October Pumpkin Patch 2022
08/24/2022

Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches 5th Annual Pumpkin Patch October 2022

We are so excited to welcome visitors back to the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches for our 5th annual Pumpkin Patch presented by First Community Bank!

photo courtesy of www.amandafarris.org

Each year, our staff and children work to transform the Ranch into a fall wonderland that is fun for the whole family! This year’s Pumpkin Patch will run from October 6th to October 30.

Admission is only $10 and includes one pumpkin per visitor and free access to all of these fun activities:

Barrel Train Ride
Enchanted Forest
Hay Ride
Bouncy Houses
Inflatable Maze
Petting Zoo
Corn Pit
Maze

We will also have face painting, cookie decorating, carnival games and SO MUCH more!

Our beautiful 600 acre campus offers many opportunities for beautiful fall photos with the whole family, and we’ll also have some fun photo spots set up for the kids!

Hours of Operation

October 6th-30th

Wednesday-Friday: by Group Reservation Only

Saturday: 10am – 5pm

Sunday: 1pm – 4pm

Location

Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranch

100 Saint Vincent Place, Batesville

Directions: The ASYR is located just west of Batesville, near the community of Bethesda out Highway 106. Follow highway signs to Arkansas Sheriffs Ranch down Earnheart Road and turn right onto Saint Vincent Place for parking.

Admission

$10 Admission per visitor available at the gate, includes 1 pumpkin and access to all activities.
Children 2 years of age and younger are FREE.
Weekday rates available for groups of 20 or more only by RSVP.
Credit and debit cards are accepted.

And the best part?

All net proceeds from the Pumpkin Patch benefit the mission of the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches, which provides safe, healthy, and loving homes for Arkansas children. You can also support the ASYR by making a one-time gift or set up a monthly contribution by clicking here.

Volunteers Needed!

We are scheduling volunteers for weekend shifts!!

If you would like to support this event by volunteering, please contact Alyssa Stark (870) 793-6841 ext 303 or email alyssa@youthranches.com.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

Presenting Sponsor

Pumpkin Sponsor

FutureFuel Chemical Company

Activity Sponsors

Intimidator
Littlefield Oil Company
Precise Heating Air & Electrical
Southern Bank

Patch Supporters

Bad Boy Mowers
Home Depot

If you would like to support this event by becoming a sponsor, please contact Matthew Cleveland (501) 940-3440 or email matt@youthranches.com.

Gourmet Guru Grill Giveaway!
05/06/2022

Grilling season is here, and we are very excited to offer another opportunity to win a beautiful new Deluxe Gourmet Guru Grill while benefiting the mission of the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches!

Details: For every $10 you donate to the Ranch through this special link, you will be entered to win this Deluxe Grill from Gourmet Guru Grills. For every $25 you donate, you will receive three (3) entries. Drawing will be held on Friday, June 17, just in time for Father’s Day!

The Gourmet Guru Grill comes with a handy Metal Rolling Cart, and together they retail for $948! The Deluxe Gourmet Guru Grill is a beautiful ceramic charcoal grill that distributes heat evenly so that whatever you cook comes out grilled to perfection! The Deluxe Grill combines a grill, a smoker, and a brick oven for a variety of applications, and it also includes a lifetime warranty.

Past winner Michele Towne says, “You can’t win if you don’t buy a ticket. Support a great cause, and buy two or three tickets to double or triple your chances to win. Dad will love it and so will mom!”

MANY THANKS! to the anonymous donor for donating the Gourmet Guru Deluxe Grill and Metal Rolling Cart to raise support for the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches.

At the Ranch, we provide homes for some of Arkansas’s most vulnerable boys and girls. Your gift today can truly make a difference in the lives of the children we serve. Don’t miss this opportunity!!

Click here to make your gift today!

VOTE for Ranch to Receive $5,000 Difference Maker Award
03/04/2022

In 2018, Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches received a Difference Maker Award from Rainwater Holt & Sexton for our work protecting children from violence and abuse.

This year, in honor of 5 years of presenting this award to local charities, Rainwater Holt & Sexton will donate $5,000 to the charity that receives the most votes.

YOU can help the Ranch receive this $5,000 donation! Just click here to vote for Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches.

Since 1976, the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranch has raised more than 2,200 boys and girls from every corner of the state. These are children, who through no fault of their own, needed a safe, loving home where they can thrive. With your help, many more children can have this same opportunity.

As an organization that is 100% privately funded, every gift makes a difference and is very much appreciated. Please consider a gift to the Ranch today. To learn more ways to support, click here.

