Johanna’s Hope empowers people with all abilities to facilitate social connections and create accessible environments to explore the arts and nature at Jo’s Farm and in the local community.
Jo's Story of Hope
History
Johanna Benthal is a gifted young adult who was born with a rare neurological disease which causes bleeding and pressure in her brain.
Despite these challenges and the accompanying disabilities, Johanna lives a joyful and hope-filled life, surrounded by family and friends who support Jo’s endeavors to live this life with grace and purpose.
Jo expresses herself and finds purpose by creating art and by playing and singing music.
Jo has her very own art gallery in her backyard – “Jo’s Cottage” where she creates and displays her art and hangs out with her friends and family. These activities fuel Jo’s desire to inspire others to find their own passion to create art.
In addition to these artistic pursuits, Jo loves to connect with animals and nature.
During the pandemic, we added chickens, goats, and bees! And Jo’s Farm was born!
In 2021, we started inviting friends in our local community to visit Jo’s Farm to connect with nature, discover art, and inspire HOPE.
Jo continues to share her farm and her art with others in our local community to bring joy and inspire HOPE.
Objectives & Purpose
The specific objectives and purposes of Johanna’s Hope are:
- to create beautiful art through “Arts on Jo’s Farm” workshops
- to provide access for people with all abilities to nature, gardening, and farm life
- to connect people with all abilities and their families to local communities to increase awareness, support entrepreneurial pursuits, cultivate compassion, and share resources
- to support people with all abilities and family caregivers by providing respite workshops and retreats
- to advocate for the needs of people with all abilities and caregivers in healthcare settings
- to inspire HOPE
Johanna’s Hope empowers people with all abilities to facilitate social connections and creates accessible environments to explore the arts and nature at Jo’s Farm and in the local community.
Fun times celebrating Halloween with friends @johannashopeinc and with our neighbors @riselifeservices! Meyer was not phased by costumes at all and truly seems to enjoy all the attention!
I think he feels like we finally understand his destiny is to be the King!😂😂🦁🦁🦁
One thing is for sure this pup loves people and is natural with special needs.
We HOPE your day and night is filled with all things happy and hallowed!♥️♥️🎃🎃🎃
Today’s the day! “Art from the Heart and Makers Market” 11am-4pm @hallockvillemuseumfarm. Art on canvases, walls, cards, rocks and more all created by diverse local artists who are passionate about their art! Baked goods, honey and more are available to purchase! Also today, free tours of Johanna’s Hope native garden, courtesy of @rewildlongisland will be available from 1-3pm. See flyer for details and address. Maps of gardens and free seeds available to share! @oneforallgifts
True colors shining through @johannashopeinc on @johannasfarm. Finishing touches done on all our art projects getting ready to show at “Art From the Heart and Makers Market” with all our friends from @oneforallgifts @hallockvillemuseumfarm Monday ,October 14th- 11am-4pm. See flyer for details.
“…if I could change the world, I’d be the sunlight in your universe..”
Jo, Laurie and I (and Meyer!) spent the morning at Legislative Breakfast sponsored by Long Island Family Support Services Advisory Council.
It truly was a morning spent shining the light on the good and the bad- what’s right and what needs to change to support people with developmental disabilities in NYS.
We met @nysopwdd Acting Commissioner Willow Baer, Legislative Director, Greg Roberts and reconnected with dear friends and tireless advocates- @jodiforny and @bobpolicastro of @angelashouseli.
All the speeches were inspiring and the connections made were important.
But by far, the speech given by Self Advocate, Kevin Christman was the most impactful.
Kevin highlighted what’s right in Ny and what needs to change, NOW before it’s too late.
His words filled with humor and candor delivered truth that landed like prophetic waves as participants responded with applause, laughter and standing ovations. Kevin is true a shining light in our disability communities and the world.
