Fall Appeal 2024
Dear Friends,
When thinking about the most important things we can offer the kids in our care, one that immediately comes to mind is to provide safety. The kids in our care come from a multitude of backgrounds and experiences where safety was not always the top priority or consideration. Unfortunately, this problem is not one exclusively faced by the population of kids that we serve. The vast majority of us have faced situations where the kids in our lives, ones who we love and care for, have encountered circumstances where their safety has not been an important consideration.
While it is an unfortunate fact that we will never be able to ensure that our kids are safe during every second of the day, the priority of providing safety to the kids in our program is paramount to the values of this organization.
When a child enters our program, they are typically hyper focused on assessing their level of safety. Assuring these kids that they will be safe while in our program can be a challenge at times. Building trust when a child arrives at The Ranches and addressing their concerns around security is the first step that we must take. While there are a multitude of methods that we utilize to assure them that they are safe, we have found that the nighttime is when they are most concerned about their safety and whether they are able to rest and recuperate without hyper-vigilance.
In each of our cottages, we have systems that we utilize at night that will alert us when a child leaves their room. While this not only ensures that they are not sneaking off during the night, it also gives the kids an efficient method of alerting the staff if they are not feeling well or have some concern to be addressed. While this has been a helpful addition to our cottages, we are finding that our security systems are aging, and we are no longer able to find replacement parts to repair parts that no longer work as effectively.
While we were in the process of building Beaty, we were able to look into the newest options for securing our cottages. These options have far surpassed what we are currently utilizing and we are hopeful that we will be able to improve the systems in our older cottages to get them up to the standard that Beaty has now set. Improving these systems provides not only some reassurance to us that we are doing everything in our power to know that the kids in our care are safe, but it also allows us the ability to demonstrate to the kids that we are actively taking steps to assure them that their safety is a priority.
As is always the case, I am deeply thankful for your dedication to supporting The Ranches and graciously showing concern for the troubles that we face. I am keenly aware that so many are facing difficult times. Your willingness to take our needs into consideration is something that never ceases to humble and amaze me. In the case that we manage to raise more money than the cost of this project, the additional funds will be utilized for the care of the kids.
Sincerely,
Mikela Kull – Interim President
