United in Love this Christmas

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, I am reminded of the many people who support the work of the Ranch...people like you who make it possible to wrap our children in the care and love they need to heal.

I visited with one of these dear friends earlier this month. He and his wife began supporting the healing of the children at the Ranch in the late 1970s or early 1980s. He lives in Texas, and his dear wife passed in April. He came to the campus with friends because his wife, as well as other family members, is memorialized on the “Tree of Life” sculpture in our lobby, and he wanted to see it in person. Of course, he toured the campus with his friends, too.

Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch exists “to help at-risk children and their families succeed in the name of Christ.” It is also a place where you can see your faith in action. Your gifts, earned through the work of your arms and the sweat of your brows, have been put to work to create places of mercy care, compassion, and hard-won success. The children at the Ranch are part of your legacy.

I have met folks from all different backgrounds who reach out to help our kids. Forklift drivers, contractors, realtors, accountants, teachers, farmers, pizza makers, and jet pilots… and that is just the tip of the iceberg. So many different backgrounds and stories. With all the polarization and animosity and contention in the world today, Ranch friends are united in love for these precious children and in a desire to leave the world a little bit better, one child at a time.

Again, I marvel at the blessing it is in my life to be a steward of the Ranch’s mission. When all the noise and craziness of the world is blaring, I can be still and hear the quiet whispers of those who brought the Ranch into existence, and the voices of those who sustain it.

Please keep our children and staff in your prayers this Christmas.

In His love,

Joy Ryan, President/CEO
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch