PENNEY FARMS – Green pastures, farm work, and ranch houses may simply sound like the setting of anyone’s favorite episode of “Little House on The Prairie,” but for the kids at the Seamark Ranch, it’s just another ordinary day.

Since 2007, Seamark Ranch has been a haven for foster children in Northeast Florida, through the use of agricultural education and a structured environment, the ranch is giving foster children an experience they will never forget. In that time, Seamark has served more than 100 children with its two homes, on-campus school and extensive childcare programs.

The four acres of land, tucked away in the woods of Penney Farms is a hidden gem removed from the often cruel world that the foster children came from. It’s a perfect place for anyone to get a fresh start, especially children in need.

The property is home for numerous children and teens who are living in the foster care system. They have two large houses for each gender. Unique to other foster facilities, the kids of Seamark are treated to a normal and stable environment. They have bedrooms, do chores, go to church and have meals together in the home.

“It’s a family environment that these kids were lacking,” said Dawn Collier, community support assistant. “That doesn’t mean that these kids don’t have issues, they do because of the things that were done to them, that’s something that they also work on here.”

Most of the children come from backgrounds of poverty, sexual abuse and death. Despite their beginnings, the kids end up in the presence of people that truly want them to have a good life.

“I love doing what I do, because I love my lord Jesus,” said Allene Zvara, Seamark equestrian coordinator. “I love being out here, to be with the kids and the horses every day; it’s awesome.”

The horses are a big part of what makes the ranch so special for the visitors. That feature alone has attracted donations and volunteers to continue growth on the ranch.

Horseman Perry Hopper of Jacksonville visited Seamark on June 17 to begin planning where he will construct a new obstacle course for the horses and brought along with him a special breed of horses known as the Gypsy Vanner. These majestic horses from the United Kingdom are known for their gentle nature and obedience can potentially do a lot of good for the Seamark kids that get to ride them.

Hopper uses horses to reach out to the kids at Seamark, as well as intellectually-challenged youth in the community.

“When you see an obstacle that challenges a horse, it’s scared or skittish and the calming affect that a young child can have on the horse is awesome,” Hopper said. “As the young people grow in their horsemanship abilities then the horse grows in confidence, then as the horse grows in confidence then the child grows in confidence, you can see two minds working together.”

That mutually beneficial relationship is why Perry does what he does for children and why he supports the activities of the ranch.

“I’d love to see these kids compete locally, regionally and even nationally,” Hopper said. “The kids can do it. They have a great facility, great leaders and great horses. The only thing that’s missing is a sense of direction, that we hope to give them, with trails and obstacle challenges.”

The ranch is maintained by an array of volunteers and kept running with the assistance of community donations. The facility prides itself on not relying on government aid, so they retain complete freedom to impact the lives of its children, as they see fit. All of volunteers and donors come from different backgrounds, joined in common purpose, to serve the children of their community. One of those helping hands is the Brady Kinder Foundation.

“We are working on completing several projects for Seamark. The first project is purchasing obstacles for the Equestrian program to help train the horses. Another project is completion of their outdoor classroom and purchasing a flagpole for the school,” the Jacksonville-based foundation said in a statement. “Seamark embodies the very definition of the heartbeat of the Brady Kinder Foundation. We are passionate about finding and helping as many children as possible and humbled that we can be a part of such a great organization like Seamark.”

The support from the community is apparent from the time you enter the compound. Since the ranch opened, it has been home to a school, barns, houses, and acers of land to ride along. However, all of that is merely a backdrop for the life changing work that goes on in Seamark.

“It takes time, the kids that come here deal with a lot of baggage from their home lives. There’s no quick fix to anybody,” said Family Care Coordinator Eugene Coleman. “We just try to have enough patience to try to get the transformed into outstanding citizens, so they can be productive, as they come and go from the Ranch.”