Today Jacob's Fund received a heartwarming note from Jacob P.'s mom. Here's what she said: I would like to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to Jacob’s Fund for awarding my son, Jacob, a hippotherapy scholarship. This generous support has eased a significant financial burden on our family and has allowed him to continue participating in a therapy that he truly loves and benefits from. Jacob has shown tremendous growth through the therapy, and it has greatly improved his balance, coordination, and overall strength. Beyond the physical benefits, it has also strengthened his confidence and deepened his love for animals. He looks forward to each session, and seeing his progress has been incredibly rewarding for our family. As a special needs family, we face many medical and therapeutic expenses. One of Jacob’s specialists does not accept insurance, making each visit a substantial out of pocket cost. In addition, Jacob underwent a stem cell treatment through Duke Uni...

We at Jacob Beachy Fund are so touched by Harper-Lyn's generosity. As we follow her journey, our hearts are lifted by her amazing triumphs and beautiful spirit. We're humbly grateful to have helped. If you've donated to Jacob's Fund, please know that you have made a very real difference in a child's life. When I look back on the toughest years of motherhood I think of 2014-2016. It was the onset of our Autism journey and I felt like I was on auto-pilot the entire time. Despite the challenges of those early years, we were blessed. Harper-Lynn started multiple early intervention therapies including hippotherapy through her occupational therapist. While insurance covered her therapies, hippotherapy was not covered. In the fall of 2014, Harper-Lynn was chosen by the Jacob Beachy Fund to receive a scholarship that covered 100% of her hippotherapy fees. We met her benefactors Glenna Fisher and Bernie Fisher the next year and have stayed in touch since through Facebook....

 

 

  Jacob's loving, generous kindness - our memorial to our beautiful boy is to help other children with developmental impairments through hippotherapy, which gave Jacob great joy! We've created a Giving Tuesday fundraiser on Facebook. You can see it, and donate, here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/926989275634471/ Not a Facebook user? We are Jacob's Fund on PayPal, and we welcome your checks. Our address is: Jacob's Fund 1630 Tipperary Dr. Middletown, Ohio 45042-3875 Your gift will help children with developmental impairments walk, talk, run, and play. Hippotherapy helps kids lead fuller, richer lives. Your gift brings JOY! In this season of joy, and throughout the year. Thank you for making life better for these children. A memory: Jacob and big sister, Elyse.  Elyse managed to get the powdered sugar off her face before the picture.  Jacob did not, but who cares? Doughnuts are a yummy Christmas treat!

  Alayna: the name means bright shining light. How perfectly right it is for this little girl! From the mom ent we first saw her at Triangle Therapy Services, we were captivated. She’s a tiny powerhouse who just turned two this summer, with soft dark curls and sweet loving eyes. Here she is, riding backward with amazing balance, and with her occupational therapist Shannon, and a visitor who really wanted to hold her. Jacob's Fund grants funds for hippotherapy to children with developmental impairments whose families cannot afford the cost of using the horse as a therapy tool. Jacob's Fund carries forward the loving, generous spirit of Jacob Noah Beachy, our founder's grandson. Jacob's experience in hippotherapy bordered on magical. He learned to walk and run; his vocabulary expanded exponentially. Honoring his life by helping other children achieve their potential and live a fuller, richer life is our mission.  We continue to be able to help children because caring pe...

Jacob's Fund has again earned the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency 2024.  

You know what Owen thinks is better than playing outside on a gorgeous fall day? Receiving hippotherapy at Triangle Therapy Services on that gorgeous fall day! We love our Jacob Beachy Fund kids!

  E nd-of-summer visits are especially rewarding, as we see the progress Jacob Beachy Fund's kids have made in the last few months. And what fun to talk with these parents whose love and caring shine through in every conversation! Muscle control isn't easy when cerebral palsy enters the picture, and Miller has had plenty of challenges. But Miller's greatly improving his mobility and gaining more independence. We're glad Jacob's Fund's hippotherapy scholarship helps make that possible.

 To friends wishing to donate to help children receive hippotherapy, we thank you for your generosity.  For checks, our mailing address is: Jacob's Fund 1630 Tipperary Dr. Middletown, Ohio 45042 OR See our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JacobBeachyFund - and click Donate. Thank you. 

Jonah! Jonah is a Jacob's Fund kid. Like our Jacob, Jonah was born with multiple heart defects, including hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). We are thrilled with his progress, following each step of his journey. Jonah is a special boy with an amazing family - sister Lily, dad Linn, and mom, Amy, who helps other families find the support they need for their special needs children. 40,000 children are born with congenital heart defects each year. Our hearts are with them, not only during February - Heart Month - but every day of the year. Hippotherapy, one of Jonah's favorite activities Jonah and Miles McKenna Farms Therapy Services Did you know that February is #AmericanHeartMonth ? In honor of that, we are spotlighting Jonah! His mom Amy explains, “Jonah is 9 years old and is one of the happiest children you will ever meet! He loves learning and embraces every moment. He was born with Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome (and several other heart defects), a cleft palate, kid...

  Last week we saw this sign posted on our school district’s Facebook page.  What a great way to start the school year! As I mused about children’s happiness my mind turned to our visits to Triangle Therapy Services earlier this month, I realized that the common thread in those visits was the beautiful smiles on the children’s faces. Dalton, all smiles Dalton’s smile is memorable. Last fall, his smiles, grins, and giggles, accentuated with his dazzling dimples, lifted our spirits. When we met him again a few days ago, he was just as radiant.   “He’s doing amazing!” his mom, Angie, says. Dalton was born with cerebral palsy and has been in therapy all his life. In addition to physical therapy during his hippotherapy this summer, he’s been in intensive therapy at Cincinnati Children’s since last summer when he underwent surgery. He’s since grown three inches in his legs alone! He’s recently had Botox injections in his legs to relieve the spasticity; he’s just getting u...

