Sincere Thanks
As we enter this wonderful Holiday Season with all of its busy moments, we want to take the time to sincerely THANK YOU for your ongoing support of our organization. We deeply value your contributions of time, talents and financial resources. Reflecting on the past year, it is miraculous how God has been moving at The Ranch. We are so grateful for the financial and spiritual blessing we have received in 2018. God is always faithful.
Veteran’s Program Update
Last week, The Des Moines Register highlighted our veteran’s program! You can read the full story here.
There are so many incredible stories to share from this part of The Ranch’s programming.
One story involves a man named Sam who came to us as a last resort after having suicidal intentions and alcohol/drug dependencies. The underlying issue to his struggles was that he was having difficulty finding what his new life direction was after his time in military service. Ironically, he got paired up with a race horse who was also struggling with adjusting to becoming a therapy horse instead of a competitor. The uniqueness of this situation is that The Ranch does not usually accept race horses as their temperament is not conducive to entering the therapy space.
However, what happened next was life-changing for Sam and for the horse. Sam bonded with the ex-race horse. He worked on calming and training the horse and all the while the horse was working on developing a new sense of purpose in Sam. We watched a miracle unfold. Sam is now healed and going on to help others with similar PTSD issues like his. The horse turned into being a gentle and obedient therapy horse that could be around other veterans and children that we serve without being jumpy.
There are many stories like Sam’s. We are honored to serve veterans and service members from the Domiciliary (in-patient care) at the VA Central Iowa Health Care System who attend weekly therapy sessions in six-week blocks. You can see our veterans and service members in action performing flag presentations at parades, rodeos and festivals throughout the state of Iowa.
Inauguration Announcement
Another exciting announcement to share is regarding the upcoming inauguration of Kim Reynolds, Governor of Iowa. Wildwood Hills Ranch has been elected to be one of four charities featured as part of the inaugural reception and festivities at the January 19 celebration! We are beyond honored to have this recognition and support from the Governor of Iowa and we are grateful for the support of people like you who have gotten us to this point. Please take a moment to read more about this incredible opportunity here.
From all of us at Wildwood Hills Ranch ~ Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!