A Humble Perspective

Many, if not most, of our Ranchers have been on the waiting list for government funding for 10 years or more. Our Ranchers' families pay out of their own pockets in order to place their Rancher at TCR and many pay dearly in terms of doing without. The people who pay the bills are parents with households and businesses to consider; elderly parents living on a fixed income; siblings raising their own children or grandchildren and trying to pay for college; and Ranchers, themselves, who are quickly using up the money left to them through a settlement or trust fund.

The Ranch intentionally works hard at keeping costs at a minimum. I don't think you'll find an organization that does more with less than TCR. But...costs rise every year and our Ranchers' resources diminish. SSI and SSDI funds don't provide enough to cover a person's basic needs, reducing them to living in poverty if this is their only resource. Taxes go up, stock markets go down, food costs rise, electricity and propane bills skyrocket, and the cost of paying qualified staff goes up proportionately.

For a person with intellectual disabilities, making up the difference is not just a matter of going and getting a second job. Indeed, getting a first job is difficult, if not downright impossible, depending on the disability. Very few employers want to deal with a seizure disorder or bear the cost of providing the kind of oversight that our Ranchers need while working. No, most people with disabilities depend on others to provide the necessities of life, whether this translates to family or government, and the people that control the purse strings effectively control their world.

So why am I telling you this?

I'm telling you this because our Ranchers live at the Ranch both by choice and by necessity. Some families choose to stay in control of their loved one's world, rather than give them over to a system that has set them up to fail in the past. Others are waiting for the government money to come through, but there just isn't enough money to go around; the list gets longer every day and there doesn't seem to be a logical way for the average Joe to predict how that money will be allocated.

So whose job is it, anyway, to provide for adults with disabilities? In my humble opinion, it's the job of the family, the community and church all working together, caring for their own. I'm not a big fan of the "it takes a village" mentality, but in this scenario, it is applicable. If the community and the church would get behind a family with a disabled child, we wouldn't need government programs that regulate us into poverty. If the community and the church invested in their own members, people with disabilities could live where it was best for them, and not be forced into a "one size fits all" mold. If the community and the church focused on doing the right thing in their own hometowns, the only people who would live in poverty would be those who actively chose it.

Pie in the sky? Maybe. Disagree if you want. Say it's a pipe dream if you want to, but I'll tell you that here at the Ranch we have as close to this dream as I've ever seen. Community and church work together here to help provide a hope and a future for 10 disabled people. Yes, the cost is high. Yes, it gets messy. No, it's not perfect, but neither are the people who are investing in us. However, the process not only provides assistance for our Ranchers, but creates human beings with heart and compassion--pretty rare commodities these days.

And where do you fit? My challenge to you is to go out and find a way to invest in your local community and those people at risk that are near to you. Take care of home before you branch out, and then...branch out. Enlarge your community to encompass more and more people. Go on. They need you. They're waiting for you.

Feed Ten

Facebook is a new frontier for someone my age. It's been a journey figuring out how to connect with people in cyberspace and how to follow all of the unwritten rules and courtesies that people expect.

Today, however, Facebook paid off for me. I read a quote from Mother Teresa that was posted by a friend of the Ranch. It's changing my life--really. It is changing my life. Here it is.

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."

Wow. I know it's probably not as awe inspiring as I made it out to be, but just for a moment, I want to put that in the context of Triangle Cross Ranch.

I have been struggling to find money to fund the Ranch. I've contacted businesses, churches, foundations, you name it, and have been told that we just aren't inclusive enough. We don't meet the needs of a large population and, apparently, most organizations want to be connected with an agency that serves hundreds and thousands of people.

Enter this quote.

Triangle Cross Ranch currently serves 10 adults with intellectual disabilities. Ten. Period. I've struggled with this and given it over to God many times, but the bottom line is, we serve 10 people at this time. So, yeah, why would someone give us money?

Well, let me tell you. Broad agencies can provide some basic things, but they cannot do what the Ranch does. The Ranch provides deep and focused service to a small number of people. Our influence in the lives of our 10 Ranchers is lifelong and all inclusive. We consider the basic physical needs, emotional well being, safety, social desires, financial concerns, recreational activities, educational opportunities, spiritual growth and well being, and pretty much whatever arises. We are the go between that fights for our Ranchers. We are family to our Ranchers and they are family to us. We may not always like each other, but there is a bond between the Ranchers and between the Ranchers and staff that is not easily found in the world of broad and shallow services.

