The School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province awarded $1,000 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to purchase new boots for Equine Therapy for the girls on its Minot Campus.
Children who come to the Ranch often have challenging mental, emotional, and behavioral issues resulting from significant trauma, abuse, and neglect. The Horse Program is an integral part of the Ranch’s multi-disciplinary approach to treatment.
Through participation in the Horse Program, kids at the Ranch learn the connection between their feelings and the horse’s response. They learn to focus on their breathing or practice other calming strategies to decrease the intensity of their emotions, so they can reconnect with the horse. The bond between child and horse can help children develop trust, respect, affection, empathy, unconditional acceptance, confidence, responsibility, assertiveness, communication skills, and self-control. These skills set kids at the Ranch up for success later in life, as they practice these skills and connect with other people.
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is a Christ-centered residential treatment and education center for children and their families. The Ranch helps the most troubled, complicated, and amazing kids by providing best-in-class psychiatric therapy and trauma-informed care, where staff look kids in the eye, walk with them, and help them become their best selves. In addition to Residential Treatment Facilities in Fargo, Bismarck, and Minot, the Ranch provides Outpatient Psychiatric and Psychological Services, and Spiritual Life Programs. The Ranch’s on-campus school, Dakota Memorial School (DMS), provides a personalized education for kids who have psychiatric, behavioral, and trauma issues.
The School Sisters of Notre Dame was founded in Germany in 1833. Their mission is to proclaim the good news, directing their entire lives toward that oneness for which Jesus Christ was sent. They work to transform the world through education with the belief that education extends beyond the classroom.