Sunday, October 29, 2006

BY SYDNEY SCHWARTZ

Copyright © 2006 Republican-American

WARREN — Every once in a while, people actually realize their dreams. This is one story of how that happened in this small northwestern Connecticut town.

For Shawn Shackford, the dream was to settle down with a steady job after suffering from a brain injury in a car accident 14 years ago.

For Jed Struckus and Bruce Hardwick, the dream was to find a place where people like Shackford could earn a living with dignity.

For Sheryl Leach and Howard Rosenfeld, the dream was to make local farms productive again and create an outlet for healthy local produce.

So, they merged their dreams.

It all started about 10 years ago, when Warren residents Struckus and Hardwick began to fantasize about running a farm where they could employ people they serve at their agency in Litchfield called Northwest Community Living Assistance.

Struckus, a neuro-psychologist who specializes in acquired brain injury, noticed that a rundown 42-acre farm here had gone on the market and was attracting the eye of developers.

Although he didn't know his neighbors Leach and Rosenfeld, he knew of them. She had created the famous Barney the Dinosaur, and he ran a charitable foundation funded with the profits. Hearing that they were interested in preserving open space and farmland in this town of 1,300 residents, Struckus dropped a letter in their mailbox.

The couple liked the idea, and in the spring of 2004 purchased the property off Town Hill Road for a comparative bargain of $400,000. With Struckus and Hardwick in charge, they fixed up the barns and named it Renaissance Farm.

Shackford, who had bounced from factory work to menial service jobs since his 1992 accident, was hired as the first full-time employee this year.

Two part-timers were later added after the farm was stocked with 90 free-range chickens and 20 Shetland sheep, which have now started producing eggs and wool.

Meanwhile, Leach and Rosenfeld acquired an old blacksmith's shop in New Preston and renovated it into a store called The Smithy.

It is scheduled to open in November, featuring organic produce and homemade items from the Warren farm and others in the area.

"As much work as it's been, it's definitely our dream come true," Struckus, 45, said in a recent interview.

Shackford seems to be sold, too. At first, the 43-year-old Torrington resident said he wasn't sure he could handle the work, but he realized he was getting an opportunity at $7.50 an hour that may not come again.

"It took me a long time to learn things. Don't fail. Don't give up. Give yourself a chance. By the looks of things, this is where I fit in."

As egg and wool production grows, the farm plans to employ 12 more people with brain injuries. Because their memory is often impaired, Struckus said the repetitive nature of farm work is ideal for them.

They chose the farm name "renaissance" for two reasons — both for the rebirth of a farm founded in 1773 but left for years in disrepair, and the chance it has given to people like Shackford to repair their lives.

— George Krimsky contributed to this report.