Charity and Channey Goode, public school principals, purchased the land from a 6th generation Siebenthaler to cultivate their vision of bringing nature to urban children.
The mission of The DURC, a 501c3 non-profit, is to provide youth with the opportunity to escape day-to-day urban life by experiencing free educational agriculture and equestrian related activities. Kids ages 8-18 are given opportunities to work with horses and small farm animals while exploring nature, gardening, STEM learning and art activities, and 4-H skills.
Charity described how during their careers in education, they have witnessed money leaving programs that are not considered “tested areas”, including outdoor exposure. Channey, she said, always had a goal of creating a program in the city.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Channey, though raised in Dayton, grew up around horses. His Uncle Tooty — Elbert Clark — was regarded as Dayton’s first urban cowboy. He rode regularly in the Jefferson Township parade. Every Saturday, Channey joined his uncle to ride horses.
“It was my experience on his horses that produced this. We’re doing the same thing for the kids in our neighborhood.”
A vision
Channey started drawing up his vision 17 years ago.
“I’d pitch it here and there to different people, but they wanted to bus our kids out to the surrounding stables. I wanted a space where our kids can walk or ride the bus or ride their bike, verses outside of the community.”
The Goodes were living in a house across the street from the Siebenthaler property, hoping to potentially acquire a couple acres.
“Right after the tornado I pitched it to Robert (Siebenthaler) and we went walking through the property. He brought it to the Board and they came back and said they wanted to work out a deal where we had all the property,” said Channey.
The Goodes wound up with all 19 acres. Spanning either side of Catalpa Drive, the land includes the main office building, a barn utilized by two working artists, extensive trails, a chicken coop and beehives. There are 2 horses (Austin and Princess), 15 hens, 6 ducks, and a couple each of dogs and cats.
“We just had a push mower at the time!” said Charity.
They have since added a riding mower and golf cart, added new roofs to outbuildings, and built a chicken coop.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
They are in their third year of monthly Saturday programming led by volunteer fellow educators and peers, including a biology teacher and a yoga instructor.
The DURC is now connected with Central State University, facilitating their ability to become a 4-H club - the first within the city limits of Montgomery County.
“For the past two years we’ve had kids present projects at the Montgomery County Fair,” said Charity.
“They get to see how kids who look like them show animals at the fair,” continued Channey.
“Our goal has always been to diversify those things for kids that historically don’t have access to animals. If you didn’t grow up on a farm or in a rural area, that’s not necessarily something you would do other than a petting zoo,” said Charity.
What started as a place to get to know horses has turned into a learning center.
“Our beekeeper is actually my head custodian at my school. He learned about bees during Covid. He did this whole presentation for our kindergarteners, and then brought it here,” said Channey.
“The fun part for us, as educators, is cultivating curiosity,” said Charity.
“So often, kids get put into channels of things you think they can do (instead of) providing opportunities for them to figure it out for themselves. To be able to operate in your strength is so much more enjoyable.
“In the digital age, the level of curiosity about nature and slowing down creates space for quiet.
“We incorporate mindfulness every Saturday and spend time in the woods, noticing and wondering. We take time at the end to share out. They can incorporate that wherever they are.
Cultivating awareness
“When we brought kids here and they saw baby goats or chickens, the initial reaction was shock. The next month, they would pull up and go running to the animals. They are able to go and explore,” said Channey.
“The first time they went down the trails they would just run. We try to bring their awareness. We coach them on things they wouldn’t notice, and now they walk. What are we noticing in the fall verses the spring? Then we tie it to the mindfulness piece of what our bodies need and the ebb and flow of the earth and why things need to rest and what they need to grow,” said Charity.
“The ducks are a gateway to the kids feeling comfortable around the horses. If you’ve never been around an animal, you don’t know you need to be quiet — you don’t walk behind a horse or make any sudden movements. With a bird or a goat that’s smaller, you can make those mistakes and we can coach them up on it. The kids will now go over to the horses, rub their nose or give them a treat.”
Morning chores
The morning starts at 5 a.m. for Channey. He crosses the street from their Cape Cod farmhouse to tend the horses, feeding them and letting them out to graze for the day.
“When he opens the garage door in the morning, Austin will whinny, like ‘Get over here, feed me!’” said Charity.
She is up a half hour later and makes her way over to care for the chickens, who were hatched at school as a classroom project and later adopted by the couple. It wasn’t quite the plan to end up with 15 hens and 6 ducks, but here they are.
“Pecking order is a real thing,” said Charity. Suffice to say, many of the chickens are missing feathers in their posterior due to aggressive cohabitants.
Credit: Hannah Kasper
Credit: Hannah Kasper
Charity throws the chickens scratch and collects eggs, some with blue shells, making a fresh omelet for breakfast. The couple haven’t bought eggs in a year.
“I don’t tolerate stinky stuff very well. I put dried flowers in the pine shavings in the nesting boxes and I throw it in the henhouse. It also has a calming effect on the chickens.”
Serving schools
By 6:30 a.m., Charity is on her way to Middletown to Rosa Parks Elementary, a 40-minute drive.
Meanwhile, at 6:45 a.m., Channey is settled in at Louise Troy Elementary and welcoming kids for breakfast. They both oversee grades Prek-6th at their respective schools.
“It’s managing kids, managing staff. I’m there to serve students and families the entire day, including lunch, meetings, observations,” said Channey, and Charity agreed.
“I have 535 students,” said Charity.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
“We’re a bigger elementary. Middletown is pretty diverse. It was known for AK Steel, very industrial. A portion of the town is Appalachia. We’re a third African American, a third white, a third ESL, which is an equal representation of the students in Middletown,” said Charity.
Channey’s school closes at 2 p.m. After school he heads to a meeting, or attends to mentorships at a couple other schools.
Evening chores
He arrives back home around 4 p.m. to additional farm chores, including haying and graining the horses, saving the stall cleaning for the evening. Princess gets a “senior feed” of alfalfa.
“Taking the manure out, laying fresh bedding, and setting the stall up for evening feeds. I put them in and close up for the night.”
Most grounds work is saved for the weekend, though branches and weeds are regularly cleared from the trails. Channey’s post-mowing ritual is to reward himself with a ride on his motorcycle or a minibike that he built from a kit, a project he hopes to also complete with his DURC kids.
“It’s itty-bitty. He looks like a bear on one of those pedal bikes from the circus,” laughed Charity.
Her school lets out at 4, so she’s often back after the evening jobs.
“I’m falling asleep on the couch at 8:30,” said Charity.
Hopes for the future
Over the next 3-5 years, goals include extending programming through the week, adding an adult component, and building corporate support.
“I know when I come over and spend a couple hours trimming and weed whacking, there is immediate return. I didn’t know I needed that. It’s a very grounding thing for me to do something with my hands,” said Charity.
“A Day In The Life” is a weekly feature by writer Hannah Kasper. To reach her email hannah.kasper@gmail.com.
MORE INFO
What: The Dayton Urban Riding Center
Where: 3001 Catalpa Drive in Dayton
Online: thedurc.com
More: All events take place the first Saturday of the month, 9-11:30 a.m., except DISCOVER THE DURC for families Sept. 13, 3-6 p.m.
About the Author
