Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
A Miracle on the Prairie
The year 2011 at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch marks the beginning of 59 years of service to at-risk youth across the nation.
In 1952 The Good Samaritan Society turned their Ranch over to the N.D. District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. That year also marked the formation of the Dakota Boys Ranch Association as a recognized, but independent mission of the LCMS. It is now also a recognized service provider of the ELCA. The Ranch has grown to be supported by people from all religions, cultures, ages and backgrounds.
Thousands of friends across the nation are committed to the Ranch’s goal and mission of helping at-risk children and their families succeed in the name of Christ. The children served by the Ranch are experiencing severe emotional, behavioral and developmental challenges.
The Ranch has six programs located in Minot, Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota. Funding is augmented by its eight thrift stores, located in Minot, Bismarck, Devils Lake, Grand Forks, Fargo and West Fargo, N.D., and Dilworth, Minn.
The Ranch’s treatment programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. The newest program at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is the Early Risers Program. The goal of the program is to direct children away from paths that could lead them to youth violence, bullying and more serious behavioral problems as they grow older.
Dakota Memorial School on the Minot and Bismarck campuses serves residents in the Ranch’s program, and also serves the community’s youth through its Educational Day Treatment program. The Minot Campus school also has an elementary classroom for youth who need additional individualized attention at the K-6 grade level; an independent living training center, for youth to learn how to function in apartment style living; a business/technology area for students to learn employability skills such as time management, customer services, stocking shelves, cleaning, organization, time cards, payroll, and how to make change. Youth in Fargo are served at River’s Edge School, which is owned by Fargo Public Schools.
A recent addition to the Ranch is completion of the Glenn Ista Arena, located on the Minot Campus. The arena, supported in large part by Glenn Ista, a Walcott, N.D., native, allows the Ranch to serve its residents and the community in its horse program year-round. The arena also recently served as sandbag-central for the Ranch during the historic N.W. North Dakota flooding in the summer of 2011.
In the past two years, Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch has established campus-wide leaders for spiritual life, residential coordination, case management, tribal liaison, nursing, training and the afore-mentioned Early Risers program.
Statistics show that hundreds of children and thousands of family members have been helped by services provided through the Ranch. From 1952 to 2011, the most accurate estimates show that close to 29,000 children, families and social service workers and agencies have been impacted by Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. In North Dakota alone, the Ranch has served children from 194 cities and towns, including rural areas. Overall it has served children from 36 states. And, as evidenced by the sharp increase in numbers of residents in recent years, the Ranch will continue to be sought and will seek to provide service for an ever-increasing population of at-risk children.
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is the second largest social service agency in the state. It is one of the top 100 largest employers in North Dakota (sixth largest in Minot), with a $20 million budget and more than 400 employees. Recent estimates show that Dakota Boys Ranch has an $80 million economic impact on the state.
For more information and a year-by-year documented history, email: ctisom@hotmail.com and request “The Complete Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch History.”
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