Kasey: Our Reason Why

John and Ann Lisk bought their mountain home years ago and spent many summers with their daughter, Kasey, in North Carolina. Kasey’s love and natural kinship with animals became a way of life around the Lisk household. "Most animals seemed to have no fear of her whatsoever, and she had no fear of them; which had sometimes been scary when she was very little.”

Beau, Kasey’s Golden Retriever pup, was out on a hike with 15-year-old Kasey Lisk in 1996, when he broke free and leapt into the water of Betsey’s Rock Falls on the family’s property in Ashe County, NC. Kasey, determined to save her beloved pup, jumped in after him. Tragically, they were both swept over the 100-foot falls, and while Beau survived, Kasey did not.

Kasey’s deep love for animals, including rescuing injured wildlife, was the inspiration behind Southern Sun Farm Sanctuary. In her memory, Ann and John Lisk founded the sanctuary in 2001 to rescue and care for neglected and abused horses. With a lifelong passion for animal welfare, the Lisks have dedicated their lives to helping horses in need, providing food, medical care, and shelter for those who would otherwise be lost.

Southern Sun Farm Sanctuary has grown into a nonprofit, rescuing horses from around North Carolina and beyond. Some of the horses are adopted into loving homes, while others live out their lives at the sanctuary. Visitors can volunteer, help care for the horses, and experience the sanctuary’s heartwarming mission of compassion.

“We knew this was where we were meant to be and what we were meant to do. So we founded Southern Sun Farm Sanctuary and dedicated it to the spirit and memory of our loving Kasey.”

-Ann Lisk