Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, Fargo, ND, was the recipient of a $3,200 grant from the First Lutheran Church Foundation in Fargo, ND. The funds received will be used as part of an innovative remodel of Dakota Memorial School—Fargo, the on-campus school of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. The remodel will allow for an increase in enrollment to meet the growing needs of the community, as well as better serve the students we currently have. Specifically, funds from the Foundation will be used to underwrite the costs of Interactive Technology for our new classrooms.
Dakota Memorial School (DMS) educates children who are in residential treatment at the Ranch, and children who live at home but need the additional educational support we provide. Most students come to DMS with a history of poor attendance and academic performance, as well as difficulty with social interactions and situations. They have varying degrees of emotional, physical, mental, and/or behavioral challenges.
These challenges result in uniquely different learning needs than the average child their age. But, with the right people surrounding them, and in the right environment, even a deeply wounded boy or girl can achieve academic success.
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is a Christian residential treatment and educational center for children and their families. We help the most troubled, complicated, and amazing kids by providing best-in-class psychiatric therapy and trauma-informed care, where we look kids in the eye, walk with them, and help them become their best selves. Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is an Affiliated Social Ministry Organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
The First Lutheran Church Foundation is a vital component of the ministry of First Lutheran Church. The purpose of the Foundation is to make disbursements to expand the witness and mission of First Lutheran Church, and to support special missions of the Christian Church in the community, region, and world.