Reviewed by: Michael Seale
How this woman is helping the special needs community through farming in Harvest, AL
Reading time: 5 minutes
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Did you know that a farm in Harvest, Alabama, is dedicated entirely to helping special needs individuals gain valuable life skills?
Read more to learn about the woman behind it—who recently won Redstone Federal Credit Union’s Community Champion Award—and how she’s changing the lives of Madison County residents.
Robin’s story—helping the special needs community
Meet Robin, Redstone Federal Credit Union’s Community Champion
Robin grew up in the Harvest area—just half a mile from where Next Step Farms is located. All of her life, Robin knew she was passionate about education, but it was during her college years that she began to connect with the special needs community.
“Part of the curriculum for my first semester as a freshman centered around community service.
My professor assigned me to volunteer with Special Olympics, and my heart was pierced. I was sold completely on the special needs population.”
Robin Kramer
Robin originally was on scholarship as a Vocal Performance major and had a lot of promise in the industry. But after her volunteer opportunity, she informed her scholarship crew she was walking away from her full-ride.
She later got a master’s degree in Collaborative Special Education and went on to teach special needs students in the Madison County school system for 25 years.
“My whole life has been dedicated to serving the special needs population—not because of a family member I had, but because of the exposure I had.
I remember my grandfather saying, ‘You don’t want to be involved in that population.’ And that just drove me more because that was exactly the mindset I wanted to help combat.”
Robin Kramer
Starting Next Step Farms
After Robin got over the 10-year mark of teaching, she started to realize that the special needs community needed more than what the traditional public school system could provide.
“What I call ‘the life aspect’ wasn’t being addressed in the school system. I heard my families talk about their struggles when they went to the grocery store or church, and people wouldn’t know how to treat their special needs child.”
Robin Kramer
Robin also heard her families express worry about what type of community their children would have after graduating from high school.
After hearing these families’ concerns, Robin decided to create a safe haven for the students and started Next Step Farms.
“I knew I wanted to do something more, and I needed it to happen with the adult population since their opportunities are limited.
But I didn’t want to give them a daycare program; I wanted to give them a day with a purpose program.”
Robin Kramer
Robin didn’t grow up on a farm, but she did grow up in a wonderful home on five acres and had a family garden, a couple of horses, dogs, cats and the occasional bunny.
When it came to starting Next Step Farms, she knew the value of the special needs population interacting with animals and wanted to make that central to the day program.
Check out more of Robin’s story through Redstone’s Community Champions series.
Impacting the special needs community in Huntsville
Next Step Farms provides the special needs community the opportunity to learn valuable life skills and have a fun social circle.
Here are the animals you can find on the farm:
- 25 chickens
- 12 goats
- Two pigs
- One dog
- One duck
- One goose
On the farm, the students are divided into two groups—one inside and one outside. Halfway through the day, they swap out—the inside group goes outside and vice versa.
You can find the inside group doing the following:
- Answering the phone
- Managing the business + operations
- Cleaning the facility
- Learning how to make signature dishes on the culinary team
- Working the farmer’s market
And the outside team works on the following:
- Feeding the animals + giving them waters
- Harvesting
- Making repairs to facilities
- Mowing the grass
- Planting
“Our number one focus is for us to teach them. We show them that there are no mistakes here—just learning opportunities.
When people feel valued, they find purpose. When they find purpose, their confidence grows. And when their confidence grows, their independence grows. And what are we trying to do here? Grow independent life skills.”
Robin Kramer
Learn more about Redstone Federal Credit Union’s Community Champion Series
Robin loved her experience working with Redstone Federal Credit Union and is excited for the opportunity to get the word out about Next Step Farms.
“It’s been wonderful to see Redstone acknowledging that there is a forgotten group of individuals in Madison County.
To see that Redstone values the work we do and wants to be a part of making that difference means so much to me.”
Robin Kramer
Check out more of the incredible community members featured by Redstone Federal Credit Union in their Community Champions series.
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