Special thanks to @jodiforny for listening to our concerns and taking the time to care. It’s nice to know we have a good neighbor in Albany fighting for people with unique abilities. Jo listened intently to @jodigiglio and clapped with one hand open and one tightly gripped saying- “That’s Jodi! Go Jodi!” Jo knows she cares.❤️
I’m inspired and tired. But we won’t stop fighting and advocating for our loved ones and shining that light!🌟🌟 We don’t walk this road alone!🌹🙏🕊️#disabilityawareness #abilitynotdisability #hopeanchorsthesoul @nyaddcares @angelashouseli @jodiforny @lafnatlife @caninecompanionslongisland
It’s been a busy few weeks at Jo’s Farm. We hosted puppy class for @caninecompanionslongisland giving pups lots of unique opportunities to socialize with goats and chickens. We practiced walking on different surfaces and ramps and even touring the camper to navigate tight spaces like champs! Our regular crew @johannashopeinc did some challenging diamond art projects . These next few weeks we are creating more art for display and sale at our upcoming Art from the Heart and Makers Market on October 14th @hallockvillemuseumfarm with all or friends from @oneforallgifts. See poster for details. #hopeanchorsthesoul #disabilityawareness #abilitynotdisability
I love your smile! 😀😀Lots of smiles to go around at our final summertime session of @johannashopeinc . We are very blessed to have @mrusso11 back again to share her wonderful gifts of theater arts with us! Dance, movement and songs made for a really fun morning with lots of smiles and HoPE! Thank you again, dear Marissa! I know your Mom dances over you from her home in heaven.🪶🪶#hopeanchorsthesoul #disabilityawareness #abilitynotdisability @maryhavenli @mrusso11 @eileenbenthal @danrusso1970 @sbenthal 😃🌞🌞
Thank you to all of our special friends, families and sponsors who came out for the 3rd Annual Fundraiser for Johanna’s Hope. We had 104 people registered and 94 came to Jo’s Farm for a beautiful evening filled with HOPE! Special thanks to Chris Kelly @promiselandapiaries for sharing his inspiring words-always sweet as his honey and Raju Rajan and @rewildlongisland for adding to the natural beauty and education here on Jo’s Farm. To all our supporters and sponsors, especially @Nancy Reyer in honor of Michael’s smile and all our friends- thank you for partnering with us in building this community of hope for people of all abilities. Thank you to our dear friend and photographer, Olivia @honor.thy for the beautiful photos! @oneforallgifts @nofopotpies @onthedocksgrill @wendysdelimattituck @lucharitos @lovelanekitchen @lombardislovelanemarket @barrowfoodhouse @talmagefarmagway @jasonsvineyard @nofodoco @santaschristmastreefarmli @riverheadracewayofficial @silversandsmotel @bogeysny @rockhillgolf @peconicbayvineyards @bedellcellars @mattitucklionsclub @sarasp531 @liz.786 @sbenthal -All of you inspire HOPE! #disabilityawareness #abilitynotdisability #hopeanchorsthesoul
Just to see Jo smile- that’s why we started Jo’s Farm. I overheard Jo telling someone as she pointed out to her farm; “My parents did ALL this, for me.”❤️ Indeed we did- taking a leap of faith to keep Jo connected to our local community as the world shut down. 2020 was a scary time for all of us, but we chose to build in faith rather than collapse in fear. A vision that started in the garden blossomed into chickens whose gift of “eggcellent eggs” connected Jo to our local community. When we started thinking about goats- I asked Jo what purpose goats would serve. Jo answered; “My farm is not a farm without goats.” So we added goats and boy was she right! Those crazy little goats keep us laughing and helped us form deeper connections with each other and to new friends we invited to our farm. Since 2021, there have been more smiles than we can count in animals and people alike, here on Jo’s Farm @johannashopeinc. All for her and for our friends and family- just to see them smile- and inspire HOPE for this crazy world. Come see for yourself on August 16th. Link in bio. #smile #hopeanchorsthesoul #abilitynotdisability #disabilityawareness
Thanks to @rewildlongisland for the gift of this native pollinator garden. Everything is growing and It’s been quite a year on Jo’s Farm!
We increased accessibility and safety for all our friends by adding a circular driveway and platform where people with motor issues can safely navigate from their vehicles into our home and Jo’s Farm. Our new circular drive left a big oval of grass that was just crying out; “Plant me!”
Thankfully our amazing friend and Vice President, @sarasp531 Sara Phillips, helped Johanna’s Hope apply for a grant from ReWild Long Island. We were chosen to receive a wonderful native pollinator garden.
The garden was designed and donated by Rewild and sorted, planted, and mulched with the help of local volunteers from Rewild, Northville Beach Civic, and our Johanna’s Hope volunteers.
