Spring Appeal 2024
The beginning of this new year has been very fruitful for us here at The Ranches. We have been moving forward on our Beaty cottage build and have made some needed renovations to our school facilities. These improvements to our campus are encouraging and I am hoping to capitalize on this progress to ensure that our program continues to provide the in-depth services young people need as they navigate the difficult teenage years.
As we are looking towards the future, we are also reflecting on our past as we celebrate our 80th anniversary this year. In 1944, The Ranches was founded to address the needs of the young men who were left fatherless due to World War II. Since its inception, both the program and the needs of the community that we serve have evolved. In 1980, we expanded our program to offer help to young women who were in need of the same services as the young men that we were already assisting. This was possible due to the generosity of you, our donors. Through the years we have continued to adapt to the needs of our community and have ensured that our program has grown and changed to meet the ever-changing needs of the residents.
To celebrate this growth, we are asking you to help us to bring as many of those former residents as possible to reunite and share their stories about the time spent with us. This gathering is particularly exciting as we will have the opportunity for our current residents to visit with residents who have completed our program in years past. My hope is that they will be able to gain invaluable knowledge and advice for how to take the experience gained from our program and utilize it in their lives after they leave.
We will be hosting a large gathering on August 17, 2024, and are asking you to join us so we can share our appreciation for your generosity and commitment to these amazing former and current residents. We plan to provide fun, food, tours of the campus, and lots of visiting. More details will be sent as the time gets closer.
While there is a significant amount of time and energy spent on the kids that are in front of us currently, there are also needs still present in the lives of our alumni. We strive to be a safe-haven for them even after they depart from us and want them to know that they are always welcome to reach out to find help when they need it. Thank you for the huge part that you play in ensuring that The Ranch is available to provide hope, not only the kids that are currently in our program, but the multitude of other children who have had an opportunity to utilize our program services in the past.
We hope you will plan to join us on August 17th to celebrate eight decades of service to the young men and women who, through unfortunate situations in their lives, have found hope for their futures through the generosity of you, our donors.
Sincerely,
Mikela Kull – Interim President
