Rock Spring farm offers fun for special needs families

A visitor feeds the alpacas at Furry Friends Farm Zone. Visitors can meet a wide range of animals at the farm's Pet Zone, including donkeys, miniature horses and goats, rabbits, chickens and ducks. (Contributed photo)
A visitor feeds the alpacas at Furry Friends Farm Zone. Visitors can meet a wide range of animals at the farm's Pet Zone, including donkeys, miniature horses and goats, rabbits, chickens and ducks. (Contributed photo)
photo Children spend time in the Play Zone at the Furry Friends Farm Zone. (Contributed photo)
photo A boy pets a pig at the Furry Friends Farm Zone. Visitors can meet a wide range of animals like donkeys, miniature horses and goats, alpacas, rabbits, chickens and ducks. (Contributed photo)
photo Families enjoy a day at the Furry Friends Farm Zone. (Contributed photo)

Any family dealing with autism could tell you just how challenging it can sometimes be to spend time together in public spaces.

Children and adults with autism often experience sensory overload while out at amusement parks or at the zoo, but with anything from loud noises to large crowds able to trigger a meltdown, even trips to small restaurants or Walmart can be difficult.

That's why Walker County resident Becky Reaves has created the Furry Friends Farm Zone, a sensory-friendly farm experience that's fun for the whole family and tailored to those with special needs.

Reaves has long seen the need for facilities like her farm. Not only was her grandson born with autism, but in her biological mother and brother, whom she reconnected with years after being adopted and who have special needs as well.

As society has become more educated about special needs, more public attractions, like the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga, have developed sensory-friendly activities in addition to their regular programming to cater to this community.

Furry Friends Farm Zone, however, was designed specifically for the special needs community, with all activities geared toward those with sensory issues said Reaves, whose internship at the Chattanooga Autism Center made her aware of such issues.

During festivals and events, the farm avoids anything that might trigger an overload - whether it be bright lights or balloons that could pop loudly. If someone does have an overload, the farm has a quiet area where he or she can rest in a cocoon hammock and recompose before rejoining their family.

This area, called the Peaceful Zone, is one of the six unique sections the farm offers.

Right now, families may visit the Pet Zone, where they can meet animals like miniature horses, goats, alpacas, rabbits, chickens, pigs and more. Touching animals with different coats can provide much-needed tactile exposure for those with special needs, Reaves said.

Many of the other zones incorporate that same level of sensory exploration. The Painting Zone, for example, houses paint mixed with sand and various textures to paint on, and the Play Zone is home to several fun activities that focus on developing gross and fine motor skills.

Other zones include the Plant Zone, the Picnic Zone and the Perception Zone, where visitors can experiment with different sights, sounds and smells. There are three more zones in development: the Puppy Zone, the Play Zone and the Patio Zone.

While providing a therapeutic getaway for those with special needs and their families, the Furry Friends Farm has also created an environment where adults with special needs can work. Through its Farmers in Training program, the farm has given three locals ages 22-26 a place to learn teamwork and other important social lessons while taking care of the grounds and its animals.

"I enjoy working with the animals here," said Nate Jones, 22, who tends to the farm's birds when not working on team projects like moving lumber. "I love helping Mrs. Becky. This is fun to me. Instead of staying at home and being a couch potato, it gets me going."

Though the position is only voluntary, Jones hopes it will eventually prepare him for a paid position elsewhere; as does his co-worker, Caleb Coulter.

"One of the best benefits from working here would have to be learning the trade skills every day," said Coulter, 22, who waters the plants. "Not just farming, but [learning] how to socialize well with others and how to maintain those skills and use them in the workforce or life."

Reaves is also working with the judicial system to extend the farm's benefits to at-risk youth. By making farm work an option for fulfilling community service requirements, she hopes to give non-violent juvenile offenders a purpose that could deter them from going down the wrong path.

The teens and pre-teens would be doing a variety of tasks from cleaning pens to building rabbit cages, but they would primarily be learning to care for the animals, she said.

"If you can get youth involved with animals and help them find a purpose there, it creates a bonding [experience] and you stand a better chance of keeping them off the streets and making bad choices," Reaves said.

Though the farm has been accepting visitors since August 2016, it is still in an ongoing opening process, said Reaves. Some of the zones have not yet been constructed, and funds are still needed to get the facility up and running in its entirety. Donors will be able to have an engraved brick placed in the coming patio to honor or memorialize a loved one.

"Any support we have from the community in sponsoring these areas will help us to get this in place much more quickly," she said. "I would like to snap my fingers and have everything in place tomorrow, because the need is great."

The goal is to have everything ready by later this spring. In the meantime, Reaves invites everyone - whether they have special needs or not - to spend a day at the farm.

Furry Friends Farm Zone is at 1750 Highway 95 in Rock Spring. Call 706-266-9095 to set up an appointment.

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