Narcoossee, FL News » Uncategorized

Harmony Institute receives $1000 check from Cargill as volunteer project launches.

harmonyinst — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:23:20 +0000

Monica Stahl (of Cargill) and the Cargill Cares Council present a $1000 check to Harmony Institute board member Mike Stewart and Harmony Institute founder and president Martha Lentz. Back row – Don Miller – Truck Loader, Charles “Hoss” Hunt- Bulk Receiver/Cargill Cares Council Poinciana Member, Philip Brownlow – Production Supervisor, Steven Dendis – maintenance Supervisor, Roger Atkins – Plant Manger –Poinciana Location, Russell Linton – Process Technician/Cargill Cares Council Poinciana Member, Miguel Ortiz –Process Technician, Phil Koon – Sales Consultant/Cargill Cares Council Poinciana Member, Dennis Cockrum – Plant Manager-Auburndale Location

On Saturday, March 19, 2011, Cargill Animal Nutrition’s employee-led Cargill Cares Council presented a $1,000 check to Harmony Institute board member Michael Stewart and Harmony Institute founder and president, Martha Lentz. The donation is to support the Institute’s mission of promoting human health and well-being through the interaction of people, animals and nature.

After presenting the check, the Cargill Cares team, with spouses and children, began their volunteer project of forging nature trails on the Harmony Institute’s 100-acre property located behind Harmony High School. The Institute plans to use the hiking trails for educational nature walks and environmental education experiences for students, children attending summer day camp and others – adults and children alike – who participate in Harmony Institute programs and events.

“Our new partnership with Cargill is very exciting,” said Martha Lentz, adding, “The enthusiasm and commitment of this group today has been truly amazing. Even the small children were out there clearing branches!”

After the Cargill employees and their families forged their first trails on the property, they held a picnic at Spirit Farm, which leads to the hiking area. Spirit Farm is a venue for corporate events, birthday parties and acts as an outdoor learning center for various Institute programs. The farm is home to the Harmony High School mascot, Touchdown and the Harmony Community School mascot Victory and has miniature donkeys and horses, standard size horses, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens as well as gardens. For information about Harmony Institute programming, contact the Institute at 407-957-0207.

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 131,000 people in 66 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business.

Spirit Farm Summer Camp Returns

harmonyinst — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:37:01 +0000

Before you know it, the end of school will be here! Have you made camp plans for your children this summer?

The Harmony Institute operates Spirit Farm Summer Camp across the street from the town of Harmony. There, children ages 8 – 13 have the opportunity to spend the summer on a 20 – acre farm where they experience the natural world through daily activities such as gardening, horseback riding, feeding and caring of farm animals, reading, nature walks, animal tracking, crafts, and team sports. Campers will spend part of their days as a “Pony” (a cowpoke) and part of their days as a “Hawk” (Seminole Indian).

This experience helps children to develop an appreciation for our area’s history and heritage while expanding environmental awareness, cultivating a respect for diversity; enhancing teamwork skills; increasing physical activity; learning healthy habits; deepening interest and knowledge in science, the arts, and language; and, of course, doing all this while having fun!

Parents of campers have said; “It was an adventure that builds character in children.” “Thanks for the amazing opportunity; I wish all children could have the same experience.” “Words can’t express how wonderful it was to hear them both come home each day and hear about their daily adventures on the farm. . .Most of the time the first thing they would say was, ‘Why did you come so early to pick us up?’”

The camp runs for 8 weeks this coming summer as follows: June 13-17, June 20-24, June 27-July 1, July 11-15, July 18-22, July 25-29, August 8-12, August 15-19. Hours are Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Early drop-off and late pick-up can be arranged for an additional fee.)

The cost is $120 per week and includes lunch and snacks. Early registration is suggested, as the number of campers per week-long session is limited to 14.

For registration materials or further information, including a tour of Spirit Farm, please contact Stephanie Carey, Marketing & Communications Manager, at 407-957-0207 or scarey@harmonyinstitute.org. You are encouraged also to visit our website at www.harmonyinstitute.org for more information.

