The mission of Leg Up Farm is to enrich the lives of individuals with special needs and their families through support and customized programs.
The vision for Leg Up Farm began in February 1997, when Louis Castriota, President and CEO of Leg Up Farm, and his wife, Laurie, began plans to construct a therapeutic riding center for children with disabilities, thus merging their love of children and animals with their desire to give back to their community. Ironically, six months after their vision was born, their daughter, Brooke, was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease which causes both cognitive and motor function delays. From the Castriota’s first-hand experiences in searching for the best treatments for Brooke, they found there was need for a facility which provides comprehensive and coordinated therapy services for special needs children. Consequently, the vision for Leg Up Farm was expanded so as to create the ultimate, yet affordable, pediatric therapy center.
Located in York County, Pennsylvania, Leg Up Farm’s flagship facility is the only pediatric therapy center in the country to provide physical, occupational, speech and aquatic therapy, counseling services, therapeutic horseback riding, nutrition services and educational and recreational programming, beneath one roof.
Since its opening in 2010, over 1,750 children have received Leg Up Farm’s services and over 300 children wait for services. Unfortunately, this heightened need for services is not specific to York County. For that reason, it is with great anticipation that Leg Up Farm replicate in Franklin County.
What continues to set Leg Up Farm apart from other pediatric therapy providers is that it does not limit the number of Medicaid recipients served. Additionally, Leg Up Farm provides scholarships and sliding scale payment arrangements to un- and underinsured families. As such, children who would otherwise have to wait for services, due to limited openings for Medicaid recipients, or who cannot access services at all, due to a lack of financial resources, will be able to access dire, life-changing services through Leg Up Farm – Franklin County.
A capital campaign for the Franklin County site is now underway. Naming opportunities are available. In particular, naming opportunities exist for the treatment spaces, the riding arena, as well as the therapy center itself
If interested in receiving more information on these opportunities or making a general donation/pledge to the capital campaign, please contact Louis J. Castriota, Jr., President, or Jennifer Hitz, Development Director, Leg Up Farm.
ljcastriota@legupfarm.org or jhitz@legupfarm.org;
4880 North Sherman Street, Mt. Wolf, PA 17347
717-266-9294