At 4 years of age our eldest son, Kamran, wanted to learn the basics of recreational horseback riding but we had a difficult time finding anyone to teach him at such a young age. We had the great fortune of connecting with Terry Snow, who was teaching therapeutic riding lessons to individuals with special needs. She agreed to provide our son a recreational riding lesson and what occurred next changed the course of our family’s life forever. We hadn't foreseen it, but when we observed our son playing with one of Terry’s riders with Autism, we saw a need for a community which could bring together those of all abilities where everyone would be celebrated. Our son "got it" and we hoped others would too. We believed that inclusive programming for the entire family (and community) was needed in our area. Vision, strategic planning and development was our passion; however, we knew this was a massive undertaking in an area we were not experts in. We asked Terry if she wanted to join our family on this journey, she agreed, and the vision and mission of BINA Farm Center was set in motion.  Terry served as Program Director and Coryn as the volunteer Executive Director, foregoing any salary for 8 years to ensure scholarship funds were available. In 2017, when Terry retired from her full-time job in the school system and from teaching at BINA, she moved to the Cape. She enjoys spending time with her husband, grandchildren and dogs. Terry’s, impact will always be felt at BINA.

In 2017, BINA hired it’s first Executive Director and we both continue to volunteer our time and energy focusing on Founder and Co-Board Chair responsibilities. Kamran and our other son Aidin, have been involved since the inception and even host our annual gala. We believe this organization and all of those involved, have been one of the best gifts we could have shared with our sons. Our family will forever be thankful to all of our participants, volunteers, staff, horses and everyone who has supported BINA’s mission. In fact our belief in the mission has grown stronger since our inception due to how many lives have been positively impacted by the team at BINA.

At BINA, it’s personal. Every child that is nurtured at BINA, every achievement by a participant, be it a veteran or vocational student, is a victory. As parents or guardians watch their children achieve milestones that otherwise could have gone unnoticed, we believe everyone at BINA Farm Center is living a quote that we cherish and is on a paperweight Terry Snow gifted to our family when we began this journey.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” -Mahatma Gandhi

Coryn and Babak Bina