Craig Moon ’76 – Physical Education
Safe Haven Farms a Community for Autistic
Wesley Thorne II ’96 was hired as the director of employer relations at Carnegie Mellon University. He also represented Otterbein at the inauguration of Saint Xavier University’s 19th president on Oct. 22, 2010.
Jim Cooney ’00 was the choreographer for a broadway number performed on an
Rob Burk ’00 (left) is the executive director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Research, Education and Economics (REE) Office based in Washington, D.C. He will serve as a senior advisor to the under secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) REE and USDA liaison to the Economics Advisory Board. He also began coaching the United States Naval Academy’s equestrian team (pictured here) in Annapolis, MD, in the summer of 2010.
episode of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, in September 2010. Erin McDonald Evans ’00 is volunteering with the
Columbus Zoo as a member of the Columbus Zoo Docents Association. She educates others about zoo and animal conservation efforts.
Melissa Gilbert, director of the Center for Community Engagement and Amy Jessen-Marshall, Dean of College Programs, were awarded $100,000 from the Association of American Colleges and Universities to implement the Five Cardinal Experiences in creating transformational experiential student journeys and to integrate engagement through service, leadership, research, internships, and global awareness. www.otterbein.edu/sponsoredprograms/grants-awarded.asp
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address • e-mail • phone send to: Alumniinfo@otterbein.edu ~ or ~ Otterbein University Institutional Advancement c/o Teri Myers 1 South Grove Street Westerville, OH 43081
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New Grant
Tara Chinn Grove ’97 began serving as the permanent chemical hygiene officer for the Otterbein campus in October 2010. She will work closely with
the dean of University Programs and the vice president of Business Affairs on maintaining and annually updating the Chemical Hygiene and Waste Management Plans for the university as well as coordinating waste management pick-up and disposal and appropriate safety training on campus.
Activities Building, which houses a sensory studio, a theater room, clinic, kitchen, break room, craft room, community room and classroom, was completed. In 2011, two more residential homes will be built, and there are also plans for an indoor swimming pool, fitness center and therapeutic horseback riding. Moon said that the farm community concept is an ideal living environment for adults with autism. “Our farmers plant, care for and consume their garden produce. There are many life skill activities caring for their homes,” he said. “The farm provides structure each day so that (the adults with autism) always know what to expect. Our hope is to reduce behaviors with exercise and structure.”
Profile
Eight years ago, Craig Moon and his wife, Melanie Costine ’77, had a dream of starting a farmstead community for adults with autism. Inspired by their daughter, Adria, who suffers from severe autism, the Moons have worked with six other founding families for the past five years to create Safe Haven Farms, a non-profit organization offering residential, day and community services for individuals on the autism spectrum, which opened on May 19, 2010, in Middletown, OH. “It is a thrill to see a concept come to life,” Moon said. “We hope to be the gold standard model for future farms to replicate in their community to benefit the kids. We would like to be an autism training center for teachers, college interns and county boards of developmental disabilities.” Safe Haven Farms is a 60-acre horse farm that provides adults with autism the opportunity to live, work and learn on the farm. In summer 2010, adults with autism began moving into the farm’s four residential homes, each housing four adults, and the