[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 12, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5184-S5185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          COLORADO BOYS RANCH

 Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to 
draw attention to an anniversary. Forty years ago yesterday, the 
Colorado Boys Ranch Foundation was incorporated. Yesterday they 
celebrated forty years as a leader in the field of youth work.
  The Colorado Boys Ranch places emphasis upon youth, especially those 
who are vulnerable to or troubled by the negative influences and 
pressures of our society. Their motto is ``It's easier to build a boy 
than mend a man.''
  Thirty eight years ago, my predecessor, Senator John Carroll of 
Colorado, spoke on this floor on the merits of the then still new 
Ranch, and I am here to echo the spirit of his comments.
  Colorado Boys Ranch was created through volunteer labor and public 
and private contributions. This ranch is located just north of La 
Junta, Colorado. In 1959 the La Junta Chamber of Commerce and the 
Colorado County Judge's Association had a vision to build a treatment 
center for wayward youth coming from broken and unloving homes. The 
City of La Junta had received from the United States Government an 
abandoned WWII air field, and they gave the Foundation the civilian 
housing area from that field. Businesses and volunteers immediately 
came forth with offers to help remodel this facility to accommodate 
plans for the Ranch.
  Of the committee of ten that started the ball rolling, two are still 
alive. Of the four judges that were involved personally, only one 
remains. Their volunteerism inspired others over the past forty years, 
and the overall efforts have been great and still continue strong to 
help the Ranch in its great efforts.
  Over the past forty years, 4,000 plus youth have been treated at 
Colorado Boys Ranch and over 85% have continued on to be productive 
citizens. The Ranch is accredited with commendation by the Joint 
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and is 
certified and licensed by the Colorado Department of Human Services, 
Mental Health and Education.
  The Colorado Boys Ranch program is based upon the following beliefs: 
That preserving families and family ties takes continual effort and a 
spirit of renewal. That youth require essential life experiences and 
skills to maximize their growth and development. That something special 
happens when the lives of youth and animals connect. And, that CARING 
BRINGS RESULTS.
  Recently, the Ranch received the Samaritan Institute Award for 
Ethics. This prestigious award is presented annually to a non-profit 
organization that best illustrates the importance of ethical values 
through its chartered work and its partnership with the business 
community.
  I commend the goals of the ranch, and its purpose as a leader in the 
field of working with vulnerable youth and helping them find their role 
in modern society. I invite you to visit the Colroado Boys Ranch should 
you ever be in the state--over its forty year history, it has served 
youth from over twenty states across our nation.
  Mr. President, the fortieth anniversary of the Colorado Boys Ranch 
Foundation would be special any day that it happened to fall upon, but 
today it is especially notable. We debate today on youth violence and 
youth crime, and ways to curb that horrible scourge. The Ranch has 
found a solution, a solution that will not perhaps work across the 
whole nation, but is certainly working for those it serves.
  Following also in the path of Senator Carroll, I ask that an article 
from the Denver Post on the Ranch and its good works be printed in the 
Record.
  The article follows.

                 [From the Denver Post, Jan. 23, 1999]

                    Boys Ranch Helps Troubled Youth

                           (By Keith Coffman)

       Those seeking testimonials about how the horsemanship 
     program helps troubled youth at the Colorado Boys Ranch don't 
     need to look far. Current ranch residents will gladly oblige, 
     thank you very much.
       ``Before I came here, I was living on the street, taking 
     drugs and didn't care about anything, even myself,'' said 
     George, a 17-year-old who's been at the ranch for six months. 
     ``Now I've learned responsibility by taking care of my horse 
     and focusing on one objective at a time.''
       George is one of 60 youth at the ranch, a residential 
     treatment center for troubled boys ages 12 to 18. He was 
     facing jail time for a variety of petty crimes in Nevada. But 
     after six months in Colorado, he now thanks his probation 
     officer for giving him a second chance by suggesting the 
     ranch.
       ``I still show a little stubbornness, but I've gotten 
     better at listening to people,'' he said.
       Located on 320 acres near La Junta in southeastern 
     Colorado, the private, nonprofit Colorado Boys Ranch offers 
     therapy, education and pre-vocational training to its 
     residents, many of whom are referred by courts and social 
     service agencies nationwide.
       A handful of residents and staff participated in several 
     activities at this year's National Western Stock Show and 
     Rodeo as part of the ranch's animal-assisted therapy program.
       Boys in the program trained three roping, or heading, 
     horses for entries by Colorado Boys Ranch ranch hands in the 
     pre-circuit team roping event earlier in the show. They also 
     showed a 4-year-old donated quarter horse in the halter 
     competition.
       Although insurance regulations prohibit residents from 
     competing in rodeo and other events, the boys took pride in 
     seeing their contributions to a major event like the National 
     Western, said Jim Kerr, director of the horsemanship program 
     for the Boys Ranch.
       ``They also get a chance to see our staff and other 
     professionals as positive role models, which I think is very 
     important,'' Kerr said.
       But the horsemanship program isn't just about playing 
     cowboy, Kerr said. The ranch teaches its charges all facets 
     of horsemanship, from riding to the less-glamorous task of 
     cleaning corrals,. Classroom instruction also is incorporated 
     into real world experience on the ranch.
       For instance, Kerr said, students apply their math skills 
     to calculate correct feed amounts for the animals they tend, 
     or watch a mare give birth to a foal to get a valuable 
     biology lesson. He said therapists also have found that many 
     boys are more forthcoming in counseling sessions done during 
     a leisurely horseback ride at the ranch, than those held in 
     more formal office settings.
       For many of the youth, relating to animals often helps them 
     relate to people and prepare them for mainstream society, 
     Kerr said.

[[Page S5185]]

       That's the case for Thurman, 17, who was skipping school 
     and getting into fights in his native Detroit before coming 
     to the ranch 18 months ago.
       Raising and halter breaking an orphaned filly named Sweet 
     Pea, he said, has taught him to become disciplined enough to 
     get on track for his high school equivalency diploma, with a 
     goal of one day becoming an animal trainer.
       ``When my mom comes to visit me, she sees how I've 
     changed,'' he said. ``I used to be very angry and aggressive, 
     and couldn't sit still.''
       But none of the ranch's success stories surprise Kerr, a 
     former public school teacher.
       ``I witness a miracle a day here,'' he said.

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