As the flowers blossom, the pollinators, bees, and butterflies alike, are all flocking to Jo’s Farm. Some days, I walk outside and feel we’ve been granted a slice of heaven- where hope abounds.
The honey bees must be happy with our native pollinator garden too as we have harvested 33lbs of honey this summer- with another hopeful harvest on the way!This year’s programs have focused on all things blooming and growing, including the friendships formed in our little community here at Johanna’s Hope.
We hope that you can join us once again at our Third Annual Fundraiser for Johanna’s Hope, hosted at Jo’s Farm. Tickets include tours of the farm and garden, a full course barbecue and homemade desserts, wine, beer, seltzer and heavenly honey harvest with Master beekeeper, Chris Kelly of Promiseland Apiaries. 10 chances for amazing raffle baskets are included in the price of your tickets.
Oh! and baby goat therapy is available too - until it’s time for them to go to bed!
Discounts are available to family and professional caregivers and tickets for people with disabilities are free.
Click the link in bio for tickets!
We hope to see you soon at Jo’s Farm! #hopeanchorsthesoul #disabilityawareness #abilitynotdisability
“Life is sweet like honey!.. it’s all what you make it!” So true and a lesson I learn every time we get together with this beautiful community here at Johanna’s Hope! ❤️. This third year has been a hard beekeeping year for me- but I’ve learned so much. Mostly I’ve learned that if you build it (or plant it🌺🌼!) they- 🐝🐝🦋🦋 will come! And produce lots of 🍯🍯🍯🍯
I’m so grateful for the continued encouragement and mentorship of Chris Kelly @promiselandapiaries and the womanly wisdom of my sister beekeeper, Sara @sarasp531 who keeps me safe in and out of the hives! 🐝🐝All our hard work is paying off and is indeed sweet like honey- all 33lbs!!
Today was a 🐝autiful day of sharing the process with our community and allowing them to be the first to bottle and taste the sweetness of “Heavenly Honey from Jo’s Bees!” We will be selling a short run of honey and the rest will be included in raffle baskets at our 3rd Annual Fundraiser on August 16th! Tickets are limited to this sweet event at Jo’s Farm! #hopeanchorsthesoul #disabilityawareness #beekeeping #nativegarden #rewilding
Summer is our busiest season @johannashopeinc on Jo’s Farm. Third Annual Fundraiser tickets are now available for our August 16th event at Jo’s Farm! Space is limited! Thank you to our generous sponsors including Nancy Reyer, @mattitucklionsclub , @mother_cluckin_coops, and @promiselandapiaries who make this year’s event possible!
Link for tickets is in the bio!
#hopeanchorsthesoul #disabilityawareness @johannasfarm @eileenbenthal
🐝 inspired to HOPE! Last week we discovered a great farm craft that reused glass jars, real pressed flowers and tiny fairy lights to highlight our hopes and lift our spirits!
We loved these so much that we decided we will make more for our 3rd Annual Johanna’s Hope Fundraiser, here on Jo’s Farm! Save the date! Friday, August 16th! #disabilityawareness #abilitynotdisability #hopeanchorsthesoul @johannasfarm @eileenbenthal @promiselandapiaries @sarasp531 @sbenthal @lafnatlife @marianna_rg621 @maryhavenli
It’s taken a week to post this one because it’s still so very hard to believe she won’t be rolling into the backyard and in sparkling purple clothes and leopard prints. But last week we gathered as a community to dedicate four sections of our special @rewildlongisland native garden to our sweet friend, Tara O’Donnell, who passed away last month. Jo selected purple perennials (Tara’s favorite color) with the help of Cris Spindler @prherbfarm and we planted them at sunset. Special thanks to the special friends who donated to Tara’s garden. 🪻🪻🪻🪻🪻 The next morning, Tara’s family and our community of friends @johannashopeinc gathered to share stories about Tara and paint rocks to place in Tara’s purple perennial gardens. The goal was to support each other in our grief, to remember Tara and to create a beautiful space so Tara could look down from heaven and smile at the purple garden we planted in her honor. Whenever Tara and Johanna had a chance to perform together- they sang their favorite song- “The Climb”. No more mountains to climb, Tara, you’ve reached the top. 🪻🪻💜💜💜💜
We are so thankful for @rewildlongisland for choosing @johannashopeinc to receive a grant to plant a native pollinator garden. Their architects designed the garden, selected and purchased the plants and provided additional volunteers to help us plant! The 🕊️🕊️, 🐝🐝 and hummingbirds @johannasfarm thank you too! Thanks to all our volunteers and @maryhavenli who helped us get this garden planted and for @sunburst_landscapesllc_ for doing a great job digging up the garden to get it ready to plant! Eggcellent organic compost provided by Jo’s 🐓🐓and 🐐🐐🐐🐐!!!
