Who We Are
Jessica Zander, M.S. Ed., is the Founder and Executive Director of Helping Friendly Farm. For more than 20 years, she has worked with individuals with special needs, helping them build confidence, strengthen self-regulation, and experience greater connection and joy in their lives.
Jessica began her career through AmeriCorps as a special education teacher in the South Bronx. She later worked in specialized mental health and special education programs in New York before joining TEAM Academy in Newark, NJ, where she served as Learning Specialist and Special Education Coordinator. There, she helped develop a cohesive special education program for the growing network of KIPP schools in Newark.
In 2010, Jessica completed advanced training in Yoga for the Special Child®, expanding her work to include therapeutic yoga. After moving to California, she launched yoga and meditation programs in schools for children with special needs in the San Francisco Bay Area and worked with organizations including the Silicon Valley Down Syndrome Network.
Jessica has led professional development workshops for educators in both New Jersey and California and has presented at the National KIPP Schools Special Education Conference on the benefits of yoga for the brain. She has also been featured in the book Yoga for the Special Child® and served as an editor for its revised edition.
Jessica’s work is also shaped by her personal life. As a mother of children with complex medical needs, she understands firsthand the world of therapies, specialists, and the constant problem-solving families do to find the right support. That lived experience is part of what led her to create Helping Friendly Farm - a place designed to feel safe, steady, and genuinely welcoming, not clinical or overwhelming.
Today, Jessica leads Helping Friendly Farm with the simple goal of creating a place where people feel comfortable being themselves. It’s a space where families can slow down, spend time with animals, and reconnect with nature. By bringing together her background in special education, sensory-based practices, and a love of the outdoors, Jessica has helped shape the farm into a community where learning, connection, and joy show up in everyday moments.
Amy Pinder, MA, CCC-SLP is a founding Board member of Helping Friendly Farm and also volunteers and consults on programming, helping shape inclusive experiences that support communication, connection, and joyful participation for people of all abilities.
Amy is a certified speech-language therapist with more than fifteen years of experience working with individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental differences. She has supported children and adults with diverse communication needs across both clinical and educational settings, using a developmental and holistic approach that considers cognitive, linguistic, sensory, motor, social, and emotional growth.
Her work is deeply rooted in play, movement, and meaningful connection. Amy incorporates activities such as yoga and circus arts to help clients engage, regulate, and build communication through shared experiences. She holds certifications in DIR/Floortime, Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration (MNRI), PROMPT, Holistic Circus Therapy, Grounded Kids Yoga, and Mindfulness Education.
Amy is the founder of Circles of Communication, a private practice providing integrative speech-language therapy and alternative education programs in Central New Jersey. She also serves as Executive Director of Accessible Festivals, a nonprofit dedicated to making recreation and leisure accessible to people of all abilities, and is a co-founder of Inclusion Festival, the nation’s first sensory-friendly music and wellness festival designed to welcome and accommodate everyone.
Amy believes that accessibility and inclusion strengthen entire communities, and she is proud to bring that perspective to her work with Helping Friendly Farm.
Ira Berezhna has been part of the Helping Friendly Farm community since May 2023 and serves as the farm’s Business Manager. She helps keep the many moving pieces of the organization running smoothly while also supporting programs and welcoming visitors to the farm.
Ira grew up in Ukraine on her family’s farm, where daily life revolved around animals, gardens, and the rhythms of nature. Those early experiences shaped a lifelong love of the natural world. She notices the small things many people overlook—birds overhead, insects in the grass, and the quiet changes of the seasons.
After moving to the United States, Ira earned an Associate’s Degree in Business Management from Rowan University. She later worked with the Philadelphia School District as an enrollment support liaison, helping families navigate the school system and access resources.
At Helping Friendly Farm, Ira supports both operations and programming. She helps coordinate communications and day-to-day logistics while also working directly with visitors and families who come to experience the farm.
Ira is also the founder of Just Sage It, an eco-conscious small business where she creates handmade soy candles, linen sprays, diffusers, and smudge sticks using natural ingredients.
As a neurodivergent person herself, Ira brings a unique perspective to the community and often connects with visitors in ways that feel intuitive and welcoming. She has completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training and will begin additional trauma-informed training this August focused on supporting children and adults with disabilities.
Her curiosity about nature, and genuine care for animals and people make her an important part of the Helping Friendly Farm team.
Chip Myers, Helping Friendly Farm’s Facilities Manager, brings a lifelong love of animals and a deep sense of care for people to everything he does on the farm. He joined Helping Friendly Farm in early 2024 and quickly became an important part of creating the calm, welcoming environment that both animals and visitors experience here.
Chip has lived in Bucks County since 1992 and is the proud father of 22-year-old triplets. One of his sons has multiple disabilities, and that lived experience shapes the way Chip approaches his work every day.
He understands firsthand how meaningful it can be for families to find spaces where their children are welcomed, supported, and free to simply be themselves.
That perspective shows up in the way Chip interacts with the groups who visit the farm. Whether he’s greeting a new family, helping someone feel comfortable around the animals, or quietly supporting a participant who needs a little extra patience, Chip has a way of making people feel at ease. His calm presence, empathy, and natural understanding of different needs make him especially gifted at working with the diverse community that comes to the farm.
Before joining Helping Friendly Farm, Chip spent more than 30 years in corporate America working in project management within the health sciences industry. He retired in 2019 and brings the same organization, reliability, and problem-solving skills from that career to his work here today.