Miniature horse rides, school mascots and crafts offered by Harmony Institute at the Harmony Winter Carnival

harmonyinst — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:58:59 +0000

The Harmony Institute will offer rides on a miniature horse, Tornado, visits with Harmony School Mascots, Victory and Touchdown, and ornament decorating at the 3rd Annual Harmony Winter Carnival, Saturday December 18th from 10am- 2pm.

A visit to the Harmony Institute booth will provide loads of fun and holiday spirit for the little ones. Children can ride on one of Spirit Farm’s miniature horses, Tornado. Visit with the Harmony High School Mascot, Touchdown a long-horn steer, and the Harmony Community School Mascot, Victory a miniature short-horn steer, and take a chance on winning a half-day “Cowpoke” experience at Spirit Farm. To celebrate Victory and Touchdown short-horn and long-horn shaped tree ornaments will be available to decorate and take home.

The Harmony Institute is offering each activity for a minimal donation. The proceeds earned at the carnival will be used to feed and care for the animals at the Institute’s 20-acre Spirit Farm located just across I-92 behind the Harmony High School.

The Harmony Winter Carnival is a free event open to the public with lots of fun activities including music, craft & food vendors, kids zone with bounce houses and “tons” of snow for snowball fights, sledding and snow angel making. A Breakfast Buffet and pictures with Santa will be available in the Harmony Town Tavern from 9am to noon just $14 for adults and $7 for children.

For details or further information regarding the Harmony Winter Carnival please visit the website at http://eventsatharmony.com.

For more information about the Harmony Institute and/or Spirit Farm contact Stephanie Carey at (407)957-0207 or visit us on the web at www.harmonyinstitute.org.

Children of Deployed Military Dad Receive Summer Camp Scholarship

harmonyinst — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:47:29 +0000

Patrick and Ryan at Spirit Farm Summer Camp in Harmony

Harmony, Fla. (August 11, 2010) – Two brothers, whose dad was deployed in late July to Afghanistan, are enjoying a fun summer because of the generosity of a local investment firm. Winter Park based Gardnyr Michael Capital, Inc. funded scholarships so the boys could attend the Spirit Farm Summer Day Camp run by the Harmony Institute in Osceola County.

“Gardnyr Michael Capital is pleased to have had the ability to fund scholarships for these kids,” said Jim Pietkiewicz, EVP of Gardnyr Michael Capital, Inc. “The Harmony Institute programs have always been something our firm has supported and this is a terrific opportunity to support both the Institute and our military families. It’s an honor and privilege to be a part of this.”

The scholarship recipients, Ryan and Patrick are enjoying their camp experience at Spirit Farm where they are participating in daily activities such as horseback riding, painting and crafts, archery and lassoing, bull riding, animal tracking and hiking and much more. “We are extremely thankful to the Harmony Institute and Gardnyr Michael Capital for making this opportunity available to our boys,” said mom Margaret. “It really helped take their mind off their Dad’s departure and came at the perfect time.” Shannon, who is in the US Army was deployed for 400 days and left for Afghanistan the same week the boys started camp.

The Harmony Institute two-week Summer Day camp was designed to provide children with a unique outdoor experience that focuses on Florida’s rich heritage. In addition to horseback riding, archery, roping and bull riding, campers garden, learn to care for farm animals, practice sports, and relax in “Red’s Saloon” and the authentic Indian tipis. Computers and video games are not available, as the goal is to expose children to the natural world, helping them to develop an appreciation for Osceola County history and heritage while developing environmental awareness, cultivating a respect for diversity; enhancing teamwork skills; increasing physical activity; learning healthy habits; deepening an interest in science, the arts, and language; and, of course, doing all this while having fun!

For information regarding camp and other program opportunities at Spirit Farm, including a tour, please contact Penny Young-Carrasquillo, program manager at 407-957-0207 or pyoung@harmonyinstitute.org. Visit the Harmony Institute website at www.harmonyinstitute.org for more information.

