It’s Friday afternoon, and I am in my office replaying the time I spent with the surprise visitor who stopped by this morning. About 9 a.m. I heard Karen, one of the women I work with, greeting someone at her office door. Karen is a sincerely kind person who is always gracious to everyone, but I could hear something special in her voice. I eavesdropped a little, and it was soon evident she was talking to a past resident. “Are you working now?” “So, you have your own apartment?” “You look really good!”…
Blog
The BNSF Railway Foundation awarded $6,000 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch for technology upgrades in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes at Dakota Memorial School, Minot, the Ranch’s on-campus school.…
The mission of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch always has been, and I believe always will be, “to help at-risk children and their families succeed in the name of Christ.” Very simple and straightforward. Right? Well, maybe not. Success is defined by many different variables: money, education, career, marital status, family, sobriety, healthy living, etc.…
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. —2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV…
The School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province awarded $1,000 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to purchase items for the Caring Closet at Dakota Memorial School.…
“Get over it!” We hear that a lot. We say it a lot. I say it to myself when someone cuts me off in traffic, or my arms are too short for me to read the instructions I’m holding. Sometimes, we just need to move on.…
I write a lot. I write reports and emails and presentations and columns. However, my favorite writing is personal notes on cards designed by our kids.…
The relationships our staff build with children are what allow the care we provide and our Christ-centered focus to do their work. It all starts with relationships that build trust. It starts with shared and new experiences.…
A little girl, 11 years old, came into the dining room for breakfast one day last week. She had tears running down her cheeks, and her face was red. Christy, a phenomenal cook with a kind spirit, saw one of our Ranch employees trying to comfort her while making sure the other kids got their breakfast.…
North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) granted $5,000 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to underwrite the cost of an innovative remodel at Dakota Memorial School (DMS), Minot, the Ranch’s on-campus school. The funds are part of the NDCF’s Statewide Greatest Needs Fund.…
I’ve told you before, working at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is hard work. Good work, but hard. It is hard to hear the kids’ stories of trauma, abuse, and mental illness. It is hard to be distrusted by these hurting kids and hard to earn their trust. That’s why it is so important that our folks always support each other, cheer each other on, and share successes.…
The Otter Tail Corporation Foundation awarded $3,200 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to complete safety upgrades on its Fargo campus.…
Most of the children who come to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch have not been treated with respect. Most are trauma survivors. The very definition of a trauma survivor is someone who has suffered because of an absence of power. Perhaps it was an abuser, or poverty, or drug addiction, or death, but something in their lives exercised extreme power over them. That disparity led to them being abused, neglected, injured, and suffering. They are deeply hurt.…
The Kiwanis Club of Fargo granted $1,500 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to purchase noise-canceling headphones for the Occupational Therapy program.…
Finding every single way to help children understand themselves, heal from their experiences, and become their best selves all depends on communicating in a way they can grasp. Since every child starts in a different place, professionals at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch use many different tools and approaches.…
“Kids don’t really think about suicide, do they?” or “Kids just want attention, they can’t really want to die.” Even with all the media coverage of children’s mental health, I'm still asked questions like these.…
I have shared before in these messages about our Chaplain, Rev. Rick Jones. Chaplain Rick has been with Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch for 11 years. He is the best person ever to be a Chaplain at a place for hurting children. He is strong in his faith, compassionate, and relatable. The children love him.…
The Elmer & Kaya Berg Foundation granted $1,000 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to purchase necessary toiletry, clothing, and home items for the Caring Closet at Dakota Memorial School, Fargo.…
I am not an athlete. Oh, I work out. That’s not the same as being an athlete. An athlete has grace, stamina, field awareness, and coordination. Those I don’t have. I can lift heavy things, but that’s about as far as it goes.…
I don’t want to nag you… but you really need a will. If you don’t have one, the state has one for you. It’s called “probate,” and it’s a slow and painful process that ignores any wishes you may have had for whatever you left behind.…
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch welcomed Karin Pierce and Earl Torgerson to its Board of Directors.…
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Chapel to be built on its Bismarck, ND campus. The event was attended by staff, board members, donors, representatives of the architectural and construction companies involved, and members of the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC.…
Karen, a woman I work with, uses a term I love—“God wink.” I don’t know for sure how she would define it, but when she says it, I imagine God with a smile, nodding just a little and tipping a hat. A gesture of “I see you. Well done.”…
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.…
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.…