#nofo #nativegardening #disabilityawareness #pollinators🐝 @sarasp531 @nan_n_ral @eileenbenthal @lafnatlife @sbenthal @promiselandapiaries
Every day is G.O.A.T. day on @johannasfarm . I love to start my day with the baby goat dance! 🐐💃
It is with deepest sorrow that we share the passing of our dear friend, Tara O’Donnell. Tara was a very good friend to Jo. They faced similar challenges and shared a love for all things sparkly purple and pink! Tara was a light in our life and in the lives of everyone who knew her from @johannashopeinc. We miss her very much. Please say a prayer especially for Tara’s family and for her friends as we say our goodbyes in these days ahead. Our HOPE will see us through. “Hope is the anchor for our souls, firm and secure. It reaches beyond the veil” (Hebrews 6:19).
@eileenbenthal @johannasfarm
@johannashopeinc and @johannasfarm is my happy place. No matter what’s going on in our lives, it’s always better with our friends. Even in the midst of struggles, we are building a community of HOPE. These friends always make each other smile.😊
My honey bee! 🐝 happy! New bees have arrived at Jo’s Farm and @hallockvillemuseumfarm . Jo really loves observing bees and hanging out with our bee keeping friends. I considered giving up on beekeeping because it’s hard work and our hives didn’t make it through this odd winter. But I couldn’t ignore Jo’s fascination with studying and caring for the bees. It’s healing to watch 🐝🐝work and study their ways. Thanks to our 🐝 friends and board members @sarasp531 and Chris Kelly @promiselandapiaries who are teaching and helping us care for our bees. We will persevere! We are looking forward to another 🐝autiful season of HOPE! #beekeeping #abilitiesnotdisabilities #disabilityawareness #hopeanchorsthesoul
@johannashopeinc is in full swing for spring! This week we met @north_fork_flower_farm to help @rewildlongisland to gather native plants for orders and deliveries. We had time for discussions with @nan_n_ral and to learn about native pollinators! Special thanks to @rewildlongisland for selecting Johanna’s Hope to receive a grant for planting a pollinator garden in the middle of our newly constructed accessible driveway. Planting day is May 16th and open to all our gardening friends to volunteer! DM me if you’re coming to help! Thanks to @north_fork_flower_farm for hosting us!#pollinatorgardens #nativegarden #rewilding @promiselandapiaries @sarasp531 @rewildlongisland @eileenbenthal @johannasfarm
Happy Easter from @johannashopeinc !🌷🌷🌷🌷
Our first day of spring celebration gave a nod to winter as we painted pinecones to create flower bouquets!
Here’s to a new season of HOPE!🌼🌷#abilitynotdisability #disabilityawareness #hopeanchorsthesoul
Happy International Down Syndrome Day to all people who show the world that an extra chromosome makes life extra special for all!
We are especially thankful to @drum_paul_4000 (aka Grand Marshal☘️☘️) for being a special part of our lives and Johanna’s Hope. Love you, Paul!
All the gold and even the ❤️. You’re welcome. #goldenretriever #futureservicedog
My newest column @riverheadlocal features @johannashopeinc and Meyer our eighth puppy- @canineorg. #smallthingsgreatlove ❤️ https://riverheadlocal.com/2024/02/18/when-small-things-can-change-the-world/?fbclid=IwAR3351heXSDLZHsU-rgmgb1UODQAGI1Yx_n85559CuEsEiaCSJe1lNTpsLc_aem_AQ5w0D4eMibo5xwx9jyKAN-8_J7TCF8UoXQIJ8pRWHOFluSVWW4V8OrfgMSBH3Z4Roc