🌟 Turning the Tide with #RisingStrongwater2023:
A Movement of Resilience and Hope 🌊

Join Strongwater Farm as We Rise Above Challenges Together!

[Tewksbury, 13 September 2023] – In the face of challenges as daunting as rising waters, Strongwater Farm is
turning the tide and inviting the community to join them in a movement of resilience and hope. During the
August and September historic rainfall, Strongwater Farm experienced devastating flooding. Not only did their
grain and hay room become flooded, resulting in unusable hay, ruined grain, and a scramble to find sources for
enough dry and non-moldy hay for 15 horses, but the flood waters created deep channels in their walking
paths and paddocks. This damage has been ongoing, increasing slightly with every new onslaught of rain. Now
hurricanes threaten them with thousands more gallons of rain, but they are taking it all in stride.

Impact Reported

Some of the impact reported includes:

• 1-3 Foot Deep channels carved through walking area where volunteers and staff lead horses to access
  paddocks and trails
• Fallen trees in trail areas, utilized for therapeutic riding individual and group instruction
• Deep unstable areas within some paddocks including uneven channels filled with jagged rocks that are
  dangerous in full sunlight, but could be fatal in the cover of darkness or if a horse fails to pay close
  attention to where they step.
• Multiple leak in roof resulting in more wet feed (and horses!)

 

Due to the level of damage sustained by facilities, volunteers and staff are exercising extreme caution around
traversing unstable and dangerous ground. This situation is made more unsafe for some of the farm’s most
dedicated volunteers, themselves former and current program participants who live with disability or illness in
their lives.
These damages have resulted in stretched staff and volunteers, increased need for staff supervision of
volunteer activities, approximately $85,000 in damages not budgeted for, and limitations on programming,
which is itself a source of revenue for the organization.

 

Counter-Impact: Turning the Tide

Even amidst the tumult of the unknown, and as the flood waters prepare to build and recede again, our
excitement is building at Strongwater Farm.

#RisingStrongwater2023 encapsulates the spirit of the Strongwater Community: Strongwater Farm aims to turn
the tide on the flood waters of 2023 and demonstrates their unwavering resolve in the face of adversity – taking
a moment of calamity and turning it into a story of triumph, with the help of their partners and community
members. Recent events have exposed vulnerabilities, but their response is marked by unity, determination,
and unwavering optimism.

 

Join the Movement

More than just a day of giving, #RisingStrongwater2023 Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to join a movement
that embodies resilience, community spirit, and unwavering dedication to positive change. Supporters are
invited not only to donate but also to share their stories of healing and hope on social media using the hashtag
#RisingStrongwater2023. By doing so, they become a stronger part of a community that celebrates the
strength of unity and shared purpose.

 

How can the community get involved?

● Volunteer: Strongwater is always looking for volunteers – both to work with program participant groups,
and to “help around the farm”! Got special skills? They can use those too, with needs in the area of
marketing and social media, partner connections, and all sorts of other ways. Find out more about
volunteering by going to https://strongwaterfarm.org/volunteer-opportunities/ or emailing
[email protected]

● Recruit your organization to help: With a number of ways to partner with Strongwater Farm, they
invite the business community to reimagine community engagement by participating in the Community
Barn Raisin’! Through this program, your organization can benefit from special hosted team-building
events, and take part in something that will make a lasting impact in the community. Learn more here:
http://bit.ly/45Pq9Y6 and email [email protected] to find out how you can participate!

● Recruit your friends: Besides volunteering, Strongwater invites individuals to get creative about
hosting a fundraiser or event. All the tools for a successful online fundraiser have been provided to
interested persons at strongwaterfarm.org/donate or bit.ly/48hkagb

● Follow Strongwater Farm on social media (Facebook & Instagram)

● Attend an upcoming event or open house. An open house is tentatively scheduled for the end of
October, since Strongwater had to cancel their annual Hoe Down, barring additional damage from
flooding in the interim. #RisingStrongwater2023 Giving Tuesday is also scheduled for the Tuesday after
Thanksgiving. Follow their social media or visit the website to sign up for updates.

● And of course, they welcome donations, which can be made at StrongwaterFarm.org

For more information and inquiries, please contact:
Jo Bryan, Executive Director, Strongwater Farm
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 817.455.7347
Strongwater Farm stands as a beacon of hope, healing, and transformation through equine-assisted services.
Challenges may arise, but our resolve is unshaken: We’re stronger together.

Photos included for reference.