Greg Randall, ESMHL’s Post

Happy Birthday America from Henry and all of us at Moonlight Farms 🙂🇺🇸

Today kicks off Mental Health Awareness Month and I can’t think of a more appropriate time to launch our nonprofit website for Healing Simply. https://healingsimply.org/ We have conceptualized a different approach to mental health and this nonprofit will enable us to scale our current programs, build a therapeutic healing center, and grow drastically to have a dedicated team of professionals. Also, this is only the second website I’ve ever built and there are lots of things we want to evolve this into but this gets us off the ground. Gotta wear a lot of different hats when you’re first starting up but they say that “Embarrassment is the cost of entry. If you aren’t willing to look like a foolish beginner, you’ll never become a graceful master”.. so we will learn and continue to improve. 🤙🏻 If there are any philanthropists, individuals, or companies that would like to support our cause, please give us a look and help us get the word out so we can support more children & families here in Utah. With gratitude, -Greg

Finally being open for business and seeing our very first clients last week I've had a lot to reflect on and gratitude for the opportunity to do this work.. Who would have ever thought that a little catchphrase from my Dad would eventually evolve into a business focused on helping others and work that represents a legacy that I hope to leave behind one day. My Dad used to always say "See ya on the Moon!!" when his grandkids would be leaving their home. I never got a chance to ask him where that phrase came from or why he said it, I just figured it was him being silly with his grandkids and they would always giggle and smile when he would say it. It's created a lasting memory from something so simple and that's where Moonlight Farms name stemmed from. In 2020 when the world was in chaos, my wife and I decided to take a leap and move to a small rural town where we could live out the dreams we had discussed for over a decade. Somewhere that our kids could have a unique experience of working with & owning animals, learn the value of hard manual work, and space to feel unconfined. In June of 2020 as we sat on the front porch of an 800sqft home from 1908 (it was lovingly named the shit shack that we lived in for 18 months while our home was built) that was in such bad shape that insurance wouldn't even give us a homeowners policy on it for more than 10 months. We questioned what in the world were we thinking and what have we done... 😂 As we sat there that night, a beautiful full moon came up over the mountains and was shining down on the entire lot that we had big plans and dreams for. It was one of the most calming and comforting moments that helped reassure us that things were going to work out and be ok. That said, I've had the privilege of working for some incredible brands in my career and I know what "just" a logo can do to articulate who a brand is at their core. After a lot of searching, I'm thrilled that I found https://eqgraphics.com/ and was able to partner with Jackie who created a stunning brand logo drawn by hand for Moonlight Farms. This will be incorporated into so many aspects of what we are building and help represent who we are. I absolutely love it and couldn't be happier with the entire process from start to finish. Wish you were here to see what this is and what it will become Dad... hope ya like it

What a day….exactly one week before we open for business and start seeing our first clients in our Equine Assisted Therapy program, the Utah spring weather & wind decided to test our resilience.. I watched as years worth of work, savings, and preparation quite literally blew away. Our sweet Sammy spooked in the wind, got tangled in fence and ended up with a big piece of metal lodged in his stifle (essentially his knee). My kids and I were able to get him out of the fence and doctored (while I only have one arm from rotator and bicep surgery 🤦🏼♂️) and luckily we have the most incredible vets at Bear River Animal hospital. He was in so much pain that we couldn’t get him to load in a trailer so the vets came and performed emergency surgery at our place. It was incredible to see their expertise and skill. We are hoping he will regain full use of his joint but for now he has a drain, IV, antibiotics, and pain meds and is doing so much better thanks to their help!! Special thanks to the folks at https://lnkd.in/ggTU7Mai they are truly amazing people with a small town way of doing business and caring for their customers and animals. Its rare these days and is so appreciated. And of course Sammy is feeling better with his buddies having his back too and checking in on him😊

It may be a muddy mess right now, but our client experience area is officially under construction!! So many barns are dark, cold, and only serve very basic purposes. At Moonlight Farms LLC, we wanted to build something unique for the kids and families we serve that is warm and welcoming. Our clients have absolutely heart wrenching stories and have been through abuse that no one, let alone a child should ever have to endure. Moonlight Farms LLC, Touchstone Therapy Center, & Healing Simply, Inc is determined to be a safe and steady source for good in these children’s lives. A comfortable environment is key so that kiddos want to learn and build connection with horses and animals. Phase one of our HQ will be complete with loft, photo walls, company values displays, two horse stalls, cross-tie area, tack room, full bathroom, education center, vision/goals board, and a wood burning fireplace where parents can relax have a break as well. All in the name of learning how to forge a powerful horse & human bond which will enable these families to come closer together. 2024 is going to be an amazing year!! I’m excited to share more as we go about what we are building here, about our team, and how horses can have an incredible impact on the mental health crisis we are currently facing in the country.

A few months ago, my wife and I started a 501c3 called Healing Simply. Our charitable purpose is to create nature-based therapeutic experiences for under-resourced communities. We will do this through equine-assisted services and eco-therapy to help kids become their best both emotionally and physically. We are looking for connections that have the time and grant writing experience (rural or agricultural experience would be a huge plus) to help guide our next steps! We would like to tap into your expertise through some contract work and see if you can help us pursue funding through grants. We have amazing clients through our other business Touchstone Therapy Center and this partnership is going to be life-changing for these kids! Our vision is to help these amazing kiddos learn to build trust again, create partnerships and relationships with these incredible creatures, heal from the trauma they have experienced, and disconnect from the hectic world around us. We have spent the last two years pursuing further education in this space, building our team, acquiring land where we can host clients, and getting everything in order. We have some big goals for this crew and they are ready to help! If you or someone you know has grant writing experience, we would love to chat with you! Sincerely, Team Healing Simply: Henry, Ozzy, Sammy, and our adorable mini donkeys Dolly & Jolene 😀

I’ve had the privilege of knowing Matt for nearly 20 years. He is intelligent, caring, dedicated, and makes a work environment fun and enjoyable + is just an amazing human being 🙂 Anyone would be so lucky to have Matt on their team! Please hit him up if you have an opening!

As this semester wraps up, I wanted to say THANK YOU to Judy E. Smith , Kelli Munns , Sarah Andersen and all the incredible people at Utah State University. This has hands down been the best learning and educational experience of my life!! I’m so grateful for the love and passion you each have for this industry and the care you have for your horses and students! While I wasn’t born into the equine world, I’m so excited that I’ve found it later on in life and feel like I am made to do this work. If anyone is considering pursuing education in Animal, Dairy, and Veteranary Science, you won’t find a better group of instructors and people! On to Colorado in a few weeks for workshops and skills tests to put everything I’ve learned together for certification. 🤘🏻🤠 “There is something about the outside of a horse, that is good for the inside of a man” -Winston Churchill

Any creative design folks out there that would like to help me out with some logo work? Moonlight Farms LLC is a start up business that will be providing Equine Assisted Therapy for kids and families here in Utah in partnership with our other business Touchstone Therapy Center. We have our business model, values, and a lot of other cool things in place already for Moonlight Farms but I’d love to partner up with someone on a badass logo design. Not a ton of budget to work with as we are still getting up and going but anyone willing to help would be appreciated!! Thanks in advance 🤠