How does your garden and farm grow?

Karen Coney Coplin

Question: How does your garden and farm grow? Short answer: Purposefully, with caring ideas and inspiration.

The longer and more informative answer tells us that two local women have sown many seeds which have taken root and bloomed into the Empowerment Farm. This place, on Immokalee Road, is a respite for people, animals and plants, and the land which connects all of these.

The motto of Empowerment Farm is: “Empowering Children and Adults with Animals, Plants and Each Other Through Farm-Based Activities.”

Cofounders Tiffany Lehman and Ashley Ebrite

Tiffany Lehman, the Founder and President, has deep roots in the greater Naples community as she was born and raised here.

Co-founder Ashleigh Ebrite has been in Naples since 2010, moving here from her hometown, the state capital of Tallahassee.

Together, these women are creating their own destiny which will impact life in Naples positively in many ways. As Tiffany Lehman explains, we live in a fast-paced and increasingly disconnected world. “Our community needs a place like Empowerment Farm, now more than ever.”

Some might say there are opportunities for connections everywhere but less opportunities for “real” grounding in the present moment. Empowerment Farm will provide a vital place and space for this.

Since Tiffany was a young child, she had the dream of living on a farm, tending to animals in an environment which provides natural healing elements. With a background in caring for horses as a teenager, she recalls the important unspoken bonds between humans and animals as transformative.

Likewise, her co-founder Ashleigh Ebrite established her own agricultural homestead in Naples with a background and education in animal husbandry.

Breezy the chicken

Both grew up in philanthropic households which instilled a love of the good that non-profit work brings to the world. Together their research identified that there were limited resources offering the opportunity to work with animals and plants in a therapeutic setting. In taking charge of their own destiny, these women are bringing another healing resource to the Naples community.

Their vision is to encourage compassion and self-reliance. Empowerment Farm activities provide a range of opportunities for people of all ages to engage with animals, garden with plants, and participate in artistic endeavors including painting, murals and fences.

If this sounds interesting, you can help this organization or participate by spreading the word. Empowerment Farm is looking forward to growing in all aspects and engaging more individuals in their inaugural and expanding programs.

Volunteers are always welcome with farm activities and program implementation and will be a key part of future successes.

Readers are invited to schedule a tour to see firsthand the positive impact this organization is having on individuals within our community.

“If you tickle the earth with a hoe, she laughs with a harvest.”~ Douglass William Jerrold

There are a few things more satisfying than a heartfelt belly laugh. Let peels of laughter ring out at Empowerment Farm! Email Karen at NaplesKCC@gmail.com if you have a suggestion for another organization to cover in a future column.

Follow her @naplesbythenumbers for additional vignettes about life in Naples.