Great River Energy awarded $1,000 to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to purchase equipment and sensory items for the sensory room on its Bismarck campus.
Children at the Ranch often come from unstable homes, so one of the first goals is to ensure they feel safe and secure in their new environment. Sensory rooms and sensory equipment are used to provide a safe and comfortable environment for kids at the Ranch.
Having well-equipped sensory rooms is important for building skills in relaxation, self-esteem, self-care and nurturance, attention, and self-organization. The sensory spaces are used to help teenagers discover coping skills, aid in de-escalation, reduce self-injurious behaviors and restraints, and improve the quality of therapeutic relationships and quality of life.
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is a Christ-centered residential treatment and educational center for children. At the Bismarck facility, fifty-five employees work together to help the most troubled, complicated, and amazing kids by providing best-in-class psychiatric therapy and trauma-informed care, where we look kids in the eye, walk with them, and help them become their best selves. Our on-campus school, Dakota Memorial School (DMS), provides a personalized education for kids who have psychiatric, behavioral, and trauma issues.
Great River Energy, based in Maple Grove, Minn., provides wholesale electric service to 28 distribution cooperatives, which distribute electricity to approximately 665,000 members across Minnesota. Great River Energy is committed to supporting the communities they serve and in which they operate through education, sponsorships, contributions, and economic development.