Lynn Kotrba, co-founder of Harvest Hope Farm, will be presenting at 1 Million Cups on October 28. The talk will be livestreamed through the Prairie Den’s Facebook page and will occur from 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
About Lynn
Lynn Kotrba is the co-founder and executive director of Harvest Hope Farm. She received her Master of Arts degree in counseling from University of North Dakota. She is the mother of eight children. Her favorite part about Harvest Hope Farm is that right now all of their positions are volunteer, and her hope is to be able to become full time in the business in the very near future. Lynn expands, “What makes me continue our mission is my passion to help people grow and develop themselves, especially young people. I have a passion to bring joy and hope to all who are struggling. To share the beauty of nature and all the blessings that come from it.”
About Harvest Hope Farm
Harvest Hope Farm was founded by Lynn and her husband, Jason in November of 2017. Harvest Hope Farm is all about enhancing wellness through an outdoor, hands on farm experience! It’s about kids, adults, and getting your hands dirty! Harvest Hope Farm was established to bring hope and enhance well-being for anyone who chooses to participate in the program. Lynn explains, “Through our farm camps for kids, children ages 6-13 build their life skills, social skills and leadership skills while paying it forward to others. These children raise and donate produce to families experiencing hardship in the F/M area. Preschool Llama Llama Camp teaches pre-school children about social skills and safety skills, all while working with our farm animals. Our group tours and volunteer opportunities give people of all ages the opportunity to learn about environmental stewardship and sustainable food resources while getting their hands dirty (if they choose). We also participate in medical science research using our “special” sheep. These sheep are being used in research for a treatment for Huntington’s Disease, bringing Hope to these families who suffer from HD, including my own. Additionally, our life size rosary walk gives people of all ages the opportunity to experience faith through nature.”
Harvest Hope Farm was brought about because of Lynn’s own experience with nature and healing. In 2015, Jason and Lynn bought the farm of their dreams and knew that they had to find a way to bless others with it. Lynn expands, “I was experiencing severe nerve pain and spent a lot of time walking in our forest to help me cope with pain. Several times during these walks I experienced visions of sheep and children, but not just our children, a lot of children. Understand that we had no sheep at the time and new nothing about sheep. After talking and processing these visions with Jason as well as a dear friend and now board member, Kim, Harvest Hope Farm became a reality. Through the work of several people, we were able to create our mission and officially become a non-profit in November 2017. Our first farm camps began in the summer of 2018 and we have been growing ever since.” Their mission is to “to harvest Hope in others by enhancing their physical, social, emotional and financial well-being through a hands-on farm experience and education regarding sustainable food resources and environmental stewardship”.
Event Details
Lynn Kotrba, co-founder of Harvest Hope Farm, will be highlighting their current programming and future programming they are currently developing at 1 Million Cups on October 28. The talk will be livestreamed through the Prairie Den’s Facebook page and will occur from 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Lynn thinks it’s important to speak at events like 1 Million Cups because it allows a space for feedback and knowledge to be exchanged between entrepreneurs and attendees.
If you’d like to learn more about Harvest Hope Farm you can visit their website. To follow along with what they’re doing you can like their Facebook and Instagram.
