Moving the Needle

JANUARY-MARCH 2026

Duck pairs in the pond, the smell of new-mown grass and puffy pearl-colored clouds floating slowly across robin-egg blue skies signals a time of renewal and rebirth. Spring is a time of renewal at Raven Rock Ranch that brings longer days, new growth, and a fresh sense of hope for the children and families we serve.                                    

We are so humble and proud to report that our 2025 online donation drive beat our goal of $200,000 by 20% plus! If you were one of the generous donors who gave, be aware that I am giving you a STANDING OVATION right now! The giving was amazing and made all of us know that we are in this fight for our kids’ mental health together with a group of warriors. You offer your financial support, your time, energy, advice and importantly, your prayers to help move the needle on our kids who come to Raven Rock. We see the tremendous results sometimes months after the client leaves the ranch.

“Mary” (not her real name) came to us while living with her father’s mom but still having to visit him on some weekends. Joint custody dictated that though Mary did not want to go visit her father, she had to by law. Even though CPS had a thick file on him and a hand-print bruise across Mary’s face did not change the parenting program. Sadly, the courts are often not set up for the best outcomes of the children. Many times, the parents/grandparents have no money to fight in court. Until the child can refuse to go and are willing to testify against the offending parent, things are still the same. Mary didn’t feel safe doing those things.

Her grandma reported 2 weeks into the treatment that the difference in Mary was astounding. She functioned so much better at home that her grandma cried and hugged me in the driveway. Mary came regularly for about 1-1/2 years until her grandma’s job created trouble for getting her here and picked up. We were all very sad that Mary had to leave before our work was done.

Two years after Mary left Raven Rock, I got a text from her grandma telling me that Mary was “student of the month” and had straight A’s! This is the girl who was bullied and mocked for “being dumb.” She had moved to an online school where she could perform without peer-pressure and fear of bullying. Her kind grandma said that she “attributed all of Mary’s success to her time at Raven Rock Ranch.” So, a young person I grieved for and prayed for when she left was able to glean enough self-esteem from her time at RRR to build her life into a positive one. PTL!

A question I often get is “How long does this therapy take?” The answer is that I don’t know. People get something from it immediately but continue benefitting from it the longer they’re here. Children, adults, the horses and even the staff benefit from a richer shared life in the aisle of the barn. Thank you, donors, thank you!

As we celebrate our 15th year serving the community, we’re excited to invite you to upcoming Awareness Events, including a comedy night, wine tastings, and ‘coffee with the herd.’ These are not fundraisers, but friend-raisers and are meant to be a fun way to introduce more people to Raven Rock and the significant work we do here at the ranch. The details will be solidified soon.

Thank you again for coming along on this journey, now in our 15^th year of service to the community.

Blessings to all,

Sandy