Listen as Tim and Damion Navarro talk about finding significance through service in Retirement.
Transcript for Episode 7 of the Retirement Readiness Podcast: Finding Significance Through Service
Tim Regan (0:09)
Welcome to this episode of the Retirement Readiness podcast. Today we are here on Navarro Farm. Joining me is Damion Navarro, where hopefully today we’re going to talk a little bit about how we find significance in service. So Damion, thanks for hosting us. Thanks for joining us. Tell us a little bit about the Navarro Farm story.
Damion Navarro (0:28)
Sure, sure. Well, Tim, thank you for coming over here and interviewing us and wanting to find out about Navarro Farm. Well, where do I start? Well, I guess I start with, this farm was actually never considered to be a farm for individuals with special needs, which it is today.
Tim Regan (0:45)
Individuals with special needs. A lot of times when people hear special needs, they think of just kids, and so you’re this isn’t kids only, right?
Damion Navarro (0:54)
No, it’s individuals at all ages. So when we started this, we realized once we started getting exposed to the need that was really out there. We realized it didn’t affect just some people. I have a son with Down syndrome. So he’s 18 years old. Originally we only thought of that demographic. But once we opened our doors, and people started finding out what we were about, we had people from all ages. And then we found out that there’s a group that’s forgotten about, and it’s after transition. People in their 20s after high school. They really didn’t have an outlet besides a rec center, which is a great place for them. But you’re limited with only one outlet. So we realize that we can be an outlet in so many facets to people of all ages, and just knowing there’s individuals at home that don’t have that outlet that are in their 20s 30s 40s and 50s. Knowing that they can have a sense of purpose and accomplishment here, we open it up to all ages for that reason. So yes, it’s not just kids.
Tim Regan (1:51)
So when you talk about the outlet, and we hear “Navarro Farm,” what is that? What am I doing if I show up here? And I’ve got somebody I know that needs that outlet? You know, tell me, what are they doing? Tell me the story.
Damion Navarro (2:03)
Okay, so again, we did not have a plan initially. So let me start from the beginning because it kind of builds it all together. We initially ran across this property, I have an environmental firm right down the road, called NES Environmental, and we do asbestos lead demolition. We were looking to acquire property to help our expansion and growth of our business already. We bought a building three years ago, we kept on expanding, and we were doing a lot of large demolition projects. But we didn’t have a place to house all our equipment. So we were looking for a place to either purchase warehousing, which we couldn’t find any nearby. But then we decided to buy maybe some farmland, pay lower in taxes, and then put some pole barns up and put our demo equipment in there. And now, we came across this piece of property and we were extremely blessed to do so. And our intent when we purchased the property in October 2020 was to put pole barns up and put our equipment in there and then rent the rest of the remainder of the land that was already a soybean and cornfield to the farmer that was cropping.
Well, much to our surprise, when we were showing the property to a good friend of ours who was a chair of Special Olympics, she said, “It’s a shame you’re going to rent this to a farmer, when we could be teaching our individuals with special needs or different abilities to learn how to farm.” Well, we dismissed that because we didn’t know anything about farming. What were we going to do? So every night before my wife and I go to bed, we pray, we recap the day, or we argue. Really funny. We felt like God kept on bringing this up to us, the idea of farming for special needs, but we knew nothing about it. We decided March of last year to pivot because we really felt God was planting a seed in our life. And it was important that we watered it.
So, at that point in our life, we decided to change the whole purpose of this property. And we started a farm for individuals with different abilities or special needs, whatever you want to call it. And it’s been beyond our expectations of what we do. So, to answer your question in regards to what can you expect when you come out here, again, we didn’t have this plan. But we did create a farmer program where individuals sign up during the summer months, and we have volunteers that come out and work with them. We have individuals that are well versed in the field of agriculture and gardening. And we go out there and we teach individuals how to garden and crop and maintain animals.
We have goats, we have chickens, we have rabbits, we have bees, we have 30,000 bees. So all of this is really to teach individuals where our food comes from. We’re teaching them healthy choices, healthy food, healthy life, and we’re giving them a sense of purpose. Now we never realized that planting seeds in people’s lives and in the ground was going to be so beneficial that we’re all receiving a harvest and I don’t mean to get really scriptural on it, but it really is. We’re planting seeds in people’s lives and they have a sense of accomplishment and and just a sense of purpose that we never knew would actually flourish. But that’s awesome. That’s really what you expect when you come out.
Tim Regan (5:05)
Yeah, that’s really cool. Well, and I hope you did wasn’t too much of a spoiler alert, we’re gonna have Katie, my normal co-host, she’s gonna do some behind the scenes. And so I think she’s got an interview coming up with your dog, potentially. I think that’s scheduled here.
So tell us a little bit about when, when individuals come here, what kind of stuff are they doing? So you talk about planting and harvesting and stuff. So, what are some of the things that people do?
