For many, a new year is a time for resolutions – fresh starts, if you will. The first page of a new chapter in our lives. Maybe we’ll decide to exercise more, or quit smoking, or eat better.

For Ranch youth, the spirit behind New Year’s can be felt all year long when they come into our residential treatment programs. Many of our youth come from less-than-ideal situations – family problems, abuse, trouble in school, bullying, homelessness – these are just a few of the reasons a youth may end up at Ranch Ehrlo. But when they get here, they’re presented with an opportunity to leave all that behind.

More than that, our youth are given a way to heal from past hurts. In our residential programs, clients are surrounded by positive, loving staff members, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They have the chance to express their emotions in a positive way through creativity or sport. They learn positive coping mechanisms for stress. They make new friends who know exactly what they’re going through. Through these opportunities, Ranch youth learn to foster healthy relationships. These new skills will carry them into life after the Ranch – a fresh start, if you will.

Time at the Ranch does not guarantee a change in the outside circumstances that may have driven a child or youth into needing our treatment services. It does, however, guarantee that if a client chooses to work hard, he or she will come away with the ability to deal with these situations in a healthier, more positive way.