Miller enjoying his job We gather outside the barn, leaning on the fence, to watch Miller at hippotherapy, while his brother, Andy, takes on the climbing wall in the playground behind us. Miller’s riding helmet covers his blond hair, and he’s hard at work this evening. While physical, occupational, and speech therapists create exercises that are also games, because children learn and grow through play, the tasks they design increase strength, ability, and coordination, and require concentration and effort. Miller was born with cerebral palsy and severe gastrointestinal problems. He’s undergone an ileostomy and he uses a wheelchair. At eight, he’s been doing therapy for years, and has received hippotherapy for the last two summers.  He’s in physical therapy at Triangle this summer, strengthening his core muscles tonight, including lots of reaching and stretching across Paco, his horse. These exercises improve Miller’s balance, strength, and coordination. It’s quite a workout, as P...

  Owen, Enjoying Hippotherapy  Owen’s already perched on Paco’s back in the arena when we arrive at Triangle Therapy this evening, and from the look on his face, it’s clear that he thinks hippotherapy is THE way to do physical therapy. Mid-exercise, he looks up, smiling as he sees us lined up along the fence, and waves.   What a welcome!  We’re thrilled to see Owen and his mom, Amanda, again. Since last summer, when Owen’s hippotherapy was focused on speech, he’s made great progress, Amanda tells us. “Your gift made such a difference – his speech has improved so much!” We watch as he completes each task his therapist, Shannon, gives him. He’s riding backwards, up on his hands and knees, (can you do this?), enjoying every moment. “He’ll try anything he’s asked to do in hippotherapy – he loves it!” Mom says. “When we’re at home during the week, he’ll say ‘hippotherapy!’ and he’s ready to go.” Just a few weeks ago, Owen had a cardiology appointment. He’s doing wel...

  Owen, ready for a trail ride. "Owen has shown a tremendous draw to the horses during therapy time,” Margie Benge, of Triangle Therapy Services, wrote me when she recommended him for a Jacob’s Fund scholarship. When we met Owen in late October, nothing could have been more obvious. Once his mom, Amanda, had helped him out of his seatbelt, Owen made straight for the barn and his horse, Dusty. When he slowed down long enough for introductions, he smiled, waved, said hello, and then quickly returned his attention to Dusty. We understood – Jacob felt the same way about his horse, Major.   Fall hippotherapy is all about pumpkins! One of the most rewarding parts of our work with Jacob’s Fund is meeting the children and their families. They remain in our hearts, and we love sharing their stories. Amanda and Josh, Owen’s parents, have four children. This afternoon, Owen’s twin brother and little brother accompanied him to hippotherapy. They played on the playground while Owen rod...

Dalton and Jack O'Lantern. Dalton’s five. When we meet him at Triangle Therapy Services shortly before his birthday, we are dazzled, not just by his delightful smile, but also by his dimples!  Joy radiates from this little boy. He picks up the jack-o-lantern at the entrance to the barn and holds it in front of his face and urges Bernie to take a photo of him. He giggles when his horse starts to trot - and we do, too! He grins triumphantly as he completes each task his therapist assigns him.   Dalton was born with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. He’s been in therapy all his life. This summer he underwent surgery and therapy was interrupted while he recovered. Now he’s in intensive therapy and, under blue October skies, surrounded by the rich golds and reds of autumn trees, he’s back on a horse and loving it.  When You've Found the Pumpkins! Therapy, including hippotherapy – using the horse as a therapy tool – is hard work.  Dalton works at strengthening his ...

Corbin grooming his horse We met five-year old Corbin,and his mom on a beautiful Thursday evening in the serene countryside in southwestern Ohio that Triangle Therapy Services calls home. As Corbin prepared his horse for the session – helping taking the horse from the stall, grooming him, completing all the necessary steps, we watched him carefully follow the pictured directions in order while we talked with his mom. Corbin had been up since 6:30 a.m. and spent the entire day undergoing a series of tests at a hospital almost two hours from home.   Mom said she could tell he was tired, but at 8:15 p.m. he had completed dozens of exercises his therapist had designed for him, including doing sit-ups and holding his hands in the air – all while balancing on the horse, laughing and smiling.   And he still had enough energy to play on the swings and the slide in the playground when hippotherapy was over. Therapy = fun on a horse This lively litt...

Miller, all beautiful smiles We at Jacob’s Fund find getting to know the children we provide scholarships to and their families greatly rewarding. We have missed that these past few months During the months of Covid-19 closures, both our partner facilities, McKenna Farms in Dallas, Georgia, and Triangle Therapy Services in Eaton, Ohio, have been providing telehealth therapy while working hard to ready their therapy centers for in-person therapy. In June, both centers had completed modifications and put in place safety protocols, including mask-wearing and sanitizing procedures, so that hippotherapy and therapeutic riding could resume. So we were excited to meet Miller and his family at Triangle Therapy Services early this week to watch his hippotherapy session. “How will we recognize him?” we asked Triangle’s director, Margi Benge. “Well, he’s an adorable little blond boy,” Margi told us.   Miller with his speech therapy team She is so ri...