Damion Navarro (5:28)
So what we realized too, is parents with a child with different abilities, that they don’t have much of an outlet. Okay, so typically a child with special needs or given abilities, they don’t get phone calls like other kids do, or individuals, saying, “Hey, let’s go to a football game.” “Let’s go to the mall.” “Today, let’s go shopping.” “Hey, let’s go to Culver’s.” That usually doesn’t exist. You know, it’s a rarity. It’s usually parents spearheading that, or trying to make that happen.
So besides planting and harvesting, and teaching them agriculture, we have outlets. In regards to events, we have events all the time. This weekend, we’re going to have a professional wrestling team come out called NWA. And they’re going to be on the patio with a wrestling ring, interacting with our individuals and the community. And having pro wrestling matches here on the farm. That’s just one of the many things we do.
We had an appreciation barbecue. And these are all inclusive events that we have. So we’re creating an outlet for individuals, that normally isn’t there a place where people could come come congregate, develop friendships, forge friendships that are hopefully everlasting. We have a lot of school districts come out here that interact with our individuals, so that we teach them that it’s not as as uncomfortable as you think it is to interact with an individual that has different needs or different abilities. It’s been an eye opener for many school districts where right now I have a list of 14 different school districts that are coming out and being part of the farm and growth and what we have. And we encourage individuals that don’t have different abilities. You know, we all are different, right?
Tim Regan (7:04)
Everybody knows that I am, that’s for sure. Anybody that knows me, at least.
Damion Navarro (7:08)
So we’re encouraging, you know. We just had Sandburg soccer team come out. They did a fundraiser for us. They interacted with our individuals. And it’s such a blessing because they come, and the individual that used to not interacting with an individual with special needs, because they’ve never been exposed to that, right, we’re usually uncomfortable with what we don’t know. So we’re putting them in situations where they do become more comfortable, and we educate them and just talk to them like a normal friend. And we see these friendships already forged. And we see the individuals that were only supposed to be here half hour, end up staying multiple hours just interacting with them. So we have a lot of activities in that form. So it’s exciting. It’s fun. And we’re always doing something different.
Tim Regan (7:51)
Yeah. So give me a sense, then, for the folks who to watch our show. They’re kind of near retirement age, maybe in retirement. Are there ways that they can plug in and help out around here? What’s that look like?
Damion Navarro (8:03)
That is a great question. So we have traction now. We have individuals that are retired, and they’re looking for a sense of purpose. They’re looking for an outlet, or looking for an area to give back. And luckily, we’re starting to get people that are aware of us what we do and where we’re at and our cause. And they’re starting to come out. So there’s volunteer opportunities out here. We encourage individuals or people that are nearing retirement or are retired to come out here. And if you want a sense of purpose, you want a sense of gratification of just spending time with someone, you have that here at the farm. Because there’s nothing better than the audience that we have here. An audience that doesn’t judge and isn’t jealous. There’s no envy, nothing. And there’s just appreciation for someone to spend time with. Yeah. So we have opportunities there. You can go on our website, navarrofarm.org, and there’s a volunteer form that you can fill out and we’d love to invite everyone to come out.
Tim Regan (9:01)
Well, I know that it was fun for us. We were fortunate. As an office, we came up this summertime, which is the first time, I think I mentioned, we were able to come out and plant some corn and stuff. I won’t say sunflowers because they didn’t actually grow. Maybe I won’t list all the things we planned exactly how much of it it came up or not. But for us, it was a blast. And so, tell us a little bit about what happens with the stuff that you’re planting? The produce and that kind of stuff. What happens with all that?
Damion Navarro (9:28)
Okay, so that’s a loaded question. So we realize every time we get involved in something, we’re trying to find a purpose for it, right? Whether it be the individuals that participate here or outlets that need it. So with our produce, we yield maybe a couple thousand pounds of produce because we have the largest raised bed garden in the state of Illinois and I think multiple states around it.
Tim Regan (9:48)
So “raised bed”… what does that mean?
Damion Navarro (9:50)
A raised bed is not directly into the ground. It’s a raised bed out of wood, and so we have it to where it’s at ergonomically feasible levels. For individuals maybe that are up there in years or with disabilities that they could come up with a wheelchair and access, touch, feel, and smell what they’re planting. They can directly interact with it. Whereas conventional farming, it’s harder to interact with what you’re planting. So we opted with the route of raised beds. So with what we yield from our beds, we do multiple things. We have “dirt to dish” dinners here. So we’re teaching individuals the importance of God’s given us this stuff, from the ground and it’s healthy. And there’s a purpose why he’s done that, to eat it. And we have two executive chefs that come here.
Tim Regan (10:35)
So, “dirt to dish”… When I was here, and we were planting, there were some grubs that were very small. Is that the dirt?
Damion Navarro (10:45)
No, no. We have chefs that come out to help us. One is Jay Ruff, and Matt from Cultivate, a local business downtown. Great restaurant. But Jay Ruff is very tied into our farm. He’s a regenerative farmer as well, who owns Tigerlily’s Farm Adventure. And he has really held our hand. You know, it’s interesting where God’s put a lot of great people in our paths to help us hold our hand through this. That’s why anyone out there who knows what they’re doing, please come on out! We always need our hand held. We can always use help. But he’s an executive chef and has been for many years. And so he comes out here and teaches us all the great and creative things that we could be doing. And he works with our participants. We had a gala and he cooked for 300 people. And it was individuals with special needs or different abilities, working with him, preparing all the food. And it’s just that sense of purpose and accomplishment and that life skills that people will enjoy.