About The Harmony Institute
The Harmony Institute is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the health and education benefits of living within natural environments. For more information, visit www.harmonyinstitute.org.

Outdoor Learning Center at Spirit Farm in Harmony to Open this Fall

harmonyinst — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:08:13 +0000

Nearly 100 business owners and friends of the Harmony Institute and their families got together at the Institute’s Spirit Farm on June 26 for an old-fashioned Osceola County barbeque to support the development of an Outdoor Learning Center at the farm. Guests enjoyed great food prepared by Kissimmee caterer BarberQ, along with farm tours, children’s activities, and even a hayride.
The Outdoor Learning Center is slated to open at the farm this fall, and will serve over 2000 second and sixth grade county students during each academic year. The Center will also provide special half-day programming (general farm experience, naturalist experience, or cowpoke experience) for groups of children of all ages by appointment. The purpose of the Center is to fulfill the Harmony Institute’s mission of promoting human health and well-being through the interaction of people, animals and the environment. All informal outdoor education experiences will have a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) focus using nature as a classroom and animals as teachers’ aides.
Event host committee co-chairs Pete Pace of Clancy and Theys Construction Company and John McKay, Osceola County Board Chairman (District 5) played instrumental roles in bringing so many people out to Spirit Farm. The co-chairs, along with host committee members Kip Bonar, President & CEO of Ranger Companies; Dr. Michael Grego, Superintendent of the Osceola County School District; Rick Wesley, President/CEO of REW Landscape Corp.; and Don Wetherington, Owner/Founder of Wetherington Builders, called on their friends and colleagues to help the Harmony Institute by offering vision, ideas and assistance in terms of materials and labor to create a fully functioning Outdoor Learning Center.
The Center’s foundation has already taken hold with generous donations from front-runners who contributed time, effort and materials: Clancy and Theys provided critical ground preparation for the two 40’ x 24’ portable classrooms at the farm, while REW Landscape Corporation provided an aesthetically pleasing entrance to the classrooms with a donation of lush sod. The Bass Road Resource Recovery Site (Osceola Co. Solid Waste) donated several truckloads of composted garden soil, and Misty Blue Acres Carriage Company donated “organic fertilizer.” Plan-It Earth Solutions, which collects and recycles used cooking oil for fuel, donated two water tanks in addition to a barrel that is being used during the Institute’s summer camp to teach children bull riding. Utility poles given to the Institute by KUA provided the structure for the bull riding equipment. A big hit at the barbeque and during the Institute’s summer camp has been “Red’s Saloon,” an “old west” saloon designed and constructed by Distinctive Homes, Inc. where the kids hitched up the mini horses and went inside to refresh themselves with a root beer float. Pro-Build assisted with a donation of $500 of construction materials.
Although the Outdoor Learning Center is off to a good start thanks to the dedicated work of co-chairs Pete Pace and John McKay and our host committee, there is quite a bit of work to do to be ready for students this fall. Barbeque guests signed up to assist with projects such as plumbing and fencing. Still, there is a need for a covered wooden walkway and ramp between the classrooms, electricity to the classrooms, a septic tank, outdoor furniture, other walkways, and several other items and projects.

To learn how you can assist with the development of the Outdoor Learning Center and the work of the Harmony Institute, please call 407-957-0207. All donors will be permanently acknowledged on a sign at The Outdoor Learning Center for helping to launch an innovative and vital learning atmosphere for our children.
Further information about the Harmony Institute and its programs can be found at the Institute website at www.harmonyinstitute.org and the organization’s Facebook page at www.facebook/TheHarmonyInstitute.com.
The Harmony Institute’s Spirit Farm is located behind Harmony High School, and boasts large vegetable gardens, miniature horses and donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens. Spirit Farm is also home to Touchdown, the longhorn mascot of Harmony High School, and Victory, the shorthorn mascot of the Harmony Community School.
The Harmony institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote human health and well-being through the interaction of people, animals and the environment.