SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — On Dialton Road rests a small farm consisting of a chicken house, goat barn, large vegetable garden and a tiny two-story farmhouse.

This farm is more than just another picturesque setting in Clark County. This is On-The-Rise (OTR) farm, where a uniquely structured farm program exists to serve youth ages 10-18 who have behavioral or social issues.

Spearheading up this farm is program director and founder Debbie McCullough. McCullough and her co-partner, Cathy Tofstad, launched this program in 2002 to help kids build their self-image, try new things and learn the value of care and hard work. Both were successful realtors before founding OTR. McCullough also wanted a return to her farm roots.

 “Our hearts were not into real estate. Also, I came from a home that had difficulty and that’s how I came up with OTR,” McCullough said.

 Tofstad died in July, leaving the responsibilities to Debbie and her husband, Ed, an OTR youth van driver.

 Most of the children have problems with behavior or social skills and many come to McCullough after referrals from area schools or Clark County Juvenile Court. McCullough reaches out to offer hope by offering the kids a focus on life, social and employment skills. 

 “We embrace diversity within our program through the inclusion of individuals from all cultures, racial identities, gender identities and social economic backgrounds,” McCullough said. “We create an enhanced environment and culture, with a sense of family and community to ensure that we meet the needs of each individual that we serve.”

McCullough’s 501(c)(3) non-profit program, which receives funding from Job & Family Services as well as grants, has a 75 percent success rate. 

 According to McCullough, the program provides real life, experimental learning opportunities year-round to instill responsibility, work ethic, social growth, sustainable living, respect, teamwork and accountability. McCullough strives to help students recognize the resilience within themselves and that they are capable of anything they put their mind to.

 “The kids come with so much baggage. We just have to offer a lot of love and our hearts have to be open to these kids,” McCullough said. “When entering the program, each student identifies areas to improve on for their specific needs. As a team, we provide support and work together to help them achieve these goals.”

 McCullough has two vans on the premise, one to pick up the 15 students and another for use with field trips and the teen program. Up to 15 boys and 15 girls participate in this program each week. 

 On Saturdays, students have the chance to work at the farmers market in Springfield, selling brown eggs, goat meat and chicken products. Students of all ages learn social skills, business skills and earn a paycheck for their work. The older children learn about banking, money management, life style choices, nutrition, basic cooking, social media safety, employment skills and mental health awareness.

 Students work in the kitchen, creating balanced meals, utilizing the USDA-sponsored MyPlate app.

McCullough has all her kids eat at the table, with forks and knives in their hands and napkins folded neatly on their laps. After dinner each student talks about the day they had in school, or problems they had at home. It’s a small thing, but McCullough said it makes a big difference to kids who might not get that family dinner experience anywhere else.

 “I do love having the kids on the farm,” she said. “This farm doesn’t work without the children.”

 After a small dinner or snack, students take to the barns to tend to the goats, chickens and gather the eggs. In the spring and summer there’s work in the garden to do.

 “Through raising goats and chickens, our students gain many employable skills such as responsibility and work ethic,” McCullough said. “The students learn how to care for the animals through their lifespan, how to feed and groom them, and how to administer medical care when necessary.”

 Next to the chicken coop is McCullough’s large garden, where her kids plant fruits and vegetables to eat at their nightly dinners and sell at their local farmer’s market. Her group is the longest participating member at the local farmers market in Springfield.

 After school lets in the spring, students get one week off from the program and then the summer program begins. The summer at OTR is filled with educational and fun field trips, summer market and garden harvest. 

After more than 22 years of operation, McCullough is seeing some of the kids they helped come back to visit or work on the farm.

 Madi Donnelly, 24, and Ty Enoch, 25, were once participants in the On-The-Rise program and now work with McCullough. Both may soon take the reins of OTR when McCullough retires. Right now Madi is the farm’s office manager and youth assistant. Ty is a youth assistant.

 “I’m not leaving yet,” McCullough says, “but I can’t do this forever.”

 OTR has caught the attention of many, including Mike Rowe, the television host and narrator best known on his work on the Discovery Channel series Dirty Jobs.

 In 2017, a video feature on the OTR farm went viral after a Facebook web series came to surprise those at OTR. The American reality web television series, Returning the Favor, appeared on Facebook Watch that year. The show chronicles the travels of Mike Rowe through the U.S. in search of people who give back to their communities. The show’s motto is “Because one good turn deserves another.”