There’s Still Time to Make a Difference in 2021
12/30/2021

Photography by Jason Masters

As we wrap up our 45th year at the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches, we are grateful that you helped us accomplish BIG things in 2021! This year:

More than 40 boys and girls have found a home and hope for a brighter future at the Ranch.
One of our Ranchers graduated from high school a semester early and is headed to basic training in January to join the U.S. Marine Corps.
Over 4,000 visitors came out to the Youth Ranch Pumpkin Patch.
We honored the Heflin Family at the 26th annual Arkansas Children’s Award Dinner.
Many celebrated weddings and special events at the Ranch’s events center and chapel.
We celebrated lots of birthdays, and our Ranchers had a wonderful Christmas!

However, none of this is possible without friends like you supporting our mission. Because the ASYR is 100% privately funded, we rely on charitable gifts to provide safe and loving homes for children each year. Your year-end gift is an investment in these young lives.

Click here to make an online gift today or mail your gift postmarked by December 31 to ASYR, PO Box 3964, Batesville, AR 72503.

With a year-end gift, you can help the Ranch finish strong in 2021 and put us on a firm footing to serve even more children in 2022. As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, all gifts made to the ASYR are tax deductible within the extent of the law.

Thank you for joining us in our mission to care for some of Arkansas’s most vulnerable children. When we all work together to do our “little bit of good,” we can do great things. And there is no one more deserving than these children.

Blessings to you and yours in the New Year!
Matthew Cleveland, CFRE
Chief Development Officer

P.S. In addition to giving online or by mail, there is still time to make a gift of stock or the required minimum distribution from your IRA before December 31st. Please contact your investment advisor, and feel free to reply to this email or call me at 501-940-3440 if I can be of service to you. Click here to learn more ways to support.

A Christmas Story

MANY THANKS! to everyone who gave this year to make sure our Ranchers had a merry Christmas. I have to share one story with you to let you know just how much this means to us.

We currently have a 15 year-old young man at the Ranch who had never experienced Christmas before this year. When decorating the Christmas tree with his fellow Ranchers, his wise and loving houseparent asked if he would like to put the angel on top of the tree. He could not have been happier to help. It was such a special moment to him that he curled up under the tree and cried.

This Christmas memory will be a bright spot in what might have been a dark season for this young man, and he will remember it for the rest of his life. Thank you to everyone who supports the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches and for making moments like this possible!

Save the Date: #GivingTuesday is November 30, 2021
11/12/2021

What is Giving Tuesday?

After Thanksgiving, #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday each year, we celebrate #GivingTuesday. This special day helps demonstrate that holidays can be about both giving and giving back.

This year, Citizens Bank will once again be matching gifts on #GivingTuesday. For every dollar donated to the ASYR on November 30th, Citizens Bank will match your contributions up to $5,000!

Here are some ways YOU can help the ASYR receive the entire $5,000 matching gift from Citizens Bank on #GivingTuesday:

Make an online donation by clicking here.
Text the word ranch to 26989, or call 501-940-3440 to make a gift of any amount with a credit or debit card.
Drop your donation by any Citizens Bank location. We will be at Citizens Bank’s headquarters located at 655 South Saint Louis Street in Batesville on #GivingTuesday. Feel free to drive through and see us there, or drop your gift by any Citizens Bank location!
Help us get the word out about Citizens Bank’s $5,000 matching gift! Share this page with a friend by email, text, or social media, and ask them to join you in supporting the Ranch on #GivingTuesday.
Follow @YouthRanches for social media updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and share posts with your friends.
Visit our ways to help page or contact Matthew Cleveland at 501-940-3440 or matt@youthranches.com to learn about other giving opportunities or to make an additional matching gift.

Give a Child the Gift of Hope

Since 1976, the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches have provided hope and healing for children who, through no fault of their own, need a place to call home. Your gift to the ASYR on #GivingTuesday supports our mission of providing homes for some of Arkansas’s most deserving children. To learn more about how you can support the ASYR, contact Matt Cleveland at 501-940-3440 or email matt@youthranches.com.

Become a Hope Builder with a monthly contribution. For the cost of a fast food meal, you can help change a child’s life.

A contribution for as little as $10 per month can help provide for things like:
• New shoes for our boys and girls
• An allowance for a child
• Caps and gowns for our graduates
• Birthday gifts for our children
• Feed for goats, chickens or other animals on the Ranch
• Salary for our loving houseparents
• Groceries for our cottages

Become a Hope Builder by committing to a monthly contribution. It’s a simple, secure way to provide consistent support to the ASYR all year long. Click here to support today!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR:

Many thanks to The Citizens Bank for providing the matching gift to encourage giving on #GivingTuesday! We are so grateful for their continued support as we strive to build better lives for children who call the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches home.

Thank you to White River Now for being our media partner for #GivingTuesday. Tune in on November 30th for live broadcasts throughout the day!

Staff spotlight: Errica Pruden, Assistant Program Director
07/14/2021

Celebrating 9 years with the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches

On July 12, 2021, Errica Pruden celebrated nine years with the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches. In May, Errica also earned her Masters of Science degree in Healthcare Administration.

