Principle 3: All staff in the agency are encouraged to assume leadership in their area, through the introduction of creative initiatives designed to be of benefit to children, families, or communities.

The statement above is part of the Ranch Ehrlo philosophy written in the 2004 book Go Forward with pride: A historical Review of the Ranch Ehrlo Society.

To facilitate interaction with youth, staff often have the opportunity to take charge of a particular program or activity in which they have an interest or to create a new program where none has existed.

This involvement not only stimulates leadership in the staff team it also has other benefits. Staff can express interests in a creative way, its helps staff build interest in their work, and helps create bonds with the youth and clients.

Many of our long standing programs were built this way, including the 3-mile run, skits for awards night, Sport Venture, Ehrlo Early Learning Centre, and the annual Winterfest.

The Winterfest has been a staple at the Ranch, usually taking place in February or March during a long cold winter and giving youth and staff the opportunity to have fun outside.

Events like smoosh races (a team of kids strapped into two 2x4s who need to move together in order to move forward), tug of war, and the bell kick have been a tradition over the years. Every year a group home will come up with new ideas to make the event fresh and fun. This year MacKay House in Regina created a giant Jenga game and Buckland created a kissing booth featuring Ranch horses Scotty and Rocky.

The combination of new and old helps sustain the lasting legacy of the Winterfest.