Pieces

Joy Ryan, President/CEO

I write this on the anniversary of my own high school graduation. Never mind what year. Suffice it to say that kids dress like people of that decade when they are “going retro.”

My emotions on that day are easy to remember. Giddy celebration with best friends. Anticipation of what’s to come. Relief at reaching the milestone. An uneasy sense of “adulting.” Eagerness to move on.

Today, May 21, 2026, is Graduation Day at Dakota Memorial School, Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch’s onsite school, and we celebrate in grand style. We have the music, the speeches, the decorations, the prayers, the handshakes, and the moving of the tassels. The graduates have the same emotions I did so many years ago.

We also add one more tradition, unique to the Ranch—Dedication of the Quilts. Quilts are an important part of the Ranch ministry. We give one to every child when they arrive, to families in need, and to staff members who are ill or grieving. They are representative of the work we do here…put pieces together and, with love, make them into something beautiful.

When you walk into the happily decorated gym on any of our Ranch campuses on Graduation Day, you’ll see intricate quilts displayed next to the stage. Each graduate personally selected “their quilt” from those made and lovingly donated by Ranch friends across the country.

During the precious ceremony, we say these words:

“Dear Lord,
We dedicate these quilts, trusting fully that your love will go wherever they are taken.
They are far more than pieces of material sewn together;
they are a sacred gathering of many parts,
created through the hands of many people,
each stitch offered as an intentional expression of love, compassion, and kindness.

Lord, we acknowledge that we cannot begin to measure
the power or lasting impact of a simple act of kindness—
how something as humble as a quilt
can be used by you to extend comfort, reflect your grace,
and radiate your love into the lives of others.

We place these quilts in your service,
asking that you use them as instruments of blessing.
May they bring warmth to the body and peace to the heart.
May they serve as reminders to our graduates
that they are deeply valued, faithfully supported,
and continually surrounded by your presence and care.

Bless those who lovingly created these quilts,
and bless those who receive them.
May your goodness be known through this gift
now and in the days ahead.
We offer this dedication with grateful hearts,
trusting all things into your loving hands. Amen!”

Pieces stitched together into something beautiful by the work of loving hands… Quilts and graduation have much in common.

Please keep our children, our staff, and those who are graduating in your prayers.