We are honored to announce that Idaho Youth Ranch was nominated and selected as the recipients of a $10,000 grant from The CarMax Foundation. We are so honored and grateful to receive this generous grant that will help provide support and healing to Idaho’s most vulnerable children.
Very few success stories move in straight lines that never waver. For many of the kids we work with at IYR, the path to a promising future includes some setbacks and challenges along the way.
It’s the little things that can mean so much to a teenager whose only idea of “normal” is homelessness. Things like having a safe place to stay, regular meals, access to showers and clean clothes to change into- or going to your high school dance with someone you really like.
Every year the Idaho Youth Ranch has the honor of awarding scholarships to graduates from our various programs to attend universities, colleges, or vocational/trade schools. Their application essays and interviews are always an inspiration to everyone on the review committee. One of the most rewarding parts of the process is the chance to learn what our IYR alums are up to and how their promising futures are taking shape.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, an opportunity to shine a light on a problem that too often hides unacknowledged in the shadows. And the impact on children is huge, whether they become targets themselves or whether they witness the abuse of a parent or caregiver.
One of the key ingredients to a promising future is a sense of belonging and feeling connected to others and valued for what you have to offer. That’s why volunteering, or what we call service learning, is such an important part of treatment at IYR.
To say that Nicole had a rough start in life is an understatement. As an infant, Nicole’s diapers would go unchanged so long that she remembers the pain of having urine burns all over her tiny body and once watching her older brother and sister try to eat cat litter while their mom was sinking into meth addiction.
It was a sultry Saturday afternoon, 109 degrees in the shade. Three therapists and three teenage girls from Hays House sat under the park’s only tree, watching the sun beat down on three horses in a sand-filled arena with no shade at all. They (the humans, not the horses) were discussing the idea of “willingness” and the girls were being asked to think about and try to practice willingness at today’s equine therapy session.
Betrayed by her family, Amanda once believed she had only herself to rely on. But she left Hays Shelter home knowing that her IYR “family” will always be here to support her into adulthood.
One of our program graduates recently applied for -- and received -- an Idaho Youth Ranch scholarship. Her application letter told the story of a courageous transformation, made possible by so many generous IYR donors and community partners. Anna came to us struggling against tremendous obstacles, but she is now on her way to college with a clear life direction.