One of the most important things children discover in their time at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is their "voice." Most of our trauma-affected kids have been told what they are, what they think, why they are failures, and why they will always be failures. Through hard work, determination, and a commitment to their treatment and education, they begin to discover their strengths. They begin to tell their own true stories, in their own voice.…
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Sam’s Club—Bismarck granted $1,000 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, through the Community Grant Program, to underwrite the cost of materials for the Gardening Program and Greenhouse on our Bismarck campus. The donated funds will be used to purchase various gardening tools, tables for the plants that are grown, topsoil, and seeds.…
Trinity Lutheran Church Foundation awarded $1,000 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch for the purchase of guitars to be used on our Fargo campus.…
Great River Energy awarded $1,000 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to underwrite the cost of new flooring for Dakota Memorial School (DMS), Bismarck. DMS, the on-campus school of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, educates residents at the Ranch’s psychiatric treatment facility and day students (students who live at home but come to DMS for school). The flooring will create a quieter learning space for children who are highly sensitive to noise and other distractions.…
When it comes to overcoming challenges, Helen Keller (1880-1968) set the bar quite high. She was a lifelong learner, teacher, inspiration. She danced, laughed, wrote, and loved. She was deaf, blind, and had great difficulty speaking. And, she changed the world and the way we view the potential of those with special needs. Her teacher and best friend, Anne Sullivan, who was herself blind and parentless, instilled a sense of hope in the young Helen. Anne had a persistent hope that guided Helen into her future.…
All of us at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch are humbled and grateful each day. First, by the opportunity to serve the Lord by serving others. Second, that the “others” we serve are precious children on a journey of hope and healing to become their best selves. Third, that so many people, like you, support our work. The attitude of gratitude we carry into each day is more than a clever rhyme, it is a worldview based on the honor we feel. We try to find every way possible to share our thankfulness with everyone.…
If you have had kids, or been around kids, you know that trips to urgent care or the emergency room are part of “the deal.” With my own children, we had the requisite ear infections, occasional stitches from a variety of boo-boos, and a very exciting dislocated thumb that happened on the school playground. As they got older, we moved onto sports injuries. Ranch kids are kids. They have these experiences, too. And sometimes, an acute psychiatric issue may lead to a hospital visit.…
A few weeks ago I was going through our cafeteria line for lunch on campus when there was a commotion at the other end of the dining center. Something had agitated one of our children, a young boy, and he threw his lunch tray on the floor. It hit with such force that the unbreakable plastic dish shattered and, of course, milk flew everywhere. Staff quickly helped the young man leave the environment and helped him use some of his coping and calming skills. In a few minutes, he was able to re-set his emotions and finish lunch.…
Now, imagine what it's like to be a kid in residential treatment during the summer. All their freewheeling plans are put aside as they work towards their treatment goals. Life at home—including family reunions, outings with friends, and days at the pool—moves on without them. Therapy and psychiatric care continue just as intensely over the summer months as during the school year.…
Dakota Family Services is a group of compassionate, practiced experts providing trauma-informed care for children, adolescents, and adults with substance abuse, psychiatric, and behavior issues. Our staff are truly committed to their work and the care of children, adolescents, and adults with a variety of behavioral health issues. For more information, go to http://dakotafamilyservices.org/…
I truly love the Ranch kids. They surprise me every day with their courage, resilience, desire to be their best selves. This morning as I walked through the dining room at breakfast time, several of the girls stopped me to teach them how to do the Star Trek “live long and prosper” sign with my hands. Much giggling and goofing later, we settled for them making the peace sign. For many of the children, their journey also includes their first real consideration of God and His role in their healing. Tara, whose story follows, was a child who opened her heart to the work of treatment and the word of the Lord. These children are remarkable.…
During a recent lecture, Dr. Wayne Martinsen, Medical Director and psychiatrist at Dakota Family Services, clearly explained the science and statistics of different types of dementia. For the professionals in attendance, he shared new research on the medications that enhance brain functioning, and the limitations of those medications, new findings on the prevalence of Traumatic Brain Injury as a contributor to dementia, and much more. The takeaways, for my own life and for those I love, were in the powerful information he provided about building protective factors against dementia. We can establish behaviors (for ourselves and for the youngest of our Ranch kids) that can delay or impact the effects. Diet, exercise, brain-stimulating activities, sauna, caffeine – each in appropriate doses – have great research-based impacts on the prevalence of the disease. It was fascinating.…
If you took away my map and my compass, I wouldn’t be able to find my way out of a paper bag, let alone navigate the places we hunt; so I was enthralled by the stories in the book. The author’s premise is that simply looking at the details others miss enables a person to successfully navigate even the most desolate terrain. No doubt it was pretty amazing, even awe-inspiring stuff. But, I still believe if you threw ME into the middle of the wilderness to find my way without a map or a compass, you would be asking the impossible!…
Ranch Wellness Coordinators help kids build healthy habits they can take with them after they leave the Ranch.…
When Adam, a Dakota Memorial School (DMS) day student, took his first art class a couple of years ago, he fell in love with photography.…
Marlys and Wes Kuntz are touching young lives through their support of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch.…
Summer means a change of pace and new challenges for Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch kids. They look forward to summer! And why not? It’s a time for hands-on learning, fun outings, swimming, and lots more. For kids who have endured dark days of failure in school and difficulty at home, summer is a chance to “catch up” on the activities most of us take for granted.…
All children have occasional temper tantrums and outbursts. Because they don’t have the internal infrastructure to deal with big emotions, they get frustrated and angry. It’s likely that other emotions—sadness, irritability, shame, guilt or embarrassment—lie at the root of your child’s anger. Anger is the fallback emotion when a child doesn’t have the vocabulary or awareness to explain other more complicated emotions.…
Shawn and Maddie share their inspiring stories--how they came to the Ranch, the barriers that got in their way, their ultimate success, and their plans. Read their stories of courage and perseverance.…
When I think about the many ways I have been impacted by the Ranch, I keep coming back to the overwhelming sense of family and belonging that surrounds everything we do. I immediately felt welcomed by everyone I met, from coworkers and board members to the children we serve.…
Regardless of their age, children with attachment issues can learn to build trusting relationships and live successful lives.…
A woman called recently to ask how we use medication at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. She said, "I recently learned that most of the kids at the Ranch are on medication. Is that true?" According to Dr. Wayne Martinsen, Medical Director at the Ranch, and Heatthyr Haugeberg, Director of Nursing at the Ranch, she is correct. About 90% of our children are on a psychotropic medication at any given time. This is not surprising when you remember that the Ranch is a psychiatric residential treatment facility, providing hope and healing for the most troubled children in our communities—children who have experienced chronic stress and trauma.…
Through childhood chores and later on, high school jobs, children gain skills they need to be successful in the world. Some of our Ranch kids come from great families who give their kids chores, show them the value of work, and encourage them to find a job. But, most of our kids haven't had those same work experiences. To give them these important work experiences and a sense of belonging, we give Ranch kids on-campus jobs.…
Nursing care at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is unlike any other nursing job. I am often asked, “What do the nurses do at the Ranch?” and I am never quite sure how to answer. One day, nursing staff can be found scheduling appointments and managing medications. The next day, we might be out playing a softball game with the kids. No two days are ever the same!…
One young man at the Ranch is celebrating Easter with a very creative and symbolic haircut!…