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WEST POINT — Storybook Farm Founder and CEO Dena Little was the guest speaker at Thursday’s noon hour meeting of the West Point Rotary Club. Located not far across the Chambers County line on the north side of Opelika, Storybook Farm empowers children facing adversity with specialized animal and nature-based learning environments that pave the way for brighter futures.

“I love the horses and the kids who come to Storybook Farm,” Little told members of the club. “We started it 22 years ago, and it has grown a lot since then.”

Little believes that the kind of childhood a young person experiences can determine the kind of adult they will be. She experienced that herself when she was growing up in the Buckhead district of Atlanta. While her father was dealing with mental problems her grandparents shielded her from it by exposing her to a horse farm.

“Being around horses gave me purpose, direction and life skills,” she said. “I brought what I learned there to the Auburn area.”

She came to Lee County 22 years ago as a single parent raising a nine-year-old and a two-year-old. She brought with her some entrepreneural skills she had learned from the family and applied that to her horse     afarm. She began with a limited number of horses and a strong desire to give children facing tough circumstances a happier childhood and a better chance to have a productive life.

As the name suggests, everything about the farm relates to storybook stories. There are 16 horses on the farm, each with the name of a storybook character. There are also storybook sites with names like Green Gables and Scotland Yard.

“We do things the kids love,” Little said. “They don’t realize they are being educated.”

Little is assisted by three staff members and up to 1,400 volunteers from nearby Auburn University.

“The Auburn students are very helpful,” Little said. “They come from every college within the university system. We have two fraternities and one sorority that have been very helpful to us.”

There’s a high retention rate among children who start coming to Storybook Farm.

“We are setting them up to have good lives,” Little said. “Parents tell us they are happier and are doing better in school.”

Little said it’s a two-way street between the child and a horse. Both want to be loved.

Some of the children coming to Storybook Farm are from families where basic skills are not being reinforced. They have the chance to practice those skills at the farm.

“We pull from a ten-county area,” Little said. “There’s no charge to them as long as they need to come here. Most are with us for several years.”

The horses are kept in 18 stalls underneath a 17,000-square-foot roof on the 51-acre farm. Children have the opportunity to see veterinarians work with the horses and to ask them questions about what they are doing. Children have the opportunity to learn to ride a horse that has a name like Atticus Finch or Boo Radley.

Little said the college volunteers are incredibly helpful.

“They work with second graders, putting them on a trajectory to happier, healthier futures,” she said. “We want them to be invested in their community, doing their part in making it a better place to live. The farm is a big petri dish, and it’s just my personality to be in  a place like it.”

Fundraising is an important factor in keeping Storybook Farm the special place it is. The 2023 Bright Futures Campaign exceeded its $900,000 goal. This year’s goal is $1.2 million.

One of the major fundraising activities is horse-related. On the first Saturday in May, Storybook Farm is the setting for the largest Kentucky Derby party in Alabama and one of the largest in the Deep South states. Over 800 people took part in it this year. The emcee for the day was Mike Keith, who is the voice of the Tennessee Titans. Keith had a son with cystic fibrosis who came a lot to the farm. He’s grateful for what it meant to him.

Storybook Farm isn’t just for horses. It’s a place for dogs, too. Dogs on the farm enhance learning on the part of the children in such areas as zoology, biology, and STEM subjects. Bonding with the Storybook Farm dogs help the kids feel less lonely and anxious. Learning to ride a horse is a memorable experience for any child. It provides a sense of accomplishment and a deeper understanding of teamwork and responsibility for the children who come to Storybook Farm. Horses possess a natural ability to calm and balance a child’s emotions, serving as comforting friend.

At Storybook Farm, the kids have the opportunity to get into horticulture as well. This can help them with science and math skills and help those with sensory issues connect with the environment.

There’s a discovery trail that offers opportunities to ignite a lifelong passion for understanding things, opening the door to hands-on learning and creativity.

It’s the goal of Storybook Farm to deliver specialized, impactful programs to up to 3,500 children, offering them new, innovative learning experiences that promise to shape brighter futures.