As Errica reflected on her career journey and time at the Ranch, she acknowledged her growth. She is not alone in acknowledging and celebrating that growth either. Her team members recently celebrated her success by throwing a surprise party for her when she graduated in May.

Errica Pruden

“I’m continually looking for ways to improve myself and contribute to the Ranch’s growth, good work, and success,” Errica shares.

Errica’s career journey: The Path to the Ranch

As with most professionals, Errica’s career journey has not always been fulfilling. Errica first felt compelled to work at the Ranch because she was tired of applying for jobs which felt empty.

“I wanted to find a job I could feel good about,” she remembers. “I was tired of working in dead-end jobs.”

She recalls seeing a job posting for her position at the Ranch. After reading it, she felt it was a perfect fit. The job description matched her credentials, but more importantly, it described fulfilling work. And that’s what she was looking for.

Prior to joining the Ranch team, Errica provided in-home care for patients while pursuing her bachelor’s degree. Having been raised in a home fraught with abuse, addiction, and relational turmoil, Errica knew she wanted to pursue a career in social work.

“It was important to me to break the cycle and give back,” she notes.

Giving back: Errica’s contributions to the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches

Errica is doing just that by caring for residents at the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches on a daily basis. For example, she regularly oversees houseparents, relief houseparents, and residents. The Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches provides a place to call home for about 60 children annually. Errica is a core part of the solution to providing better lives for the children at the Ranch, ensuring they have a smooth transition as they apply, go through admissions, and acclimate to the Ranch environment.

In addition, once children become residents, she coordinates appointments for them, prevents and resolves conflicts, and coordinates transportation. Errica manages the admissions process for new Ranchers. Also, Errica serves as case manager for residents and as liaison with the Department of Human Services and Department of Child and Family Services.

As with many nonprofit organizations, Errica’s position requires her to remain agile, flexible, and quick on her feet. She may arrive at work in the morning planning to take a child to a medical appointment, and she discovers she is most needed to help resolve a conflict on campus. Working with children and houseparents necessitates patience, tolerance, and big-picture thinking. Luckily, Errica manages all three traits with ease.

The Ranch is grateful to have Errica on board as a valued team member and looks forward to watching its programs and services grow in the coming years. Thank you for your service, Errica!

Feeling inspired by Errica’s story? If you want to join the Ranch team, now’s your chance! We’re currently seeking to hire houseparents. For more information, contact Philip Ives, COO, at 870-793-6841.

Become a Houseparent
07/08/2021

The Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches is looking for loving houseparents with a heart for raising children. We are looking for both full-time and relief houseparents. Our houseparents are the primary caregivers for children who call the Ranch home. Houseparents play a vital role in our mission. They demonstrate how a healthy home functions by serving as healthy, emotionally stable parents, interacting with children, family, and friends.

Some duties include: supervising children, maintaining records, keeping an orderly and clean home, and working cooperatively with Ranch staff and the other families who reside at the Ranch. Our ideal houseparent takes an active role in raising and inspiring children. We want houseparents to involve our Ranch boys and girls in 4H and our educational farm program. We want houseparents to engage children in fun activities that promote growth.

The ASYR is a 24 hours a day, 365 days a year home for children on a nearly 600-acre working ranch. Houseparents live in four large family homes and care for up to eight children in each home. Full-time houseparents are not required to have a second residence; they reside in an apartment in the home. Part-time relief houseparents provide respite for full-time houseparents eight days each month.

One of our houseparents describes her role at the Ranch:

“For us, we don’t look at being houseparent as a job. We just say it’s life. We are all just parents doing the best job we can to raise a houseful of kids. The ASYR is a community of families who live and work together on the Ranch. Being a houseparent takes commitment, sacrifice, vulnerability and a HUGE heart for children.”

To learn more about becoming an ASYR Houseparent or other employment opportunities at the Ranch, contact Philip Ives at 870-793-6841 or email philip@youthranches.com. To apply, fill out our application and submit to philip@youthranches.com.

Youth Ranch Pumpkin Patch Announced for October
06/30/2021

Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches 4th Annual Pumpkin Patch October 2021

After a year of cancelled events, we are excited to welcome visitors back to the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches for our 4th annual Pumpkin Patch presented by First Community Bank!

photo courtesy of www.amandafarris.org

Each year, our staff and children work to transform the Ranch into a fall wonderland that is fun for the whole family! This year’s Pumpkin Patch will run from October 1st to October 31.

Admission is only $10 and includes one pumpkin per visitor and free access to all of these fun activities:

Barrel Train Ride
Haunted Forest
Hay Ride
Bouncy Houses
Petting Zoo
Corn Pit
Maze

We will also have face painting, cookie decorating, carnival games and more!

Our beautiful 600 acre campus offers many opportunities for beautiful fall photos with the whole family, and we’ll also have some fun photo spots set up for the kids!