BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Shelley Luke took “a leap of faith,” leaving behind a job she enjoyed to fill a need closer to home.
Luke, a 2004 Bradford High School graduate, spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Starke at its Oct. 28 meeting about the creation of Right Path Ranch, which allows her to provide pediatric occupational therapy to Bradford and Union counties.
“Last January, I kind of felt the calling that I needed to do something different,” Luke said.
So she left her job with the Clay County School District to create her own business, helping families who used to have to travel to Gainesville or Jacksonville for occupational therapy.
Luke said she found that not only did families have to travel out of the area, but their children were also put on a waiting list and unable to receive therapy for up to a year or even 18 months.
“When we’re talking about kids with developmental delays, you can’t wait 18 months to get services,” Luke said. “You’re missing this growth opportunity.”
Luke said the primary goal of occupational therapy is “is to help individuals achieve independence, satisfaction and participation in their daily routines when facing physical, cognitive, sensory, mental-health or social challenges.”
Adults usually receive occupational therapy after traumatic events, strokes, brain injuries or hand surgeries, Luke said, adding, “With kiddos, it’s usually kids with developmental delays, sensory processing disorders and early learning difficulties. We work a lot with children with cerebral palsy, autism and Down syndrome. Most of my case load right now is children with autism, so we do a lot of sensory processing, helping them be able to manage the world in a more regulated way.”
Luke currently offers in-home therapy, but her plan is to eventually buy land, build a ranch and have children come to her for therapy.
“The goal of Right Path Ranch is to integrate animals and farm life to help these kids meet their goals,” Luke said.
When a Kiwanis Club member asked her if parents would drop their children off at the ranch once it was built, Luke said she would rather the parents stay and be involved with their children’s therapy.
“What I’ve found, from the stories I’ve heard, is that kiddos, when they go to Gainesville, and they go to an outpatient clinic, the parent usually does drop them off, and they’re not invited back into the therapy session.
“I want to change that model because I’ve found more progress and more benefit if the parent is there. Now, when I’m working with kids, I invite the parent in. ‘Please, come be a part of this. It’s great that it works for me for 30 minutes, but to make your life better, to make your child’s life better, you need to continue these techniques throughout the week.’”
Luke, who is the daughter of Carl and Christie Torode, said she enjoys being around children and helping them. She recalled how she began babysitting when she was probably 12.
“My mom was a high-school teacher,” Luke said. “She told me not to be a teacher. She said, ‘Go find something else where you can help kids.’”
A tour of UF Health Shands Hospital when she was in high school put her on the career path toward becoming an occupational therapist.
“I saw this room where there were a bunch of adults hanging out with kids and playing,” Luke said. “I was like, ‘What are they doing? I want to do that.’
“It was their therapy room. The were bouncing on balls and working on all those skills that they need.”
Luke, who went to the University of Florida, began her career at Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital in Jacksonville 15 years ago. She also worked at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville before taking the job with the Clay County School District.
When people would tell her she needed to bring her therapy services to her home community, Luke was resistant at first. Her thought was, “I don’t want to run a business. That’s a lot of work.”
Learning of the great need that children in Bradford and Union counties had, though, changed her mind. Luke said she felt as if it was a “calling.” She said with the full support of her husband, Josh, she “took the plunge.”
Luke credits the idea of a ranch with animals as part of therapy services to her daughter, Reagan, who’s “into horses.”
“She’s the one who kind of started this farm passion for us,” Luke said.
Besides talking about her business, Luke shared the news that the 2026 Bradford Agricultural Fair would include “The Unstoppable Goat Show,” which would allow children with disabilities to exhibit goats. Each exhibitor will be paired with a “buddy,” who’ll help when needed.
“I met with the fair board, the 4-H office — all are on board with this,” Luke said. “They’re really getting behind it.”
If you’d like to find out more about Right Path Ranch, please visit www.rightpathranch.com. You can also visit Right Path Ranch on Facebook and Instagram.
