Farm in the Dell Rocky Mountain Front
Text by Suzanne Waring
Our society is structured around those self-supporting individuals who can attain an education, grow up to work at a job, and raise a family. This sequence has naturally evolved because that’s how a majority of people find fulfillment. But what happens to those who are unable to matriculate through life in a typical manner?
Steve Lettengarver and his wife, Glena, of Fairfield have asked themselves this question because they have a daughter who is developmentally disabled (DD). What would give her an opportunity for seeking fulfillment in her own way? What will happen to her when they are no longer around to guide and to care for her?
The group planning the Farm in the Dell facility introduced their plans to the community via this float during the “Swim Day” event in Fairfield. Photos courtesy of Jean Schroeder.
One evening about a year ago, Steve was sitting next to several parents of other developmentally disabled children at a basketball practice when they took up these questions. They told one another that they would actively begin searching for some answers that would pinpoint and secure their and other children’s futures.
That search culminated in finding Farm in the Dell, a concept that provides a home for DD adults where they have their own rooms, eat together as a family, and develop a daytime occupation. These adults may take up gardening, caring for animals, or many other types of work—within reason—on the land and in the buildings surrounding the rural home. They will sell their products at farmers’ markets, or other venues, to help pay for their keep. Once they move to Farm in the Dell, it will be their home for as long as they want to live there. After thoroughly investigating the Farm in the Dell concept, these families realized that it would be an excellent living environment for DD adults, especially those who had grown up on farms and ranches.
When residents of a Farm in the Dell fill real needs in a community, they are never marginalized. They are recognized as adults with a vocation. Neighbors and the people in rural towns already know them. Parents are able to help their child get started, but they are also able to step back. The concepts of this lifestyle for DD adults inspired these families to begin putting Farm in the Dell Rocky Mountain Front together.
This Farm in the Dell will be governed locally by a rotating board of directors. At the present time there are seven board members. They are from Fairfield, Simms, Vaughn, and Choteau, and four do not have DD children but are vitally interested in having a Farm in the Dell in their community.
Once the farm is running, two employees will staff the farm during the day and one at night. Both full- and part-time staff will be hired. Presently, the board of directors is planning for six full-time residents plus several who will come each day to do their work.
The original Farm in the Dell was started by Lowell and Susan Bartell when they built a farm for developmentally disabled adults in the Flathead Valley. Their son, Mark, of Helena, is now a consultant with Farm in the Dell International and helps groups start a facility. Organized as non-profits, Farms in the Dell are found in Kalispell; Helena; Great Falls; Broadus; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Each one is designed somewhat differently to meet the needs of a particular community.
The Rocky Mountain Front farm is still in the organizing and money-raising stage. As a self-supporting entity, the board of directors has raised $2000 and found an on-the-market farm that would be ideal. Applications for the 501c3 tax-exempt status and a federal tax ID number have been made. The board has started a money-raising project called “Calves for Cash.” The idea is for area ranchers to donate a calf each year to Farm in the Dell. “Sometimes it’s easier for us farmers to donate a calf rather than give cash,” said Lettengarver, one of the current board members. The board knows that they need $520,000 to get started of which $120,000 will be used for down payment and remodeling the house.
Phil Schroeder and his son, Jordan, often go horseback riding together. They find it therapeutic after a long day. Photo courtesy of Jean Schroeder.
“There’s a bunch of kids living on the Rocky Mountain Front that I know from the Special Olympics who are close to becoming adults. Like anyone else, they will need options for their future. Farm in the Dell is an option they and their families will seriously consider. It will also be a way these kids can stay close to home. It will also be something that communities along the Rocky Mountain Front will be proud of and claim as their own,” said Jamie Wood, Vice President for Field Service with Special Olympics Montana.
Establishing a Farm in the Dell Rocky Mountain Front will bring fulfillment in life for those who live there, and it will be available for families as an option for generations to come.
If you would like to know more about the Farm in the Dell that is being established in the Fairfield area or to make a donation, please call Steven Lettengarver at 406-590-2744 or Cory Copenhaver at 406-781-1688.
