Wheatley Farms Volunteer Spotlight

Delee Smith joined the ranks of the growing Wheatley Farms volunteer crew after reading about our opening in Newsday this past summer. While Smith has a busy full-time work life, she shares her time and passion caring for the sixteen animals currently at Wheatley Farms! Delee took on the activities of feeding, changing out water and maintaining the living environments of the animals, rain or shine, even on the chilliest of weekend days. When asked which animal on the farm is her favorite, Delee smiled. “Well, that’s not really fair,” she said. “Each one is special in their own way.”

Volunteers are the heart of Wheatley Farms. Every Tuesday and Thursday, men and women supported through AHRC Nassau's Day Services provide interactive , informative tours of the farm, clubhouse and greenhouse. The highlight is always introducing the Farm's animal residents.

Caitlin Wilkenshoff “I love meeting and talking with people. I introduce myself, welcome the group, read the rules and then the tour begins.”

Samantha Reuben "I show the visitors around the site, give them some information on how to be safe and then I tell them about the animals and how we care for them each day."

Alex Wiegmann "We were trained on how to present the information on the various animals. We also have a little cheat sheet with the information just in case we may forget something. We were also trained to be polite, and to listen to the questions that visitors may ask so we can answer correctly and of course staff is there to help if we need some assistance.”

Tours are being scheduled for families/care managers who are interested in learning more about enrolling in AHRC Nassau's Day Services and its partnership with Wheatley Farms.

To request a tour or learn more, please complete the form at www.ahrc.org/wheatleyfarms.