On August 3rd, I celebrated my eighth Ranchiversary! I came to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch in 2015 after spending over 22 years at another human service organization. Before that I worked in the corporate world and I’ve also done some university teaching in communications and business.…
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Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, Bismarck, ND, was the recipient of a $5,000 grant from the BisMan Community Foundation, a component of the North Dakota Community Foundation.…
I am frequently amazed by the people who choose to work at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. They are a compassionate, courageous bunch. One such person is Jan. Jan came to the Ranch looking for a very part-time experience to augment her corporate banking job. She had plenty of work in her “real” job but was looking to find a way to impact kids and families in a more hands-on way. We are very grateful she found us.…
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, Fargo, ND, was the recipient of a $5,000 grant from the First Lutheran Church Foundation in Fargo, ND. The funds will be used to purchase new books requested for the Fargo Library of Dakota Memorial School, the on-campus school of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, as well as classroom sets of books for the English-Language Arts classroom.…
I have a new cross in my office. It is made of bigger than normal popsicle sticks… I think they are called “craft sticks.” The vertical stick has seven pink fingerprints in a row, covering the length of the stick. The horizontal stick is painted a bright pink with random geometric shapes. It’s a little off-center, but not too bad. Overall, you get the definite impression it was made by a child. On the back, printed in felt tip marker, it says, “I CAN, through Him.”…
With back-to-school season coming up, it’s important to think about where you’ll be shopping for yourself or your family. Before you start browsing the shelves at your local mall or department store, take some time to consider the monetary and environmental benefits of buying slightly used clothing at your local Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch Thrift Store.…
At the end of the school year, I was on our Bismarck campus for board meetings. In between meetings, I was walking through the school when I heard my name from one of the classrooms. I stuck my head in the door, the teacher nodded, and a trim boy in a suit and tie came into the hall and gave me a hug.…
I had dinner a while back with some people like you. Well, I guess I don’t know if they are really like you, but you do have some things in common. You care about the kids at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. You choose to believe these hurting kids have value, can heal, and are all God’s children.…
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch will receive $100,000 from the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, also known as Lutheran Women in Mission, to support a capital campaign to build a Chapel on its Bismarck, ND campus.…
Jeremiah* yells a lot. He deserves to. Jeremiah came to us with a history of horrendous, unspeakable trauma at the hands of his biological parents. He was too little to do anything to protect himself except cry and yell.…
No matter how difficult things are at home, driving away from the Ranch without your child is not easy. "It was scary taking that leap of faith. We didn't know what to expect, and as we drove away, my mom heart was just sad and apprehensive," said Meredith, mother of former Ranch resident, Blaise.…
My 94-year-old mother-in-law hasn’t led an easy life. She had nine children before she was 30 years old. She and my father-in-law built a small dairy farm on a piece of land that no one else really wanted. She worked “off the farm” for many years to bring in some much-needed income and to ensure the family had health insurance.…
I was reading information on a child that was coming into care at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. One of the notes was to notify nursing, and all staff, that this child had POTS. I didn’t know what POTS was. So, I looked it up.…
I just sold a warehouse. Actually, I didn’t, but Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch did. In the Fargo, ND Industrial Park, right off I-29. Great location. The remarkable people who came before me and built a loving place for children to heal and thrive, knew this place had to survive for generations. They knew that there would not be, in this world, an end to the need.…
This is the season of graduations, and that is true at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch as well. Our on-site school, Dakota Memorial School, celebrates our graduates in style! Most of the children who come to the Ranch return to their home school districts when they leave our care. Some continue their education here through graduation. Others come here only for Day School, never being in residential care. Each one works incredibly hard to graduate. They are smart, but most learn differently than other schools teach. Here they can find success.…
I bought a really crazy red coat. People donate wonderful things to the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch Thrift Stores. The Thrift Stores have a two-pronged purpose. First and foremost, each year the thrift stores generate income for Ranch programs which provide hope and healing for troubled, complicated, and amazing kids.…
He just about knocked me over. I was going into the front door of our school on our Bismarck Campus and struggling to get my keys organized when a strong, athletic 15-year-old body slammed into my side and wrapped me in a bear hug. In high heels and a heavy winter coat, I almost lost my balance, much less my breath.…
Everyone has a story. That is the mantra that we repeat at the Ranch. Every child, parent, staff person comes with their own history. What came before does not define their future, but it certainly does inform their future. The trauma-informed care at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is summarized as, "We don't ask what is wrong with a child, we ask what happened to the child."…
Summer programming gives our kids a unique and positive summer experience. They experience activities they may not have been exposed to before—like gardening, fishing, hiking, art, music, and more. They learn new things in classes like Discover Dakota, Sports History, and Pop Culture. School has rarely been consistent for Ranch kids so it's important to challenge them to learn. Learning without the stress of tests and grades helps kids see that learning can be fun and that they can succeed.…
Cain came to the Ranch in 2016 after spending some time in a Minot psychiatric hospital. When he completed treatment and was able to go home, his parents enrolled him in the Day Program so he could continue his education at Dakota Memorial School. For an entire school year, Cain's parents, Dawn and Kevin, drove him 70 miles (one way) to school, because at DMS he experienced the only success he'd ever had in school.…
While Don and Arlene Schumacher don't know exactly how they learned about Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, they assume it was through their church, Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Hutchinson, MN.…
As she graduated from Dakota Memorial School in May 2022, Stacy used her graduation speech to address current and future Ranch residents. Her words speak for themselves.…
In the last quarter of the 20-21 school year, Principal Tina DeGree asked the teachers if they saw any gaps in the curriculum at Dakota Memorial School, Minot. And, if they did see gaps, to present ideas that would fill those gaps. Teachers Josh Hvidsten and Daniel Fagerlund presented a proposal for a new Leadership class, and it was added to this fall's curriculum. The Leadership class gives kids the chance to learn and practice real-life skills by finding projects that fill a need in the community.…
Dakota Memorial School teachers and staff have specialized training in teaching children who have experienced significant trauma. I am always amazed at the ability of these wonderful people to teach very rigorous curriculums, the same requirements as any accredited school district, to students who have been largely labeled as “unteachable.”…
I am always happy to find a good prayer. I know I can just talk to God. The Holy Spirit will help me. Even sitting in silence with Him is powerful. Or, using the Lord’s Prayer is always an option! And there are lots of prayers created over time to “fall back on.”…