I recently had the honor of taking one of our kids to Dairy Queen to celebrate a particularly good day. I was happy for the chance to spend time with this very talkative child, who I'll call Franklin. Franklin thought it was funny to say that he was “on a Joy ride with Joy.”…
Kid Stories
The children who come to the Ranch have often come from chaos and crisis. Many have learned to be hypervigilant and alert for danger or unfulfilled needs. When they come to the Ranch, life is largely consistent and predictable. We serve meals at reliable times, and always have enough food. Therapy, groups, school, and chapel are all dependably scheduled.…
I have written before about the “All About Me," worksheets children complete in the early days of their care at the Ranch. It is a chance for them to tell us about their likes and dislikes and how we can make them feel comfortable. The worksheets are just one of hundreds of tools we use to make sure children’s voices are heard.…
Every fall, Ranch teachers, staff, and kids start preparing for G.R.O.W. Day (God Rewards Our Work), a sale held at our Minot thrift store the Saturday before Mother's Day. For seven months, students plant, nurture, weld, paint, and create art projects, yard games, bedding plants, and hanging flower baskets. They move everything to our Minot thrift store, and in four hours, sell everything they created.…
16-year-old Avalon is a kind, gentle, and talented young woman, despite the challenges that brought her to the Ranch. She was born in Nebraska as the youngest of 12 siblings and moved to North Dakota in 2016. It was a blended family, and second marriages for both her parents, who had each had the pain of losing their first spouse to cancer.…
When a ministry team from Hip Hop & Hope spent the day with the kids at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, Dayson made a special connection with keynote speaker Artie Gonzales.…
I’ve written before in these emails about my lack of athletic ability. I am strong, but I do spit out my chewing gum before walking. Safety first! My children don’t seem to care. They all received their dad’s sports gene and can compete after watching a YouTube video of a never-before-seen activity. It’s really irritating. And, they love to drag me along… I am certain as comedic relief.…
On the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch website, Chaplain Rick Jones, Vice President of Spiritual Life, says, “Hope is a very powerful thing.” His quote is on a page dedicated to our Hope Notes program, where he goes on to explain. "You can be a source of inspiration and encouragement for those who have none. Friends from all over the country can write Hope Notes to our residents—little messages of encouragement to show our children someone cares for them and wants them to succeed.…
"They said, 'No', but she did the work and they said, 'Yes.'" Anne came to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch at the worst time of her complicated life. Her family was in chaos. A close family member had died by suicide. She, herself, was deeply depressed and suicidal. Her school had told her that at her age and with her lack of progress in school, they would not accept her back. She was in foster care, and only four months from her 18th birthday when she walked in our doors.…
I once had a really good boss who was a big believer in the lessons from “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” by Stephen Covey. He infused the seven habits into the workplace, some more successfully than others.…
I wrote earlier about the “Foundation of Prayers” event we had in the Chapel we are constructing, because of friends like you, on our Bismarck Campus. I wanted to share another moment from that day.…
Sequoia Magrum is one of the phenomenal special education teachers here at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. Whenever I was in my office at the start of the school day, I had a chance to see her doing her work.…
My day started with two emails back-to-back. The first was about “Jenn” who arrived at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch this morning. She’s only 12 years old. Her case manager said in the email, “She is pretty quiet and reserved today but also had to wake up at 5 a.m. for the drive here so she may just be tired. She told me she loves to paint and do arts and crafts in her free time. She did say she prefers to work with female staff but is willing to try to work with male staff. Make sure to say hello and introduce yourself!”…
We have a lovely 12-year-old girl in our care at the Ranch. She is kind and thoughtful and the first to step up and help. She is smart. She has eyes as dark as coal and beautiful, long reddish-brown hair. She has a loud laugh that you don't expect to come out of such a petite person.…
Children at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch live in a wide array of home situations. So, when we have "Parent Teacher Conferences" at our on-site Dakota Memorial Schools, we mean that we meet with the people who are in the parent role for the child—adoptive parents, biological parents, foster parents, guardians, grandparents, or other kin.…
The OnBoarding Coordinator on our Fargo Campus has been with us for a year and a half but comes to us with deep experience working with traumatized youth. She is buoyant and energetic and a super trainer. She is just the person we want teaching new Ranchers how to connect with and help the children at the Ranch heal. She believes in the potential of every child... and she shows it.…
It is hard to read some of the words used to describe the children who come to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. These children are brave trauma survivors who have done the best they could in their situations. Abused, neglected, troubled, abandoned, and at-risk are the nice words used, and even those are difficult to hear.…
An exceptional component of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is Dakota Memorial School. Dakota Memorial is a fully accredited school district located on the three campuses of the Ranch. The schools are very special, operating on a platform of trauma-informed, trauma-sensitive learning. Teachers are uniquely trained, as are support staff, para-professionals, and all involved, to work with the children who come to us for care.…
Evan is a boisterous 14-year-old who came to the Ranch in early 2023. He is always the first to talk, whether he’s met you before or not. There is never silence when you are around him… he fills it with humming or a steady flow of commentary. His dark curls bounce, and his sparkling eyes move as he walks. He has a “strut” that makes him look much bigger than he is. He fills space by being who he is.…
I can tell you with great confidence that no child wants to come to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. Sure, some children find relief in coming to the Ranch. They are away from the stressors and traumas that they have lived. They are not hungry, have their own beds, and are surrounded by people who care and are trained to help them heal.…
“Great” is not a word I often read in Clinical Case Review notes at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. The kids who come to the Ranch have multiple traumas, behavior, and psychiatric issues, and much to do to heal. More commonly, in Case Review notes, I read “Much Improved,” “Working,” or “Identifying Strengths.” We work very hard to help children heal, develop skills, learn to succeed, and build trusting relationships.…
Jerome Schneider is a handsome young farmer full of energy and light. He is passionate about farming and ranching and while he doesn't claim to have everything figured out, he is proud of the man he has become. Jerome's life began on a fourth-generation farm in western North Dakota. When his parents separated and divorced shortly after his birth, Jerome was caught in the middle.…
Through your help and God’s love, we also see new lives and new beginnings at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. I think of them as “mini-Easters.” Children have an opportunity to heal from the traumas of their past. They can begin to plot a new future. They can move from surviving to thriving. They can find and become their best selves.…
Sometimes, the best way to tell a story is to use someone else’s words. Below are email excerpts (to maintain confidentiality) from an outpatient therapist who referred a precious, challenging, traumatized boy to treatment at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. The therapist wrote the note to the boy’s treatment team about three weeks after he completed treatment at the Ranch.…
“Hey, it’s Joy Ryan.” That’s the first thing I heard when I walked into my local YMCA to work out on Sunday. People don’t normally yell my name in public places. Working at a non-profit children’s treatment center is not a high-profile job. And at my core, I am not a high-profile type of person.…