s much happier,” said Vasseur. “We can actually reason with him, discuss things. The frustration and anger isn’t there anymore.”
For three years, Franklin and her husband George have been running Funny Farm with the help of more than 25 volunteers and nearly $100,000 of their own money, but financial support is needed to meet this year’s increasing demand for their children’s programs.
Funny Farm Ministries was born out of Franklin’s experience working with children. She worked full-time as a social worker and a children’s pastor at Royal View Pentecostal Church in London. In 2002, the Franklins and their children traded in their St. Thomas home for life on the farm. They received a crash course in farming at George’s father’s Tillsonburg farm before making the move to Aylmer.
“We were able to invite the kids we were in contact with (through the church), about 75 to 80 at a time, out to George’s dad’s farm where it all started,” Franklin said. “It snowballed and turned into something full-time.”
“I just found with kids no matter where I was going there was a huge need for support in the community that was more casual, not as clinical, but able to be relational. There was need and people were asking me for help,” Franklin said.
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A quick drive through the town of Belmont leads to Mapleton Line — home to Funny Farm. A dirt driveway leads to a barn, gated animal areas and a trailer for counselling sessions, where blue benches line cheery yellow walls.
George can usually be found outside tending to the animals. Pigs, horses, donkeys, rabbits, llamas and even fainting goats — miniature goats that fall over when startled.
“Here on the farm we teach them about animal care and how to interact with them,” said George, who grew up on a farm. “It’s amazing how many children aren’t around animals. I found out late in life that I like teaching kids about animals.”
Every summer, Funny Farm hosts a nine-week day camp for YMCA children called Farm Town. It began three years ago when the YMCA allowed five children to come to camp for free. The relationship between the organization and Funny Farm blossomed and now children from the YMCA daycare and community-based camps are being bused from all over London and St. Thomas to Funny Farm.
“We’ve got everybody from kids that come from multimillion-dollar homes and some of the best parts of London ... at the same time as kids who come from marginalized homes who might not have had a meal before they come out in the morning,” Franklin said. “This is the place to be -- getting kids out of the city, out of their circumstances, out of the school, out of their house.”
Children can attend high-end riding schools for $300 a week or they can come to Funny Farm and learn animal interaction and how to relate it to another person, said Franklin. “The byproduct is really great social and life skills.”
Any day of the week has Franklin juggling counselling sessions, children’s camps and horse-riding lessons.
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Photo by Natasha Marar
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| Kelly Franklin counsels nearly 40 children and families a week in her Funny Farm trailer. |
On a cool Saturday morning in March, Franklin teaches three young girls how to interact with the horses.
“Reach.”
“Hug.”
Twelve-year-old Laura Dungo complies. With a mix of reservation and confidence, she reaches across the horse she’s riding and wraps her arms around its neck.
The self-described shy girl has been coming to Funny Farm for two years. Her parents, Ernie and Carmen, send her here to mingle with other kids and to build confidence.
“I learn how to take care of animals and how to speak up because I’m usually quiet. When the other kids are here I get to be a leader,” said Laura.
“I’m not afraid to talk to other people now.”
Riding the horses gives Laura and other children at Funny Farm a sense of courage and self-esteem.
“I rode bareback the first time, but I was kind of nervous because I depend on the saddle to keep me safe. But that helped me to not be scared,” said Laura. “I feel special because I feel bigger.”
“What the children learn from Pastor Kelly they can’t learn anywhere else,” said her mother Carmen. “This place is different from other camps. It teaches you life lessons and you don’t even realize it.”
What sets Funny Farm apart, besides the animals, is the Christian teachings that are integrated into camp programs and counselling sessions.
“Nobody likes to be in trouble, nobody likes to be constantly corrected by a teacher or nobody likes to feel angry all the time. So we help the kids to understand that there is something else (religion) they can tap into,” Franklin said. Funny Farm integrates religious lessons in its programming, but it’s not a “straight up religious camp,” said Franklin. “It’s more digestible and it makes more sense.”
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In 2007, 750 campers visited Funny Farm. This year, Franklin expects to see 1,200 children, from summer-long campers to daytime visitors.
“We will be busier than ever,” Franklin said. “But there are fewer resources for kids now that there are so many layoffs,” noting that more children come from families whose financial assistance has run dry.
Together with the YMCA, Funny Farm will be subsidizing the cost for about 80 per cent of the children coming to Franklin’s camps.
Although the Franklins enjoy a large volunteer base and community support, they are looking for ways to make the farm financially sustainable.
“One of the biggest challenges is that we have chosen to use animals in a therapeutic setting so the expense to run a camp or a program is huge,” Franklin said, regarding insurance costs. The Franklins have used their credit and retirement savings to fund Funny Farm.
“We rely on George’s income (as an autoworker) because he donates in,” Franklin said. “Our farm is separate from the charity so we are actually loaning the charity our farm, our animals and our labour.”
The Franklins are now receiving donations from a variety of sources including the Children’s Aid Society of London, Human Resources Development Canada and Cami Automotive’s employee fund.
But this year, Franklin is aiming higher. She has applied to the Ontario Trillium Foundation. “Trillium Foundation funding is hard to acquire. There is only $100,000 allocated to the St. Thomas area each funding cycle, even though we service three areas: London, Elgin and Oxford.
“We’re hoping that that they will understand that a ministry can be doing good work that is morally sound and has the right heart for community.”
Despite the challenges, Franklin plans on running Funny Farm for years to come. She’s been approached by three people who want to start a similar initiative in their communities.
“We have to make sure there is stability and the community continues to take ownership for the programs and continues to finance this, because every kid deserves the right to come to camp and make a summer, spring or fall memory that they won’t forget.”
