After two suicide attempts and spending years battling from depression, the strong-willed survivor is ready to help others.
The Jim Marshall Farms Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, is dedicated to helping people with depressive illness. Its most urgent interest is to prevent someone from committing suicide, and to help those feeling despair to find and live a happy, productive life.
“When I finally recovered [from depression], I felt people could get better help than what I got when I was sick,” said Marshall, who graduated from Cornell University Veterinary College.
Marshall’s 84-acre working horse farm is used as a therapeutic environment to bring hurting people, animals and professionals together. The healing elements the rural setting provides incorporate the unconditional love of animals, along with Mother Nature’s magic, Marshall said.
“Depression renders you almost morose in such a way that people have no interest in you,” he added. “But animals don’t care. They have an attraction and an uncompromised love for their people, so animals help when counselors can’t.”
While visitors don’t actually ride the horses, their opportunity to bond with the animals comes through grooming them, brushing them and just spending time with them. Marshall said he encourages people facing struggle to visit the farm where they can benefit from both nature and animals.
“A lot of people have given me credit for saving their life,” he said.
Services provided
Located in Chittenango, the foundation offers various activities and events including a monthly lecture series and a “Walk and Talk” program. The “Walk and Talk” sessions utilize a walking path created for people to walk around the farm. There’s a bench every 100 yards to rest if desired. The program, open to the public, is held year round every third Sunday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. Guests can even take rides on horse drawn carriages and in addition, adaptive carts are available for people to drive or ride.
The lecture series always involve local speakers who discuss topics relevant to any cause of unhappiness. Rev. Herb Hoskins, a retired Methodist minister, is next in queue to speak at 1 p.m. Sunday Dec. 21 at the farms located at 1978 New Boston Road in Chittenango. His topic? “Look to this Day.”
Surviving on donations
The Jim Marshall Farms Foundation relies on grants and private donations to keep running: “We’re still in our infancy here but we’re hoping to survive the year,” Marshall said.
Just a few months back, Marshall said the foundation was awarded a county grant that allows any adolescent up to age 21, living in Madison County, to receive free counseling at the farm with professional counselor Kim Gerace.
And, last month, Marshall celebrated not only his 75th birthday but also the opening of the foundation’s new meeting hall which holds up to 120 people for parties such as wedding receptions and birthdays. Renters can write off a portion of their payment as a donation to the foundation – yet another way to raise funds for its cause.
“We’re trying to work with the Madison County Mental Health Department in hopes that we can provide the facility, and they can provide the paid staff,” said Marshall, who currently works with about a dozen volunteers. “Then we can survive the years.”
Marshall is the author of “Where Animals Help People,” an autobiography he wrote a few years back when he decided to go public with his illness. The book is available by calling the publisher at 877-288-4737. It’s also available at Barnes and Noble, Borders and Amazon.com.
