Thursday, March 7, 2013
After the community banded together in solidarity with the nonprofit, the once imminent eviction has been postponed indefinitely.
The saga of Parkwood Farms, a therapeutic riding center for children with disabilities, has been through an emotional rollercoaster for the past few months. In November of 2012, owner Marilyn Peterson was served with an eviction notice. Fearing what she thought was inevitable, she packed up her house, boarded the horses and canceled classes until further notice. It was rough; without the farm, she and her family had no income. One of her sons is fully disabled, while another never leaves the house due to Asperger's. It was their disabilities that inspired Peterson to begin the therapeutic farm to begin with, eleven years ago. When the Snellville community found out what was happening, however, things began to change. A candlelight vigil …
Monday, December 10, 2012
With an official halt on the eviction process, the farm now has to raise a very large sum of money.
Dr. Marilyn Peterson will not be evicted from her farm - at least, not until February, 2013. The request for an emergency temporary halt on her eviction was granted last week by Gwinnett Superior Court, and she is in negotiations with her mortgage company to find a way to permanently keep her home. Currently, the bank is asking for between $150,000 to $175,000 cash. That's a pretty tall order. Despite that, the farm is operating as usual and is accepting new riders and volunteers. They have already overcome the biggest hurdle, and that was getting a meeting with the bank, according to Peterson. Peterson has been fighting the banks for over two years now. She said that she received a predatory loan in 2004, and when she refinanced it in …
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Classes resumed on Nov. 27.
Following a two-week disruption, families flocked back to Parkwood Farms, a therapeutic riding center in Snellville, on Tuesday afternoon, following the threat of imminent eviction just a few short weeks ago. Owner Marilyn Peterson issued a plea for help from the community, many of whom rallied around her in the coming days. Peterson said that she received a predatory loan in 2004. When she refinanced it in 2011, she was told that the terms would be good for "the life of the loan." "What they didn't tell me was that the 'life of the loan' was only two years," she said. Following a rally, candlelight vigil and dozens of phone calls and negotiations, the mortgage company has now agreed to negotiate the terms of her loan, although the …
Monday, November 26, 2012
Just in time for the holidays, Dr. Marilyn Peterson may get the miracle she's been hoping for.
With the verbal promise of a temporary halt on the eviction of Parkwood Farms -- through the holidays, at least -- classes at the therapy center in Snellville will resume tomorrow, Nov. 27. "We aren't going to be held hostage anymore by these proceedings," said owner Marilyn Peterson. Volunteers are signed up and ready to go, and they're looking forward to this coming year. After countless hours of phone calls, negotiations, and some admittedly bad press, Everhome Mortgage has agreed to halt the eviction process until after the holidays. On top of that, a longer term measure could be put in place on Dec. 6 through the Gwinnett County Superior Court. And the likelihood of a permanent solution is just around the corner; Dr. Marilyn …
Sunday, November 11, 2012
A rally will be held at the therapy center on Monday, Nov. 12, at 11 a.m. Donations are also being accepted.
Snellville has once again shown itself to be compassionate and caring, as you all have rallied around Dr. Marilyn Peterson and Parkwood Farms. Citizens and public officials, including Mayor Kelly Kautz and State Rep. Dar'shun Kendrick, have reached out to show their concern and offer advice. After dozens of phone calls and emails, the following action plans have been put into place by concerned citizens. First, on Monday, Nov. 12, a press conference will be held at the Farm. This is also a time for people to stop by and show their support. “These beautiful children deserve a place to go where they can interact like other children, if, just for a little while," said Renn McClintic-Doyle, who sent her son Chris to Parkwood after no one …
Monday, August 20, 2012
Local chiropractor Marilyn Peterson uses horse therapy to help special needs children. Her team will compete in this weekend's Special Olympics.
Dr. Marilyn Peterson is equal parts chiropractor, equine therapist and mother. The biological mother of three and adoptive mother of another three, she said she finds herself surrounded by children on a regular basis. Fifteen years ago come October, she received a call from a caseworker. She and her husband were already considering adoption, but they weren't quite expecting this: three children, ranging between the ages of 16 months and five years, needed a permanent home. Immediately. The call came on Thursday, and by the following Tuesday they were the children's legal guardians. The children came from a very bad situation and had their share of emotional challenges, but the youngest, at 16 months, exhibited more than the other two. …
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
A passion to help children with disabilities using equine therapy keeps Dr. Marilyn Peterson's life positively abundant.
There are some things you get worked up about, and then there are most things. Dr. Marilyn Peterson understands that; she doesn’t major in the minor stuff. What she does care about, she cares about deeply. For the past nine years providing children with equine therapy has been her mission. A chiropractor by trade, she’s had to get OK with not being able to build her practice – something she certainly wants to do – because what the children need is most important. At her Parkwood Farms Therapy Center in Snellville, Ga., Peterson and her volunteers provide special needs children multi-discipline therapy, including chiropractic and oxygen therapy. The farm was founded in 2002, and it is also where Peterson lives. It’s “the smiles on the kids…
B Darsey
12:42 am on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
I signed, I am appalled over this situation. HSBC is headquartered in London and is the 3rd LARGEST BANK IN THE WORLD! It is also the 6th largest company in the world! Talk about "David and Goliath" ! ....but you know numbers have power too. I'm trying to put this on signon.org or move on.org. It has the potential for 100,000's Of signatures. The position of the bank in the world can be used as … more ›