Louie Castriota Receives The Rite Aid Foundation’s KIDCHAMPSM Award

The Rite Aid Foundation announced today that Louie Castriota, founder and chairman of the board of Leg Up Farm, in York, Pennsylvania, has been awarded its KIDCHAMP^SM Award for his innovative vision and unwavering commitment to provide children with special needs a comprehensive, convenient and centralized location to receive specialized therapy. In recognition of his service, Mr. Castriota received a $10,000 donation to Leg Up Farm from The Rite Aid Foundation and $500 in Rite Aid gift cards during a special ceremony at Leg Up Farm.

Leg Up Farm is a nonprofit therapy center for infants, children, adolescents and young adults up to the age of 21 with special needs. The center combines a state-of-the-art medical setting with a child-friendly environment that caters to both children and their families. Leg Up Farm provides comprehensive therapies all under one roof by bringing therapists of different specialties together to create customized programs with a team approach.

The Rite Aid Foundation created the KIDCHAMP^SM Award in 2017 to recognize individuals in communities served by Rite Aid. Winners have made a meaningful difference in the lives of youth by advocating for their health and wellbeing, championing education and academic growth plus creating safe environments for children and teens to live and grow. Mr. Castriota is the fifth recipient to receive the award.

“Louie embodies what it means to be a champion for kids with special needs. He not only recognized gaps in the availability and affordability of services in the community, but also identified a solution and worked nonstop to make it a reality,” said Bryan Everett, chief operating officer of Rite Aid Corporation and a member of The Rite Aid Foundation Board. “Thanks to Louie’s drive and ambition, he has created a therapy center that is unlike any other in the country, resulting in thousands of children having a chance for better lives and brighter futures.”

Mr. Castriota and his wife, Laurie, first had the idea to open Leg Up Farm as a therapeutic riding center in 1997, merging their love of animals and children. Six months after their vision came to fruition, their daughter Brooke was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease, which causes both cognitive and motor function delays.

As they searched for the best treatment options for Brooke, the Castriotas found services spread-out and lacking in integration and convenience. That prompted them to significantly widen their vision for Leg Up Farm and create a facility that was unlike any in the nation.