Triangle Cross Ranch is not big or rich enough to provide for the needs of hundreds, especially when it becomes clear how much we really do for each individual. No, we cannot serve hundreds. But we can serve 10. We can serve 10 with everything we've got, and then we can serve 11. And then we can serve 12.

To be honest, I'd rather walk deeply with 10 than walk broad and shallow with thousands. Only God can truly change the world, but He can use Triangle Cross Ranch to reach the 10 that nobody else can or will.

Do you know Rancher number 11? Send that person to us and we'll walk together.

January Rancher of the Month

Meet Greg**. Greg has been a Rancher for nearly 16 years. He comes to us from the great state of Kansas and a farming family. He served in the army and the navy, until an event brought him to us.

Greg is a kind and well-mannered person. He respects the space and privacy of others. Quiet and unassuming, he never pushes himself to the forefront, but lets others have priority.

If Greg knows you, he will come across the room to greet you, no matter where you are. He is an expert in giving "side hugs" that respect a person's personal space. He loves to talk about his experiences in the military and his life in Kansas prior to coming to the Ranch. Greg is a terrible tease, and can cause a stir when he's in the mood to do so. He enjoys church and social events, although his preference is to spend time in his room with his extensive collection of action movies and metal music. Game nights have been a struggle for Greg, but he's learning to take the winning and losing in stride and just enjoy the time with his friends.

Perhaps the very best thing Greg does is keep a neat and clean bedroom. His room is not just neat--it's immaculate. A place for everything and everything in its place. That's Greg. We suppose that comes from serving in the military for a number of years, but regardless, part of Greg's comfort zone is a clean living space.

Greg has learned to enjoy activities on the Ranch. He has always been cooperative and helpful, but enjoying the time has been a learning process. His favorite activity is sewing hand made felt into bags and boot liners. The work is done by hand and it's taken time for him to learn, but he does beautiful work and is very proud of his finished products. He is in charge of running the picker in our fiber workshop and is very careful to follow the rules when he does so.

Of all the things Greg loves, pizza and Old Chicago and Pepsi are his favorite. He looks forward to his mother's visits so they can go out together and enjoy an "Old Chicago #7."

Greg's father passed away several years ago and since then, he and his mother have formed a closer bond. He depends on his mother's weekly phone call and marks the time until it comes. He is no different than any other Rancher in that respect. They all crave attention and communication with their families and friends outside the Ranch.

Even though Greg needs his mother's attention and looks forward to visits with his family, he is always ready to come "home" to the Ranch. Greg has found his footing and has made a home here.

Just like every Rancher, Greg is absolutely....

....bursting with abilities, capabilities and possibilities!!!!

**Triangle Cross Ranch does not use our Rancher's real name in public posts.

October Rancher of the Month

This is April*. She comes to us from a home in the southern United States by way of her family ranch in Nebraska. April is an outdoors kind of girl who loves animals, bugs, snakes, dirt, rocks and anything else from nature. She is a kind and gentle person who needs lots of hugs--on her own terms only--and understanding from her house parent and friends.

April likes to collect things and has, in the past, hidden her collection quite cleverly. Recently, however, she has created a display in her room of the things she has collected and is very pleased with the outcome. Her house parent is very pleased as well.

April is extremely creative. She makes up songs on the spur of the moment and has an amazing sense of color and design. In our fiber workshop, she makes hand made felt and blends surprising colors together that make for beautiful patterns. She also quite accomplished at needle work of any kind.

She likes to work in the garden and will work from begininning to end at any task she is set to. Pulling weeds is her summer project and she enjoys being responsible for keeping the flower beds around her house clean.

April is happiest when she can walk out on the Ranch and talk to the animals in the pastures. They come to her readily because she is so gentle with them and has a special ability to calm them and earn their trust. We call her "The Goat Whisperer."
April is good company. She likes to talk and joke while riding along to appointments and shopping. She doesn't ask for much and is very easy to please, which makes her even easier to spend time with. Mostly, April wants friends and caregivers that will take the time to earn her trust and will stay in her life a long time.

We're pleased to call April our friend. She is absolutely...

...bursting with abilities, capabilities and possibilities!!!

**Triangle Cross Ranch does not use Ranchers' real names in our public posts.