Whispering Hope Ranch, a 47-acre ranch housing more than 100 animals, was recently purchased by (Whispering Hope Ranch Foundation, which has partnered with 12 Valley nonprofit organizations – established in 2000 specifically for this purpose, says Denise Resnik, foundation board member, and president of The Southwest Autism Research Center (SARC).

Each of the nonprofits involved now runs its own camp program at rented sites that lack adequate facilities for children with special needs

“I currently rent a week at Camp Charles Pearlstein (in Prescott),” says Michael Rosenthal, foundation secretary and executive director of the Hemophilia Association. “It has been a wonderful experience, but the camp was not designed for kids with chronic illnesses or medical needs.”

He cites the 14 steps leading up to the infirmary door as an example.

Since the rental facilities run their own summer programs, availability has also been a problem, Rosenthal says.

The new camp (at Whispering Hope) will be available throughout the summer. “We’ll be able to bring more kids and serve more people,” he says.

Finances are also a consideration. Renting a facility costs $40,000-$50,000 per week, plus programming, food and staff expenses, Resnik says.

“Economically it made sense that we come together to create a facility that accommodates our unique needs,” she says.

The nonprofits will continue to fund their separate programs but expect to save thousands of dollars in rent each year.

The foundation bought the property “way below market value,” at $1.15 million, Resnik says. The purchase includes property improvements and assets, a guesthouse, vehicles, computers, furniture and bank account, Rosenthal adds.

An anonymous donor provided a $1.15 million interest-free loan to the foundation to enable the purchase and will act as trustee until the foundation raises the funds needed to buy the land outright.

To do so, plans for a capital campaign are underway.

The foundation also received $150,000 in seed capital from Jonah Shacknai, founder and CEO of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. and vice chairman of Whispering Hope Ranch Foundation. The funds will help pay for ranch upkeep.

Shacknai has volunteered at the SARC camp – for children with autism and their families – held at the ranch for the past two years.

“It’s a great opportunity to help kids who ordinarily would not be able to enjoy a normal camping experience because of their medical or economic issues,” Shacknai says.

Foundation board members stress the importance of camp for the children.

 “Chronic illness robs kids of childhood because they deal with adult issues,” says Rosenthal. Camp experiences “build character and build strength and build initiative. (It teaches) that they can accomplish, they can overcome.”

Adds Shacknai, “For kids who have these challenges, a week or two of great fun during the summer and the chance to be a little more typical can be a memory that lasts for an entire lifetime.”

Whispering Hope Ranch was founded in 1998 by Diane Reid as a place to (bring special needs people and animals together for healing). The ranch now has more than 100 animals that have been hurt, lost their caregiver or have a physical problem. They include a cow saved from a slaughterhouse, a deer blind in one eye, emus from a closed bird farm and an abandoned potbelly pig. Other animals include horses, turkeys, dogs, cats, burros, bunnies, llamas, goats and sheep.

“An important component of the camping experience is the human-animal connection, where these kids…will be loved and accepted unconditionally by these many animals at the camp,” Shacknai says.

“There’s a great deal of literature that suggests very strongly the significant benefits and functionality when animal-assisted therapy is utilized.”

Ranch users include the Navajo Health Foundation, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, nursing homes, high-risk children and developmentally disable adults and children.

Reid will continue to operate the ranch as a volunteer and serve on the foundation board. The ranch will continue to welcome visitors, except during camp and retreat sessions.

The foundation’s next step is designing the camp. The foundation is working in collaboration with the Arizona State University School of Architecture to upgrade and adapt the facility.

The ranch currently has a ranch house, a log cabin guesthouse, a barn, a riding arena and three large teepees where volunteers of campers can sleep. The grounds include a large meadow, a small creek, a spring-fed pond and 17 antique fruit trees. New lodging accommodations, a dining hall, a main lodge and a state-of-the-art medical facility are being planned.

“We get to start from scratch in many areas,” Rosenthal says.

In preliminary discussions regarding the design, foundation board members are addressing the needs of the children served by their agency. For example, although a pool would be very beneficial for children with hemophilia, children with epilepsy could not use it. Placement and visibility of the pool depends on these considerations.

“Through these kind of interactions, we’re going to build probably the most universally accessible structure in Arizona,” Rosenthal says.

“The camp will be fully outfitted to accommodate any medical needs of the groups,” Shacknai says. “That provides a special environment where parents can feel safe in sending their kids.”

Activities and some programming will begin this summer, and the ranch is projected to be fully operational by summer 2005.

“I hope that there will be an outpouring of support, both financially and with volunteers from the community, especially the Jewish community, which traditionally has been very supportive of such causes,” Shacknai says.

“It’s a great chance to do something terrific for kids who have enormous challenges in life that most of us with typical children just can’t even imagine unless we’re exposed to it.”

The organizations involved are AIDS Project Arizona; Arizona Kidney Foundation; Arizona Spina Bifida Association; Camp Paz, a camp for grieving children; Craniofacial Foundation of Arizona; Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America; Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona; Foundation for Blind Children; Hemophilia Association; and SARC.