A huge thank you to all our generous sponsors, volunteers, and guests that made Derby Day great. You helped us raise $95,000!
Mir has been coming to Freedom Farm for the past year. His sister Lara wanted every Derby Day sponsor and attendee to know how gateful her family is. She shared; during the Derby Day Fundraiser I was able to share the impact Freedom Farm has had on my brother Mir. I did not expect him to come up on stage with me, as being in the center of attention is not his favorite. Instead, he surprised us all and eagerly came up on stage as I spoke about his accomplishments. It moved Susie and me to tears because it was such a big step for him. The applause and congratulations from attendees he recieved after empowered him. Mir was so proud of being on stage and shared the short video with all his family and said ”Look, did you hear what they are saying about me, isn’t that great!” Mir looks forward to the time with the horses and people every week at Freedom Farm; they have created a space where he feels comfortable being himself and knows he is welcome. Through this, Mir’s confidence in interacting with people has grown tremendously. He is so proud of his work at Freedom Farm. Not many people outside our immediate family have heard him speak, but when we bring up Freedom Farm he starts chattering away about all the work he does with pride. Freedom Farm has given him the confidence to do so.
