Ranch for foster teens rounds up donations
Offers of horses and holiday gifts cheer the residential group home, which opened in August and was featured in a recent article.
By COLLEEN JENKINS
Published November 10, 2004
At H.O.P.E. Youth Ranch, things seem to have a way of falling into place.
When the founders were looking for a place to house foster teenagers, they found a beautiful ranch in Hudson and an owner willing to lease the property for an eventual purchase.
When they needed furniture to fill the ranch, donations spilled in. They not only furnished the home and office but got enough computers for a private school they plan to open in January.
When they needed horses for therapeutic riding lessons, the animals were donated, too.
Now, in response to a feature story in Sunday's Pasco Times, more people are lining up to help Pasco's only residential group home, which opened its doors to six foster girls in August.
The first call came from Christine Taylor, who teachers fourth- and fifth-graders at Fox Hollow Elementary. Taylor had been looking for opportunities to play Santa for needy children this Christmas. Her two daughters are in their 20s, and she figures it is time to start a new holiday gift-giving tradition.
"They don't need it anymore," she said.
H.O.P.E. Youth Ranch sounds like a good fit, she said. She's hoping her daughters will be home in December in time to help with the shopping.
Pauline Shaver called next. As director of the Angelus home, which has housed developmentally disabled children and adults in Hudson for the past 27 years, she saw something of her own early experience in the new group home.
"They sound a lot like when we first started out," Shaver said.
So, she's hoping the ranch might be interested in inheriting four miniature horses from the Angelus home. Shaver said her organization has been looking for a good home for the horses, which it can no longer afford to keep.
The girls at the ranch wouldn't be able to ride the small horses, she said, but they could teach them tricks and use them in horse shows.
"I saw (the Times) article and thought, "Oh, this is perfect,' " Shaver said. "They're beautiful horses."
H.O.P.E. Youth Ranch executive director Jose Suarez hadn't yet had a chance to speak with the two women, but he was heartened by their generous offers.
"One of the things we found out as we put this ranch together is that folks wanted to help others somehow, but they didn't know how," he said Tuesday. But once a program gets off the ground, "people are eager to plug in."
The offers come on the heels of more good news for the ranch. Over the weekend, two private supporters donated four additional horses to the ranch, meaning each girl will now have a well-trained horse to feed and ride.
H.O.P.E, which stands for Helping Overcome Past Experiences, uses the horses to bolster traditional therapies for the abused and neglected girls in the program's care.
The Christian ranch receives funding through a contract with Safe Children Coalition, the community organization that monitors foster homes for the state.
To protect the girls' safety and privacy, Suarez said the ranch must be cautious about who comes into contact with them. But he's definitely open to getting help from the community.
"It's good because it gives people a chance to participate," he said.
Colleen Jenkins covers social services in Pasco County. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6236, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6236. Her e-mail is cjenkins@sptimes.com