Growing healthy children and families

In 2011, our founders, Daryl and Tracy Kirby made the decision to purchase 110 acres of land with the intent to build an educational outreach organization called the Kirby Family Farm. The vision was to erect an area where children of all ages could have a unique place to visit and learn about yesterday, while preparing themselves for the future. First, they rescued a historical locomotive that dates back to the late 1800’s. Lovingly restored by volunteers, that abandoned train is now the centerpiece of Kirby Family Farm giving rides to thousands of children and guests each year. As Kirby Family Farm develops, terminally ill children, special needs children, foster children as well as other at risk children continue to be a special focus of our organization. On June 23, 2014, Kirby Family Farm was granted our 501c3 status. Today we offer high quality educational, historical, recreational, agricultural, and community enrichment programs through our hands-on historical museum and agricultural experiences we provide. Kirby Family Farm is located in Williston, Fl. Family is our middle name because our goal is that everyone feels like family when they are visiting.

The programs developed uniquely use railroading, history, and agriculture to teach as much about life as their respective fields. We use the historic artifacts from our museum collection to teach about history and significant times. Our mission is to educate and assist children to get back on track, or stay on track in life through teaching, encouragement, and most of all, love. Only 20% of American youth are in an intact home today. Some of those intact homes are undesirable.

Kirby Family Farm is located in Levy County, one of Florida’s rural counties. It is well placed to help the poverty stricken youth locally, but the outreach is far greater. Just 20 minutes from 3 interstate exits, Kirby Family Farm is in the middle of nowhere, but close to everywhere! Through several connections including Hospitals, school prevention programs, guidance counselors, guardian ad litem, law enforcement, foster organizations, social workers, family members, and others the farm is host to children from all over needing help to overcome life’s challenges. One afternoon may be a small family whose terminally ill child is only allowed off medical machines for a few hours for a private visit, another afternoon it could be a picnic, train ride, and fun day on the farm for several hundred foster, at-risk, or special needs youth. Last year the farm hosted over 10,000 children and families at no cost.