Jacob's Fund / Brandon's scholarship in the news!

Brandon with one of the many horses at McKenna Farms

We are so pleased that Jacob's Fund has again been featured in the news! Our sponsorship of Brandon for the next 12 months was featured on Dallas-HiramPatch.com. Looking forward to providing updates on Brandon throughout the year.

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DALLAS-HIRAMPATCH.COM / AUGUST 8, 2012: Jacob’s Fund, the United States program of The Red Thread Promise, announces a scholarship for local teen Brandon Cummins, providing therapeutic riding at McKenna Farms, in Dallas, Georgia, for a full year.

“We’re thrilled to announce that Jacob’s Fund will begin supporting Brandon. This is an outstanding opportunity and challenge for our donors” said Glenna Fisher, Director of Jacob’s Fund.

Jacob’s Fund was created in 2007 as a memorial following the death of Jacob Noah Beachy, three-year-old son of Josh and Sarah Beachy of Atlanta. Wishing that other children would have the experiences and growth that Jacob found at McKenna Farms, his family began sponsoring children’s therapy there.

Brandon, who is seventeen, found his forever family just two years ago. Dan and Tracy Cummins had begun to foster children after Dan saw and read of the plight of children in need of foster care. It was a carefully considered decision.

Dan, father of two boys, could not get the images of children who needed foster parents out of his mind. He was heartbroken because of the ill treatment some of them had endured, and he wanted to do something about it.

Tracy, his wife, was cautious. What would it do to the family to bring children into their home that had lived chaotic, unpredictable, sometimes painful lives?

They were asked to care for Brandon for a single weekend. He was 15 at the time.

“He was so polite, so well-behaved,” Tracy said. The polite, gentle boy impressed the family, including their two biological sons. They signed up to be his Secret Santa.

The thank-you note they received from Brandon was gracious, but he ended with “what I really want is a family.”

Within a few weeks, the teenager became eligible for adoption and their younger son said, “Well, let’s go get him.”

He’d been diagnosed with speech problems early, and had received help with speech at school for a while. Then it stopped. But Brandon’s problem didn’t go away.

Once the adoption was complete, it was time to look for speech therapy. Paulding County Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) suggested McKenna Farms, and Brandon began speech therapy in the summer of 2011, working in one of the therapy rooms at the Civil-War era farmhouse. Then, early this summer, McKenna Farms asked him to volunteer at the farm.

Working in the barn with the horses has been a turning point for this young man. Now his speech therapist comes to the barn for therapy sessions, where Brandon is happiest and at his best, surrounded by horses. Children arriving for riding appointments ask for Brandon to be their helper during therapy sessions.

“He volunteers and helps so much. The horses are helping him a lot, too. Therapeutic riding lessons will be awesome for him,” said Jessica Moore, Executive Director at McKenna Farms

Tracy, his mom, adds, “Brandon is proud of what he does. He helps others without asking anything in return. He has new confidence, and he’s learned that he can contribute. He’s thrilled to begin therapeutic riding sessions.”

Brandon’s glad to help others; now Jacob’s Fund can let him know that others want to help him, too.

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For more information on Jacob’s Fund contact: 

Glenna Fisher Jacob’s Fund Director, The Red Thread Promise 
513.309.0842 ghfisher@ameritech.net

Kathy Korge Albergate President, The Red Thread Promise 
817.320.6522 kathy@redthreadpromise.org 
20 Brookfield Ave, Glen Rock, NJ 07452 

For more information about McKenna Farms contact: 
Jessica Moore Executive Director, McKenna Farms 
3044 Due West Road, Dallas, GA 30157