A Foley-based nonprofit that provides a haven for horses and foster children needs a helping hand from the community.

Shorty’s Safe Haven founder Amber Buswell was recently notified that the farm they lease has sold and the organization must relocate by June 1, leaving little time for the search and fundraising.

The organization has launched an emergency fundraising campaign with a goal of $800,000. The funds will be used to secure a new home for the organization.

Shorty's Safe Haven Rehab and Rescue is a 5013c nonprofit that brings foster and adopted children and rescue horses together. Currently, the sanctuary is home to 27 horses utilized for equestrian therapy, along with several farm animals, dogs, cats and chickens.

Gulf Coast Media first met Buswell back in August 2022 to learn about Shorty’s and how she came to start the organization. We spoke with her again this week regarding the emergency fundraising campaign. She was on the road in Wisconsin transporting horses, one of the many ways she supports her family and organization.

Buswell just learned the farm she calls home was sold a week ago and while the news came as a shock, her volunteers and community are rallying around her. Despite the fact this move means moving her family off a property they have called home for several years, her biggest concern is continuing to serve the community.

“I want people to understand our dire need for somewhere to go, even if it’s temporary. Even if it’s a six-month or year lease or somewhere that we could just go to keep running the program,” Buswell said. “I’m trying not to have much of a hiccup with the program kids because they come out twice a week.”

Buswell is eager to locate a 10-to-20-acre farm situated south of Robertsdale that she could buy. However, due to the limited time frame, she is also considering alternative options, including open acreage. She was also clear in saying that any money raised will go into a separate account for the sole purpose of paying for a new home for the organization and making any needed improvements.

What is Shorty’s Safe Haven?

"We are a therapy and mentoring program. We will take the younger children to hopefully get a hold of their trauma at an earlier age, but the majority of our program is for the older foster kids that aren't adopted," Buswell said. "We want to teach these kids, both boys and girls, life skills like how to swing a hammer. We want to give them a purpose."

The children in the program learn about horse ownership, how to provide daily care for them and build trust. Buswell said the trust they build with the horses carries over into their everyday lives.

"Most of these kids will go in and talk to a counselor but a lot of them are not going to tell the counselor everything to get the help they need," Buswell said. "They are going to cry into these horses' necks and talk to them while they are out under the trees. That is going to be their friend and security place. Horses have a phenomenal way of helping people."

The program also offers the children a mentor, and they are taught skills that could help them in the future, including how to fix a fence and change a car tire.

"The kids that get in trouble are the bored ones with no guidance or purpose in life. That is what we want this farm to give them, just a little sense of purpose. Our motto is "where hope lives" and that is exactly what I want," Buswell said.

Along with the fundraising campaign, Buswell is also asking the community to contact her with any properties that could serve as a new home for Shorty’s Safe Haven.

Despite the challenging time, Buswell and her volunteers are committed to continuing lessons, programs and events scheduled through June 1, without interruption.

“The support so far has been amazing. I can’t even keep up with it. I’ve got message after message on my phone, text, Facebook and comments,” Buswell said. “It’s going to be fine. God has got a great plan, a better plan than I ever could have imagined and he’s protecting me from something with it.”

For more information on Shorty’s Safe Haven, visit the organization’s Facebook page.