Stories of Hope

Thomas is a taller-than-average 17-year-old with brown hair you rarely see because it is hidden under a baseball cap. He is friendly, calm, and a devoted Philadelphia Eagles fan. He is easy to like and has befriended nearly everyone on…

Cliff and Marilyn Kraft have lived their entire lives with their faces turned towards Christ and their hands and feet working for Him. The Ranch mission captured Cliff and Marilyn’s hearts when they learned about the ministry through a speaker…

“I’ve been having conversations with God since I was six or seven years old. Regardless of what was going on in my life, I had almost daily conversations. I was so rebellious, yet God was never far from me.” —Ora…

Hannah Keller, a Correctional Officer at the Southwest Multi-County Correction Center in Dickinson, ND, is a much different person than the angry 13-year-old who arrived at the Ranch 11 years ago. “I had a lot of aggression that I had…

When I came to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch over eleven years ago, I attended a new employee training conducted by a seasoned Ranch staffer. She told us new folks, “This is hard work. You can’t do it alone. You…

Faith’s parents divorced when she was young, and her stepfather, the man she called “Dad,” died of a heart attack when she was 10 years old. As she and her mom both grieved, their relationship deteriorated. “Me and my mom…

Dottie and Jackie Nelson’s generational link to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch begins with Ervin Schumacher, Dottie’s father and Jackie’s grandfather. “Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is like family,” Dottie said. “It’s just in the blood. My dad wrote his…

Roger and Sandy Ploeger, West Des Moines, IA, are both retired from paid work, but they haven’t stopped using their talents for good. In addition to their ongoing support of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, they volunteer for several charities…

Sitting down with Fred and Jean Baue is like attending a marriage retreat. They laugh together. They listen to each other. And their respect and love for each other come through loud and clear in their words and actions. Fred…

Although he humbly attributes most of his accomplishments to persistence rather than brainpower, Dr. Jim Knutson is a soft-spoken, kind man, with a big brain. After growing up in Minot, ND, Jim earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the…

Forty-eight years after his stay at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, Mark French still recalls the lessons he learned and the people who impacted him. “I was at a fork in the road,” Mark said. “What I learned at the…

Concerned about children leaving the Ranch without follow-up care and a lack of community services to prevent children from needing residential treatment, Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch founded Dakota Family Services (DFS) in 2005. It has evolved over the years,…

Every business has to pay attention to finances, even nonprofits like Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. While for-profit companies aim to generate returns for shareholders, our responsibility is to steward every dollar for the benefit of the people we serve and…

Children who experience trauma, which includes every child at the Ranch, are constantly in a state of hypervigilance. Their world has not been trustworthy or predictable. Most haven’t had adult role models who are consistent and dependable. They don’t know if…

Natalie is a survivor. Her dad is dead, and she’s lived through a string of other men in her mom’s life. Several of those men molested Natalie. Mom has tremendous addiction issues and loves Natalie deeply. Those two things are…

When a child begins treatment at the Ranch, everyone who works with them must clearly understand their unfiltered reality. That understanding allows us to respond with love, care, and awareness. For that reason, Ranchers receive an “intake introduction” for every…

My dad was a great reader. As a child, I didn’t know how precious that was. His formal education stopped after 8th grade, but he kept growing the breadth and depth of his knowledge his entire 89+ years. Not everything…

The world lost a really good man when Dr. Brent recently passed away. I know he is with his heavenly Father. I first met Brent when I was being interviewed for the role of CEO at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. It…

Ellie was playing with Sydney, the therapy dog, and I was at my desk, about 15 feet away. A Ranch staff was in the hallway with her, but it was clear she was directing her comment at me. “I have an…

Wonderful people everywhere find so many ways to support the healing of the children at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. First and foremost are their prayers. I always ask that everyone keep the children and staff in their prayers. Those…

Our blessed United States of America is 250 years old this week! What courage, ideals, and passion it took to create this great place! How fortunate we are to live here. It is our job to continue to build this…

Chaplain Rick Jones, VP of Spiritual Life at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, has a really big job. He takes care of the business side of things, including budgets, hiring, strategic planning, program development, curriculum development, schedules, supervision, contracts… all…

Early in my career, I had the good fortune to hear the recently deceased Notre Dame football coaching legend, Lou Holtz, speak. If you haven’t heard of him, suffice it to say he won a lot of games and did…

Essie has only been with us for a few weeks. She is a lithe, young teenager who wears very comfy clothes…usually in wild patterns and shades of pink. Essie has struggled her whole life against caregivers and schools and peers who…