I pulled the door tightly closed behind me and made it to my room just in time for the tears to begin falling down my face. I sank into my bed, buried my face in my hands, and began to weep, no longer able to suffocate the pain welling up inside. Some days, this job...
Last week Michelle wrote about what a house parent is - and is not. We both agree that an important piece of understanding that is having a better sense of the population we work with. Michelle mentioned that we are not: Camp counselors - this isn’t a summer camp. ...
• So, you’ve learned a little bit about what Joy Ranch is and is not. Bethany has shared some killer tips and tricks of the “trade” we use around here. I’ve taken you on a tour of Leebrick cottage. Now I suppose you’d like to know what exactly is a “house...
We would like to extend a BIG thank you to Skyview Missionary Baptist Church Women's Ministry for their recent donation to Joy Ranch. Susan Huxster, Executive Director, enjoyed meeting with the group and getting to know them better. We are so blessed by groups like...
Anyone who works with children will tell you that it often becomes easy to spend too much time focusing on the negative; it can be hard to remember the positives – or have time to celebrate them. It has been stated, by researchers with the Harvard Business Review that...
Joy Ranch has been blessed by Copper Crest Riding Therapy Program in Wytheville, VA. For years, they have helped our kids with horse therapy and we wanted to help them promote two upcoming fundraisers they are having this spring. Your support of this programs helps...
With Easter just wrapping up I think it is important to take some time to talk about holidays. (For this blog we’ll focus on just those that come in the Spring.) They can be hard for so many different reasons. When you are raising a house full of other people’s...
Any given day, it is likely that you will find Christy buried beneath a stack of paperwork, busily working through mountains of data, forms, files, applications, and any other document you can imagine. Walk into her office though, and no matter how busy she is, she...
Hello, again! If you were to stop by our campus, you would be greeted with friendly faces and people who are glad you stopped by. They would be happy to answer your questions and tell you what this place called Joy Ranch is all about. And then you'd be invited on a...
Early Monday morning, a beautiful blanket of fresh fallen snow covered the rolling hills and quietly nestled cottages that sit atop the Joy Ranch campus. The wind sifted through the trees, reminding everyone that Spring was not quite here yet. While most students and...