10/22/2026
Some companies do more than show up to do a job. They show up because they believe in a dream and the heart behind it. And today, I want to recognize two amazing local companies that are helping us make a dream come true for our community.
Four years ago, after we lost our daughter Cassie Jo, the dream of Cassie’s Care Farm began to take shape.
Cassie lived two short years, and they were filled with so many medical challenges. She was vent dependent, unable to smile or regulate her own body temperature because of her severe brain damage. She also battled chronic diabetes and seizures. Our life was often isolating because even something as simple as going out as a family could be incredibly difficult.
Through that journey, I learned just how much families need a place to escape to when life feels overwhelming. Somewhere they can breathe, find a little peace, and just be.
We were blessed to have 25 acres and our animals to call our own sanctuary. But I knew not every family had that. I knew there were other parents walking a similar road, carrying burdens most people would never understand.
Our horses had already helped bring healing to children who came into our family through foster care and who faced their own overwhelming medical needs. I saw firsthand what happens when animals and children come together in a world that can sometimes feel so broken.
After Cassie passed away, I knew I wanted to honor her life by creating that same kind of safe place for others. A place where our rescued horses and farm animals could be part of the healing, and where families could come without expectations, without pressure, and without having to explain what they were going through.
That is the heart behind Cassie’s Care Farm.
And today, I want to give a huge thank you to two companies who have stepped up to help us make this dream a reality.
David Gilmer and his crew have been working hard on clearing our back acreage and helping us move toward making this vision possible.
Now, Blake Pender with Pender Pro Fence and Stain has volunteered his time to work alongside David and help us get fencing in place for the back extension. This will allow us to begin moving more of our animals back as we continue clearing the property and building toward what we have envisioned for so long.
Imagine walking through the back acreage, surrounded by towering trees that have stood for more than 40 years, hearing the sound of a running creek, and having a quiet place to just breathe. No traffic, no constant noise, no expectations. Just peace, nature, and animals.
That is what we are working toward.
That peace has carried me through some of the hardest seasons of my own life. My hope is that by honoring Cassie Jo, we can offer even a little of that peace to another family who desperately needs it.
From our complex medical children and their families to anyone in our community who needs a quiet place to escape for a while, this dream is about so much more than a farm. It is about people, animals, healing, and making sure others know they are not alone.
So please help me show some love to David Gilmer and his crew, and Blake Pender with Pender Pro Fence and Stain.
It is not every day you find people who are willing to give their time, skills, and hard work to help make someone else’s dream come true. I am beyond thankful that they see the heart behind this project and are helping us build something that will benefit our community for years to come.
And as you see the work these companies are doing for us, I hope you will consider supporting their businesses, sharing their names, and recommending them to others. These are local businesses with families of their own to support, and when people step up for our community, I believe we should step up for them, too.
This is how we build a village. We support one another, we show up when we can, and we help turn dreams into something real.
Thank you, David and Blake, for helping us honor our daughter and build a place where healing can happen, one family and one animal at a time.
Cassie Jo, this is for you. And I hope that through you, we can bring a little more peace into this world.
Please share this post and help us give these amazing local businesses the recognition they deserve.
Blake Pender with Pender Pro
David Gilmer with Gilmer Farms
