He always walks into my office with complete confidence. He may be only 13 years old. He may be struggling with severe outbursts of anger. He may have several psychiatric diagnoses brought on by severe trauma. His hair may always be a little messy, and more than once I’ve seen him wipe his nose with the back of his forearm.…
psychiatric residential treatment
The Otter Tail Corporation Foundation awarded $3,200 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to complete safety upgrades on its Fargo campus.…
When Gideon came to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, he was, like many children, quiet and withdrawn. It isn’t that way with all children when they arrive, but many spend their early days with us observing and acclimating. It is a new place with new expectations, new people, new food, new guidelines. Gideon was watching and simply figuring things out.…
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, therefore I will hope in him."…
My mother-in-law recently passed away. I will miss her. She just had her 95th birthday days before her death, and she was part of my life for over half of that time. She led a hard, yet incredibly grateful life.…
Eli is quiet and seems to be listening intently. Then he gets angry and lashes out, just when the person talking with him thinks things are going well. His anger seems unprovoked and unanticipated. Just a second ago he was a very engaged, calm, super cute 12-year-old. Then, in the blink of an eye, he is frustrated, hitting himself, calling himself dumb. Sometimes he strikes out at those around him.…
It’s a “Hug Card.” It looks just like one of those “loyalty cards” you get when you buy 5 sub sandwiches and get a 6th one free. But, it’s for hugs.…
Last month, Eden Keefe, the National President of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML), and Kay Kreklau, former National President, toured our Bismarck campus. The LWML has been a tremendous support for the children and work of the Ranch. The individual LWML districts support various needs, and the national organization has supported our Deaconesses, as well as the construction of our Chapel in Bismarck. This is an organization truly filled with faith-centered, loving, Christian women.…
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.”…
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.…
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.…
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch received grants from local high school students at Horace High School, Kindred High School, and Oak Grove High School through the Barry Foundation’s Philanthropy and Youth (PaY) program.…
When our Bismarck campus was first designed, the plan was to serve children with developmental delays who would be able to attend church in the community. As we completed the construction of the facility, it became clear that the need for a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility was crucial.…
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.…