FLYING HORSE FARMS

Flying Horse Farms’ primary goals are to provide respite and build each camper’s capacity for resilience. Programs are intentionally designed to create opportunities for campers to: 

develop a positive self-identity by improving their sense of personal power and accomplishment; encouraging positive self-esteem and self-efficacy; and encouraging a positive view of their future; 
build strong relationships by creating a sense of belonging; valuing youth and community; and developing positive peer influence and adult role models; and 
gain a sense of adventure and exploration by developing achievement motivation; valuing accomplishment and effort; and encouraging creative activities.  

In addition to these overall goals, Flying Horse Farms has developed objectives for each program area within the camp environment. Below are samples of activity-area goals:

Arts and Crafts:
Strengthen artistic talents and foster a sense of creativity.
Create a collaborative learning environment where creativity is validated and appreciated.
Develop positive self-identity.

Boating:
Provide the opportunity for campers to learn proper canoeing skills.
Encourage teamwork and communication.

Free Play:
Provide an unstructured time, facilitated by trained staff, for children to play creatively.  
Encourage cooperation, compromise, and problem solving amongst campers.   
Allow children to take ownership of their camp experience by making their own decisions of how they would like to spend their time.  

Nature and Discovery:
Encourage children to ask questions and make observations.
Stimulate curiosity about the natural world.
Teach children to interact responsibly with nature.
Increase interest in topics relating to STEM, nature, outdoor living, recycling, and more.

Flying Horse Farms serves children, teens, and young adults who live with cancer, facial differences, arthritis, rare diseases, and disorders of the heart, lungs, blood, kidneys, and gastrointestinal system. Many campers face co-occurring post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and other mental health illnesses as a result of their diagnoses. A serious illness impacts an entire family and Flying Horse Farms also serves campers' siblings, parents and caregivers.

Camper recruitment takes place year-round in partnership with nine pediatric hospitals. Online registration opens in January and evaluations of the medical and behavioral status of prospective campers take place in the spring. Concurrently, medical volunteers, program volunteers, and seasonal staff are recruited. The camp season begins with Spring into Camp, a one-day program for new families to explore camp and meet full-time medical staff, and a ten-day leadership training for seasonal staff. Camp sessions run from May through October and include:

1 spring Family Weekend
5 six-day residential summer sessions organized by diagnoses for children ages 8-15
4 six-day residential summer sessions focused on service learning for teens ages 16-17
1 six-day residential summer session for campers' siblings
3 fall Family Weekends
1 Adventure Camp for adolescents/young adults ages 16-21

Through all activities, Flying Horse Farms provides nearly 900 camp experiences each year.

Off-season planning includes certification renewals for camper safety, mental health services, and activity areas; outreach programs and CEO visits with partner hospitals; accreditation and membership renewal with the American Camp Association and the SeriousFun Children's Network; property maintenance with volunteer support; speaking engagements, special events, and fundraising activities to raise awareness and resources for c and special Final Campfires as requested during a camper's end-of-life care.

Both the natural and built environments at Flying Horse Farms serve as learning labs for traditional camp activities and outdoor experiences. Our site features rolling hills, lakes, and woods. Our facilities include 12 cabins, a dining hall, Angie's Arts and Crafts center, a sports court and activity field, a recreational center, an outdoor amphitheater, an archery range, a boating/fishing pond, a zero-entry pool and warming shed, four teepees for outpost camping, a high ropes course and zip line, a 24/7 “WellNest" medical building, a HappyTimes Woodshop for traditional woodworking activities, and the Big Red Barn with offices for our year-round staff and dormitory accommodations for seasonal staff and volunteers.

Flying Horse Farms is the only camp in Ohio equipped with an on-site medical facility and year-round medical staff to meet the unique needs of children with serious illnesses. The WellNest, camp’s 24/7 medical facility houses exam and trauma rooms, space for psychosocial and behavioral support, and a licensed pharmacy. Care is provided by a physician, wellness and nursing director, child life specialist, seasonal staff, and medical volunteers. All year-round medical staff are certified in basic life support and pediatric advanced life support. Camp’s medical director is a Board-certified pediatrician with fellowship training in Emergency Medicine. She received Columbus CEO Magazine’s Healthcare Trailblazer of the Year award in 2016 and the ‘America’s Best in Medicine’ award in 2019. In addition, camp’s Wellness Director is certified in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support and camp’s child life specialist is certified by the Association of Child Life Professionals. All staff and volunteers are trained to manage campers’ daily medical needs, routine illnesses, and any emergencies that arise.  

Nutrition is also part of Flying Horse Farms’ continuum of health. In a typical summer, kitchen staff and volunteers serve over 20,000 meals a year, complete with laughter, singing and dancing in the dining hall. Weekly menus are based on each camper’s medical needs and accommodate tube feedings, over 80 food allergies, and diets restricting gluten, dairy, soy, and egg. High-quality food is purchased or provided in-kind by Kroger, Gordon Food Services, and The Mid-Ohio Foodbank. Camp’s food operations staff have earned their Level 2 SERV Safe Manager Certification in Food Protection and one member secured an award in Food Policy Action’s 2016 Plate of the Union competition for leading a student campaign for just and sustainable food.

Flying Horse Farms’ programs and activities are overseen by a camp director and staff whose certifications include: Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, Mental Health First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, Basic First Aid, CPR for the Professional Rescuer, Lifeguarding, Archery Level One, Archery Level Two, Small Craft/Canoe, Stand Up Paddle Board Level Two, Rope Rescue Technician, Structural Steel Welding, and Camper Protection. These skills enable the team to create adaptations in all camp activity areas – swimming, boating, archery, high ropes, and more – to ensure each child benefits from the camp experience. In addition, the “Challenge by Choice” philosophy at Flying Horse Farms allows each camper to participate in activities that fall within their “comfort” or “stretch” zones where growth occurs. This philosophy is the foundation of new virtual programming as well.

Outcomes of a Flying Horse Farms camp experience include increased feelings of inclusion, reduced stress, strengthened family interactions, and improved sense of self-image as reported by parents and caregivers. Desired change ranges from “increased enjoyment” to “decreased focus on illness,” from “opportunity for respite” to “strengthened relationships between family members,” and from “had a memorable experience” to “increased competency and compassion in working with others.”  

In 2019, camper surveys showed that: 
97% returned home with a reduced sense of isolation; 
97% felt included at camp and believed they made a new friend; 
96% gained an increased feeling of normalcy; and 
95% could express a range of emotions to adults present in their sessions. 

Caregiver surveys following 2019 camp sessions showed that:  
99% found an opportunity for respite and reduced stress; 
98% saw an increase in their child’s confidence and self-image after c 
97% believe their camper is more open about their diagnosis after c and 
95% trust their child to be more independent in their medical care. 

Flying Horse Farms partners with its sister camps in the SeriousFun Children’s Network to develop program goals, outcomes, and evaluation methods. As of 2019, Flying Horse Farms also collaborates with Columbus-based GroundWork group to create surveys, collect responses, and analyze results. Through the Network’s Evaluation Academy and with the support of GroundWork group, Flying Horse Farms is adapting from satisfaction-based assessment to outcomes-based assessment in 2019-2021. Through this process, Flying Horse Farms will expand program evaluation to include intermediate- and long-term outcomes as well as the short-term outcomes listed above.