We are currently accepting board applications for new members. Send an email and let's talk about getting involved.
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Rosemary Jedel GraffRosemary has a background in teaching and when she and her family moved to Colorado in 2007, she turned their farm into her outdoor classroom. In addition to offering riding lessons and 4-H horse programs for children, she created Farm School, where kids of all ages work, play and learn outside as they ride and care for horses, gather eggs, milk goats, feed the pigs, care for the rabbits, tend to the garden and swing in the huge haybarn.
Laughing Buck Farm strives to include and invite people of all background and abilities and has a therapeutic riding program as well as summer sensory camps for kiddos with ASD. FarmHer Rosemary continues to find therapeutic benefits in this unique setting and loves exposing kids, adults and families to the joys of connecting with nature, moving their bodies through work and play, and developing relationships with creatures great and small. She founded the nonprofit, Friends of Laughing Buck Farm, in 2018 to develop educational and therapeutic horse and farm experiences for everyone. |
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Michelle HindmanTo me the importance of connecting with nature and animals cannot be stressed enough and the way in which this connection is fostered at Laughing Buck with a hands-on connection to the rhythms of nature touches my heart. I have great appreciation for the positive, nearly meditative way in which each moment and task is approached, no matter how challenging it may seem.
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Michael DevarouxI became a member of the board in the hope to encourage young people of all abilities to come experience farm life--something I was fortunately able to grow up with, which many children wouldn’t get to experience without Laughing Buck Farm. Being around farm animals and having chores is the perfect combination of work and play. Planting and harvesting is what helps you to grow.
Although I’m a quadriplegic I get out every chance I get. I drive my power-chair all over Fort Collins with the help of our bus system and Dial-A-Ride. I have a hand-cycle I ride once in a while when helpers are available. I stay physically active by working out with weights three times a week. It’s the continuation of weight training and cycling I did for years prior to becoming a quadriplegic in 2003. I broke my neck mountain biking on Horsetooth Mountain. But that’s a story for another time. |
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Lindsay GerdesIt’s been my pleasure to call Fort Collins home for the past 10 years. I’m originally from Aberdeen, South Dakota. My children introduced me to Laughing Buck farms nearly 5 years ago as participants in the all ages family farm class with Farmer Rosemary. I was delighted by their experience being outdoors, learning from nature, animals, and gardening. Over the years, each of my four children has benefited tremendously from a slice of life on the farm at Laughing Buck Farm. I joined Friends of Laughing Buck Farms as a board member to help create opportunities for other families of all abilities to share in the experience, culture, and wonder that the Farm brought to my family.
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Kristi ZambranoKristi Zambrano moved to Fort Collins about 5 years ago with her husband and 2 boys in order to have more access to the outdoors and nature. Kristi now works in operations for a real estate group, but spent 20 years previously as a social worker & family therapist, working with youth and families dealing with abuse & neglect in Chicago, Phoenix and Oakland.
Kristi joined the board after experiencing the farm through her 2 boys -- who have loved the opportunities the farm has provided them!! Kristi hopes to bring more farm opportunities to the families and children involved in the foster care system in Northern Colorado. |
