Laurie's Farm Needs Chickens
Donation protected
For those who don't want the long story, here's the quick version.
Laurie, our younger brother was in a horrific car accident 2 years ago. He wasn't expected to survive, but he did. He didn't chose a path of self pity or to ask "why me", he just showed incredible willpower, and resilience, and in his year of recovery at hospital/home he started a business selling chicken eggs to cafes.
Like Laurie, the business has gone from strength to strength, and he was excitedly making plans to expand operations to another 100 chickens by saving his hard earnt money from selling the eggs. Except a fox massacare, while he was at the Royal Easter Show talking to chicken farmers about how he is saving to buy more chickens, saw his whole business/ and source of income decimated.
To get him back on his feet, I thought if a few of us could sponsor the cost of a new baby chicken at $10 each, it could help him get back on his feet.
For those who prefer the detail, or want the story in pictures, here's both the long version and some pictures below.
Airlifted to the Children's Hospital. Not Expected to Survive.
I'll start with how his business, Laurie's Farm came to be. Laurie's Farm started after Laurie was in a very bad car accident. Four days into the start of Term 1 of Year 8, Laurie was in a horrific car accident with his mum on the way home from school.
He was airlifted from the crash site straight to Westmead Children's Hospital and rushed into neurosurgery to alleviate the swelling on his brain. His family was told that he might not make it through surgery that night. But he did.
Then he went to Intensive Care for a week. Again we were told to expect the worst. But he pulled through.
He was dubbed 'The Miracle Kid' by the Head of Intensive Care. Everyone was in awe of his humour, his resilience, his attitude and how much he rocked his recovery. Here's a photo of Laurie from Intensive Care.
Unable to attend school for a year because of his recovery, he started a business
Whilst recovering at home in that lonely year, Laurie brought 20 chickens and then he started selling his eggs to local cafes, under the name 'Laurie's Farm'. And then knowing better than most, that life is precious and you only get one chance, he thought it was time to up the ante, and expanded to 100 chickens.
And you know how all great businesses often say you have to be passionate and it will show and you'll be rewarded for your passion? Well hand over heart, I've never met someone more passionate about their business, or chickens for that matter, than Laurie. He wants to expand operations again, as simply put, he can't keep up with demand.
The cafes he supplies to wants to double their orders, the organic shops he supplies to wants to do the same...He's been saving all he can to try and buy another 100 chickens to be able to meet the demand.
Great Day Out At the Show. Only to come home to a fox massacre.
As part of his love for all things farming, on Easter Monday, Laurie and Mum and Dad went on a big family excursion to the Royal Easter Show in Sydney. I asked Laurie why he was going with Mum and Dad, and not his friends, but he explained that this was a business excursion and he needed to take the full day to meet with other farmers etc.
In the cruelest of fates, while Laurie was meeting with other farmers and excitely hatching plans about how we might able to buy more baby chicks to expand his farm, a fox had crept into Laurie's fenced but free ranging chicken farm and sadly killed 85 chickens.
I can't even comprehend what a devastaing scene that would have been to return home to, 85 dead chickens. Here's just one picture he sent me.
The chickens which somehow miraciously were spared by the greedy fox, are now understadnably too traumatised to lay having just witnessed their family decimated by a fox.
Which means Laurie has lost his whole business, and the income stream which meant he could save for his plans to expand.
Can you spare $10 for a new chicken for his farm? To get him back on his feet.
The baby chickens he was planning on buying to expand are $10 each, so I thought how amazing if just a few of us could 'sponsor' a chicken as such? And get Laurie back on his feet quickly that way....
$1,000 will get Laurie back to where he was, but $2,000 will see his original expansion plans realised.
All this for the boy who got himself back on his feet and literally taught himself to walk again after a horrific car accident. Who channelled all his positivity, and his passion into a business, when it could have been so much easier to wallow in self pity and ask "why me"?
Laurie, our younger brother was in a horrific car accident 2 years ago. He wasn't expected to survive, but he did. He didn't chose a path of self pity or to ask "why me", he just showed incredible willpower, and resilience, and in his year of recovery at hospital/home he started a business selling chicken eggs to cafes.
Like Laurie, the business has gone from strength to strength, and he was excitedly making plans to expand operations to another 100 chickens by saving his hard earnt money from selling the eggs. Except a fox massacare, while he was at the Royal Easter Show talking to chicken farmers about how he is saving to buy more chickens, saw his whole business/ and source of income decimated.
To get him back on his feet, I thought if a few of us could sponsor the cost of a new baby chicken at $10 each, it could help him get back on his feet.
For those who prefer the detail, or want the story in pictures, here's both the long version and some pictures below.
Airlifted to the Children's Hospital. Not Expected to Survive.
I'll start with how his business, Laurie's Farm came to be. Laurie's Farm started after Laurie was in a very bad car accident. Four days into the start of Term 1 of Year 8, Laurie was in a horrific car accident with his mum on the way home from school.
He was airlifted from the crash site straight to Westmead Children's Hospital and rushed into neurosurgery to alleviate the swelling on his brain. His family was told that he might not make it through surgery that night. But he did.
Then he went to Intensive Care for a week. Again we were told to expect the worst. But he pulled through.
He was dubbed 'The Miracle Kid' by the Head of Intensive Care. Everyone was in awe of his humour, his resilience, his attitude and how much he rocked his recovery. Here's a photo of Laurie from Intensive Care.
Unable to attend school for a year because of his recovery, he started a business
Whilst recovering at home in that lonely year, Laurie brought 20 chickens and then he started selling his eggs to local cafes, under the name 'Laurie's Farm'. And then knowing better than most, that life is precious and you only get one chance, he thought it was time to up the ante, and expanded to 100 chickens.
And you know how all great businesses often say you have to be passionate and it will show and you'll be rewarded for your passion? Well hand over heart, I've never met someone more passionate about their business, or chickens for that matter, than Laurie. He wants to expand operations again, as simply put, he can't keep up with demand.
The cafes he supplies to wants to double their orders, the organic shops he supplies to wants to do the same...He's been saving all he can to try and buy another 100 chickens to be able to meet the demand.
Great Day Out At the Show. Only to come home to a fox massacre.
As part of his love for all things farming, on Easter Monday, Laurie and Mum and Dad went on a big family excursion to the Royal Easter Show in Sydney. I asked Laurie why he was going with Mum and Dad, and not his friends, but he explained that this was a business excursion and he needed to take the full day to meet with other farmers etc.
In the cruelest of fates, while Laurie was meeting with other farmers and excitely hatching plans about how we might able to buy more baby chicks to expand his farm, a fox had crept into Laurie's fenced but free ranging chicken farm and sadly killed 85 chickens.
I can't even comprehend what a devastaing scene that would have been to return home to, 85 dead chickens. Here's just one picture he sent me.
The chickens which somehow miraciously were spared by the greedy fox, are now understadnably too traumatised to lay having just witnessed their family decimated by a fox.
Which means Laurie has lost his whole business, and the income stream which meant he could save for his plans to expand.
Can you spare $10 for a new chicken for his farm? To get him back on his feet.
The baby chickens he was planning on buying to expand are $10 each, so I thought how amazing if just a few of us could 'sponsor' a chicken as such? And get Laurie back on his feet quickly that way....
$1,000 will get Laurie back to where he was, but $2,000 will see his original expansion plans realised.
All this for the boy who got himself back on his feet and literally taught himself to walk again after a horrific car accident. Who channelled all his positivity, and his passion into a business, when it could have been so much easier to wallow in self pity and ask "why me"?
Organizer
Grace Bowe
Organizer
Bucketty, NSW