PALATKA, Fla. - s4story -- The groundbreaking ceremony for the first home at Echo Lake Farms—a new agricultural community where foster families can raise children in a farm setting—was held Friday, Dec. 12. Hosted by Rotarians for the Development of Youth (RDY), a 501(c)(3) organization, the event gathered supporters on the first of ten planned homes, each with 11 acres, within the project's site of over 200 acres of donated land in Melrose, Fla.

"There were happy tears all around," said RDY board chair Larry Klaybor. "Reaching this milestone after nearly six years of hard work, from securing our 501(c)(3) status two years ago, to the death of Milt Starnes last year, to breaking ground this month, has been an emotional and deeply rewarding experience for everyone involved," added Klaybor. "We are especially grateful to Milt and his wife, Judy, whose generous donation of the land made Echo Lake Farms possible."

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Echo Lake Farms is the first major initiative of RDY, a nonprofit dedicated to nurturing responsible, well-rounded young people through an agricultural lifestyle rooted in community. The project is underway and will establish a one-of-a-kind agricultural foster-care community, with 10 foster homes to be built over the next decade on individual 5-acre mini-farms. Each home will offer foster children and their families a stable, nurturing environment immersed in farm life. To the best of the RDY board's knowledge, there is no other project like this in existence.

"Milt was raised on a poultry farm," said Judy Starnes. "He credited that agricultural setting—with its 5,000 chickens and the work of providing hatching eggs to large hatcheries—for instilling in him the values of responsibility, hard work, and a sense of purpose. These are qualities he hoped would help shape the futures of these foster children."

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Adding to the significance of the day, Judy closed on the sale of the home and 17 acres she and Milt had lived on—property owned by RDY—using the proceeds to further support Echo Lake Farms. In a remarkable twist of fate, the family who purchased the property had a special connection to the project, as Milt had served as guardian ad litem for the family's son.

The first home at Echo Lake Farms is dedicated to board member and donor Russ Miller and his wife, Susan, who have been involved since the project's inception and whose generosity have been instrumental in bringing this vision to life.

The $4.3 million project is designed to provide children with valuable life skills, a strong work ethic, and a sense of purpose through hands-on farming experiences, all within a supportive family setting.

RDY continues to seek funding and in-kind donations to complete construction and begin work on the next home in the Echo Lake Farms community.

Learn more: https://www.echolakefarms.com/.