"My introduction to the Ranch was an act of God," said Carol Vacek.
She had never heard of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch until 2018 when she received a letter in the mail. That same year, Carol inherited some mineral rights in North Dakota with two producing oil wells. Some would say it was a coincidence, but Carol says learning about the Ranch and inheriting North Dakota mineral rights was God's timing. She followed God's lead and began donating a portion of the proceeds to the Ranch.
"It's not a lot of money," Carol said, "but it's from God so the Ranch has to have it."
Carol has a special place in her heart for North Dakota because it's where she was born. She and her sister lived there with her parents until her family started to fall apart. Her father died when she was five and her mother began suffering from serious mental health issues.
"My mom was a smart person and a good person. She loved people. She loved kids. But she was paranoid schizophrenic, and my aunts and uncles were afraid she might hurt us. She lost custody of us when I was seven," Carol said. "Nevertheless, even though I never lived with my mother again, we remained good pen pals for the rest of her life."
Carol's aunt and uncle who live in Spokane took her and her sister in for about a year. But, then it became too much for them to raise their own young son and the two girls, so Carol and her sister moved to Illinois to live with another aunt and uncle.
"My sister and I were essentially foster children," Carol said. "We never called our aunts and uncles foster parents and it wasn't official, but that's what it was. The Ranch is so important because I know there are children there who end up as foster children because their parents were abusive or neglected them. They don't have any way to get past that without help."
Carol's uncle, a chemical engineer, was transferred from Illinois to Delaware, where she finished high school and graduated before moving to Baltimore to attend radiology technology school. She finished x-ray school in 1965 and worked in a hospital in Baltimore. She enjoyed her work and the people, but after ten years moved to New Orleans where she said, "it's really warm, it's cheaper, and I can see Mardi Gras!"
Not one to shy away from change or adventure, after 26 years as an x-ray technician, Carol returned to nursing school and earned her LPN degree.
"Then, one day I was at a shopping center and a recruiter was signing people up for the Navy Reserves. I thought to myself, 'I'm finished with school. That sounds fun. I think I'll check into that.' I told them I was almost 40, but they didn't have to train me. I could take X-rays, I could be a nurse, I could draw blood and start IVs. So they signed me up!"
And because that wasn't enough excitement, Carol also started taking night classes. "I was limited as an LPN as to where I could work and what I could do," she said. "As an LPN I couldn't work in recovery. I couldn't work in ICU. I couldn't hang drugs and stuff. It took me 10 years, but I finished before my 50th birthday and worked as an RN until I retired at age 66, Carol said.
Now retired, Carol lives in Louisiana where she spends her time gardening, making yard art, and volunteering. She brings great passion and commitment to everything she does—first in her career and now in retirement.
"I love gardening and have lots of plants and flowers that bloom in the summer. But in the winter they're all gone. It stays green here all winter, but there's nothing really pretty. So, I paint cement things and make them pretty. I call it my yard art and I have it all around my house and in little spots where you wouldn't expect to see something."
Carol uses her gardening skills at her church, where she takes on the job of pulling weeds. She said, "I pull up all the poison ivy, sticker weeds, and the little plants that sprout out from seeds dropped from the trees. This is what God wants me to do, and I'm good at it."
She also volunteers with a veterinarian who runs a neuter-spay clinic for cats and dogs. "I am the instrument cleaner. You do not want to get in my way when I'm cleaning instruments and you don't want to do it wrong. Because I will tell you if you aren't doing it right!"
Carol brings joy to the people around her, including those at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch.
Anne Compere, Director of Mission Advancement at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, said, "Each month when Carol sends her donation, she sends a letter detailing her adventures with gardening, projects, and most importantly, her adopted pets. Her wonderful sense of humor concerning the mundane inspires me. She is more than a donor. She is a friend, and she brings me great joy."
Carol's passion for life shines through when she talks about the kids at the Ranch.
"I've just always had a heart for young people," she said. "I don't have any children, so I just call these my kids. No matter what they've been through, kids can turn out good. But they can't do it alone. The Ranch is another family to help them along the way."
This article was originally published in Ranch Voice: Winter 2022.
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