As you may have noticed, we have changed the look of the Corral! This was not a decision we take lightly and we have had quite a discussion about how we should proceed with this new look. Some of us were concerned that the change would be perceived badly by you, our donors. Others of us thought that it would create some much needed excitement and a new impression on our donors and supporters. I had some difficulty in making the decision to update and still have some conflicted feelings, but one of our residents made an observation that pushed me towards this new look.
Recently, while working at The Ranch, I noticed one of our residents sitting on the sidewalk by the office. She, like many of our residents, had left our program after a short time and then returned when life outside of The Ranch wasn’t what she thought it would be. She didn’t seem upset, but it was unusual for her to be sitting outside instead of being at school. I asked what she was doing and she let me know that she was waiting for a staff member to take her to a Dr. appointment. I joked with her that I thought she was ditching school again. She looked and me and, with a great deal of conviction said, “Heath, do I get any credit for the fact that I’ve changed. I look the same, but I am not the same person that was here before.” I apologized immediately and realized that I did not see the change and therefore, did not acknowledge the change.
In many ways, we are a lot like that resident. We have gone through many changes over the past year, but those changes are hard to recognize as we haven’t changed the way that we look to those outside of the organization. This new Corral represents the outward change, but it is reflective of a multitude of internal changes. We hope you’ll let us know what you think, but we do hope that you like it.
