Meagan O'Toole-Pitts
Jacksonville Daily Progress
JACKSONVILLE —
Going on vacation, eating out or even just grocery shopping can be difficult tasks for the families of children with autism, said Jeff Moore, co-founder of Elijah’s Retreat, a nonprofit Christian ranch in Jacksonville which plays host to autistic children and their families.
“Even churches have told these folks not to come back,” Moore said.
When frustrated from their inability to communicate, autistic children breakdown, he said, and public places often show intolerance.
“We wanted to reach out to families because they need rest and somewhere they could go where they’re accepted,” Moore said.
Moore’s 11-year-old grandson Elijah, who was born with autism, gave him and his late wife Kathie inspiration to create a getaway for kids with special needs and their families.
“By the time he was 2 and a half, Elijah was in speech and occupational therapy,” wrote Kathie, who died in a car accident shortly after Elijah’s Retreat opened in 2009. “His therapists taught him some sign language to begin with, so that he could at least communicate a little, letting us know if he was hungry or thirsty, or wanted more of something.
“He still spent most of the time in his own little world, but we got little glimpses of him once in a while.”
The Moores bought a 50-acre ranch in Jacksonville in 2007 and had 29 families stay at the retreat its opening year.
The retreat, which features a one-acre lake, hiking trails and barnyard animals, gives autistic children a unique opportunity enjoy the outdoors in serenity, Moore said.
Children can pet and feed miniature horses, donkeys, goats, dogs and chickens at the retreat.
“There’s a bond that takes place there. It’s amazing,” Moore said. “A lot of times, instead of the kid going out and picking out a horse, a horse will actually come to the kid.”
Kids can also play on the retreat’s playground, which features a balance beam, a sand pile, a play house, and a water slide.
“They love (the water slide),” Moore said. “They run back and forth from the sand pile to the water slide.”
Due to autistic children’s inclination toward their sense of touch, water is something they really enjoy, he said.
“They love the feel of water and they would rather sit in a big bucket full of pinto beans and run it through their hands than they would play on the swings,” Moore said.
Other adventures range from rock climbing to fishing.
Andrew Holton of Elgin, who has Asperger’s syndrome, said he enjoys fishing at Elijah’s Retreat in hopes of catching bass, perch and catfish.
“I like fishing for bass,” he said, adding that the biggest fish he ever caught was a four-pound catfish.
Elijah’s Retreat has a two-bedroom cabin, which has at its maximum capacity accommodated nine people.
Having space for multiple families to stay for a weekend is Moore’s dream that is now becoming a reality thanks to volunteers, he said.
Holton and six other volunteers from throughout Texas and Nebraska are building a second two-bedroom cabin with a deck.
“I like working on habitats and I like helping out,” Holton said, who has also volunteered for the Habitat for Humanity in Houston.
Volunteers started building the cabin on Monday and will hopefully be open in July, Moore said.
Over the next couple of years, Moore said he plans to dam the spring-fed lake to expand it to six acres and add more logging.
“Our plan is one acre per cabin and trails leading to the lake and the playground and we have room for another playground as well,” he said.
Moore has received numerous monetary donations this year that have enabled him to embark on his plan, he said, but he is still $12,000 short of completing the second cabin.
“We feel like God led us to do this,” Moore said.” We don’t have any money by any means but he has provided us with everything.”
When Kathie passed away at the start of their initiative, Moore said, continuing on without her seemed impossible.
“So many things go through your mind when something like that happens. I thought ‘I can’t do this by myself,’” he said. “But emails and letters poured in from families saying how much they loved it here and appreciated us and I knew I had to keep it going.”
For more information about Elijah’s Retreat call 903-589-0145, visit www.elijahsretreat.com or stop by at 257 County Road 3110 in Jacksonville.
