[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 14498]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                McCROSSAN BOYS RANCH CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, it is with great honor that I rise 
today to congratulate the McCrossan Boys Ranch of Sioux Falls, SD, as 
it celebrates 50 years of outstanding service on June 29, 2005.
  Established by Melinda Bell McCrossan, as the result of trust she 
created in honor of her late husband, the McCrossan Boys Ranch is a 
private, not-for-profit organization ``dedicated to providing a place 
for boys to grow into men.'' Since its inception, Mrs. McCrossan 
determined that the ranch would be ``a home where boys find a new hope 
for a better life.''
  In 1953, money from the trust was used to purchase four hospital 
buildings from the Sioux Falls Air Force Base that had been used during 
World War II. The buildings were transported 8 miles northwest of Sioux 
Falls, to the current location of the McCrossan Ranch. In 1955, the 
McCrossan Boys Ranch came to fruition as a working horse and sheep 
ranch designed to help boys between the ages of 10 and 18 handle the 
conflict in their lives and successfully live up their own potential.
  Education has always been one of the ranch's top priorities, as the 
organization stresses formal education, which includes academic and 
vocational instruction, as well as productive work and life skills. 
Prior to 1978, all residents on the ranch attended local public 
schools. However, now that the ranch operates its own on-campus 
approved special education program through a partnership with East 
Dakota Educational Cooperative, 85 percent of all residents attend the 
ranch's school. The other 15 percent attend local public schools, as 
reintegration into the public school system is the ranch's ultimate 
goal for all the boys.
  Although residents are there for a myriad of reasons, the McCrossan 
Boys Ranch makes certain to provide each student with ample individual 
attention, in addition to the required weekly group goals sessions. 
Anger management, corrective thinking, victim empathy and various other 
issues are also addressed through these workshops.
  In early 2004, McCrossan Boys Ranch received national accreditation 
from the American Corrections Association, with a 99.6 percent rating. 
This honor makes the ranch one of only three correctional facilities in 
all of South Dakota to hold this prestigious accreditation. In fact, 
only 1,500 correctional organizations throughout the Nation maintain 
this accreditation.
  I am proud to have this opportunity to recognize the McCrossan Boys 
Ranch for its 50 years of outstanding service. It is an honor for me to 
share with my colleagues the exemplary leadership and strong commitment 
to education McCrossan Boys Ranch provides. I strongly commend their 
years of hard work and dedication, and I am very pleased that their 
substantial efforts are being publicly honored and celebrated.

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