Direct Communication

Joy Ryan, President/CEO

I have never been accused of being subtle. I am a pretty direct communicator, and I appreciate that in others. I certainly never want to be mean or hurt someone, but I do believe that more harm is done when communication is fuzzy or vague.

The children who come to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch have endured so much. Some have truly lost their voices. They have taught themselves to be small and quiet to avoid all conflict, harm, or additional trauma.

More of the children have learned to be bold. They have survived by pushing others away with their bombastic behavior. By being loud, argumentative, and aggressive, they have caused others to avoid them, again, to avoid conflict, harm, or additional trauma.

In both cases, when they decide to talk, they are direct. I have been asked how old I am, how much I weigh, if I own the Ranch, how many kids I have, why I color my hair, and one of my favorites, why I wear pantyhose.

Sometimes these precious children do “service projects” when they are in our care. They may go with staff to volunteer at a food pantry, or play Bingo at a long-term care facility. Sometimes the projects are on campus, like caring for a garden or helping to raise baby pheasants.

Last week, one of our children decided to help write thank-you notes to you, our supporters. He sat down with a box of note cards and diligently went to work. The notes made it to my desk to send along with a note from me to the first twelve donors I was writing to. Most of his notes were simple. “Thank you for your gift to the Ranch. I am a resident and I think the gift is nice.”

One, though, had the direct approach I love, “Hello, this is from the Ranch. This is Greer. Your donation has made my stay better than I thought it would be. Thanks again. Greer”

That pretty much sums it up!

I simply love these children. Thank you for loving them, too. Please keep them and our staff in your prayers.