Tim Regan (11:41)
If I remember right, some of the stuff that you grow… you’ve got a farmers market. People can come out and buy stuff. How do the people help support that?
Damion Navarro (11:53)
So with what we grow, and I’m sorry, I got off track. With what we yield, we sell it…
Tim Regan (11:58)
I thought you stayed on track so far. You’re doing good!
Damion Navarro (12:02)
Thanks, Tim! So what we what we grow here, we do sell. And then we are a we are a 501(c)(3). We’re a not-for-profit organization. But what we do is we rely on what we grow, and what we sell and donors to generate revenue. We are also a non-profit that does not collect any donations or anything that comes in. Staff does not get paid anything through that. They get paid through our company. So we want to make sure everyone’s donations go to the farmers and to the farm direct. But through that, that’s why we sell our produce. We had a farmers market. Unfortunately, we just stopped doing that this past Saturday. We do have pop-ups downstairs, but we’ll sell our produce there. And then what produce we don’t use we realize that there’s greater needs outside of just our farm and selling to raise money for the farm, that we give to food pantries. So we tied in the three church food pantries, and we tied into our local Frankfort food pantry. And we want to be able to make sure that we’re serving other people, not just ourselves, and the farm. So we found an outlet through that.
Tim Regan (13:05)
Awesome. And so when people come in, and they’re trying to learn how to farm, if I’m gonna volunteer here, do I need to know how to farm?
Damion Navarro (13:13)
No, no. Because quite honestly, me and my wife knew nothing of farming. And we just put this in God’s hands. And he figures it out for us. But we do have staff here now that will teach you how to farm. So they will hold your hand as well, too.
Tim Regan (13:30)
Awesome. And so give me a story, if you would, around how you ended up with the going from the environmental business into Navarro Farm? I know you mentioned your son and you’ve got Carter’s Corner. Tell us a little bit of the story around, you know, what’s the passion? Why this kind of ministry?
Damion Navarro (13:48)
Oh, okay. So a loaded question again. And hopefully I don’t get too long-winded, but it really starts with my family motto. And our family motto is we want to be an example to our children, first and foremost, and then the community. And it’s, “Don’t worry about what other people do. Focus on what you could be doing.” And that’s what really drives us is to teach our children and to teach the people involved in our lives that if there is a need, fill the need. And there’s a need we found out through, you know, people planting a seed in our life again, back to that. There’s a need so desperately bad within this community. They need an outlet. Not only do they need an outlet, but they need housing, they need other opportunities, and we could be a catalyst to create that, and we’re doing what we feel needs to be done. So we’re being an example. More importantly, let’s not worry about what’s going on. Let’s focus on what we could change. You know what we could do for the better of people?
Tim Regan (14:48)
Awesome. And for those of you that can’t see camera angle, we’re in an old barn. Didn’t you say it was the oldest horse barn, and you were gonna tear it down, but then you said “No, we’re not going to tear it down.”
Damion Navarro (15:04)
Yes. So this this barn itself was hit by a tornado a week before we took possession of the property. So what occupied the upstairs area of where we’re at right now were 20 raccoons that were pretty aggressive. And they didn’t want us to come up here. But we were gonna knock down the barn because I didn’t know anything about the barn.
Tim Regan (15:21)
Which I’ve got to stop you, one second. Are those some of the previous occupants?
Damion Navarro (15:24)
Those are two of them!
Tim Regan (15:26)
Sitting over there, off camera, there’s a couple of taxidermy raccoons that are kind of posed in a funny spot. That’s pretty cool. So go ahead, you were going to knock it down…
Damion Navarro (15:37)
So we were gonna knock it down, because, again, it was horse stalls. It was dilapidated. And then we had another farmer that we work with, again, God putting people in our lives, which is awesome. He said, “You know what? I have a barn in Wisconsin. I can save this barn for you.” I’m like, “Oh, I don’t know about that.” So we got some tractors out here. And we pulled it kind of upright, redid the footings. And it became a passion of love, you know. And then we made this a beautiful facility where we host their dinners and events. And we were able to use this as our centerpiece of the farm. So we’re blessed to have it.
Tim Regan (16:11)
Yeah, it’s outstanding. And so if you’re ever wanting to take your kids somewhere and throw them where the tallest point in Will County is, this is the place! So like all kinds of reasons step by during the Navarro Farm. So thank you for letting us be here and for hosting us today. Look for next episodes coming up. We’ll be at Orangetheory Fitness. We’ll be out at Smith Crossing. And look for Katie. I think she’s got an interview I said with a dog coming up. Until we talk to you guys again, we hope you live your life with confidence. And we look forward to seeing you soon. Be well. Thank you.
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