Barnyard sanctuary boosts Sunnyvale special-needs kids
- Sunnyvale nonprofit Animal Assisted Happiness is drawing attention for free farm visits where children and young adults with special needs work with barnyard animals. - At its 2.5-acre Smile Farm in Baylands Park, participants meet miniature horses, goats, pigs and rabbits during private, school and mobile visits. - The group, founded in 2009, says donations and volunteers keep services free for youth with needs. (animalassistedhappiness.org)
Animal Assisted Happiness, a Sunnyvale nonprofit, offers free barnyard-animal visits for children and young adults with special needs at its Smile Farm in Baylands Park. (localnewsmatters.org) (animalassistedhappiness.org) The group says its mission is to enrich the lives of youth with needs through animal interactions at the farm and through mobile visits across Silicon Valley. It was founded in 2009 by the Amon-Higa family. (animalassistedhappiness.org) (storage.googleapis.com) Its services include visits at the 2.5-acre Smile Farm, mobile barnyard visits, private family sessions and vocational education programs. The organization says in-person visits typically run about an hour. (animalassistedhappiness.org) (californialocal.com) The farm’s animals include miniature horses, a miniature donkey, alpacas, goats, sheep, rabbits, guinea pigs, pot-bellied pigs, chickens, ducks and doves. The animals are chosen for gentle temperaments and hands-on interaction. (animalassistedhappiness.org) (farringtonfoundation.org) Families interviewed by Local News Matters said the setting gives neurodiverse children a place to practice communication, balance and confidence without the social pressure they often feel elsewhere. Jonathan Coleman told the outlet the animals helped him form relationships when speaking was difficult. (localnewsmatters.org) Animal Assisted Happiness says all of its services for youth with needs are free and that the nonprofit is funded entirely by donations and grants, with a large volunteer network helping run programs. (animalassistedhappiness.org) (svvoice.com) The group also brings animals to schools, hospitals, camps and community programs, extending the farm’s model beyond Sunnyvale. A Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce event listing this month named it the chamber’s 2026 Nonprofit of the Year. (californialocal.com) (business.svcoc.org) The program’s pitch is simple: a goat, rabbit or miniature horse can become a social bridge for a child who struggles in more formal settings. At Smile Farm, that bridge is built with hay bales, fenced paddocks and repeated visits that families say keep paying off. (localnewsmatters.org) (animalassistedhappiness.org)
