Dear Friends,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If someone asked you to make a list of everything you valued in life,\nwhat would it say?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When Sam, Rancher at Down Home\nRanch (DHR), was asked what he valued most in life, he listed the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hard\nWork – \nDoing Good – Friends & Family – \nPlaying Games – Keeping People Company & Helping Them<\/p>\n\n\n\n Previous to living at DHR, Sam\nwas homeless and living on the streets, a journey well known by way too many\npeople with disabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sam first visited DHR back in the\nFall of 2018. We were one of the many stops he made on his search to find a place\nto live. At the time, all Sam wanted out of life was to find a steady place to\nsleep at night. The day he decided to live at Down Home Ranch, Sam not only\nfound what he was looking for, he found so much more. He found a home<\/strong>. He found independence<\/strong>. He found community.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sam\u2019s first days at the Ranch\nwere mostly spent in his room, sleeping the days away and only leaving during\nmeals. Slowly, he started coming out and spending time with others, but it was\nnot until he obtained his golf cart license (a unique course offered at Down\nHome Ranch) that he really came out of his shell. You can now find Sam driving\nthe roads at DHR, participating in many of the educational and social\nopportunities offered and enjoying time with friends. When he\u2019s not out and\nabout (which is not very often!) you will find Sam in his very own micro-house\nwatching Netflix, tending to his pet turtles or meticulously cleaning his\nspace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sam\u2019s story is definitely unique,\nbut at its core is a common theme for each and every one of us. You and I too\nare happiest when in a place that we can connect with others and thrive. We\nsearch out places and opportunities that put our values and interests into\naction and help us develop community around them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As we look forward to a new year of empowering the lives of adults with disabilities, we are asking you to support our mission with a donation. Your gift will pay for the abundant social, educational, residential and vocational opportunities that are offered each and every day. Most importantly, your dollars will go towards helping people like Sam attain the values most important to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you,
Craig Russell, Executive Director<\/p>\n\n\n\n