Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch Foundation
Have you seen us on TV or heard about us on the Radio?
If you missed our messages, you can always see and hear us on our Video Page.
Take a look at our history, learn about Ranch programs, and hear youth testimonials.
You can also learn more about Planned Giving opportunities available to our donors.
We all know that when the school bell rings, its time to get to class.
At Yellowstone Academy (YA), the old bell and alarm system are quite loud and can be disruptive to our K-12 students with sensory issues, actually making it harder for students to get to class in a calm and orderly fashion.
That’s why YA is hoping to install a new fully integrated school-wide communication system that would be less intrusive and provide a better manner of notification for students and staff.
The new system would greatly reduce anxiety for YA children and increase their capacity to learn and grown in a safer, calmer environment.
Learn more about the YA Communication System update and how you can help.
Since the Ranch opened in 1957, kids in the residential therapy program have always been able to enjoy horseback riding, and in 2005, Equine Therapy was added.
YBGR uses the EAGALA therapy model to work directly with horses and children at the Ranch to provide healing and support to emotionally disturbed youth.
EAGALA helps youth by using their own instincts and engaging the horses in various activities or challenges.
YBGR continues to offer recreational riding to residential children which allows the children to experience the simple joy of riding a horse. In addition, learning about basic care and maintenance of the animals is another skill youth can use even after leaving the Ranch.
The Equestrian Program and Equine Therapy are made possible by our generous donors, from purchasing horses when needed to caring for the horses health to ongoing training of staff.
Three years ago, Yellowstone Academy added the Pheasant Program to the Vo-Ag department. The boys and girls at Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch now get to take part in monitoring egg incubation, raising chicks, building pheasant pens, and continuously caring for the birds.
Raising the birds helps kids maintain daily obligations and learn more about an animal’s life cycle. Once the pheasants are fully grown, the birds are either released to wetland sites in the area or sold to individual landowners to replenish the pheasant population.
The program keeps about fifty hens and fifteen roosters as breeding stock for the following year’s program, and eggs and live chicks are purchased as well to supplement those hatched at the Ranch.
To keep this unique program running, we are seeking donor funding to help with the costs of transporting, housing, and caring for the pheasant population.
Yellowstone Academy (YA) is the fully accredited K-12 school located right on YBGR’s scenic campus. All children in the residential treatment program attend school at YA in addition to youth in the Day School Program, special needs students from the surrounding communities who need a higher level of support to succeed academically.
Over 90% of the children in the Day School Program are considered low income.
The donor-funded YA Backpack Program allows YA teachers and staff to identify students facing food insecurity and send home backpacks filled with nutritious, easy-to-prepare meals for children and their families.
Help us continue to help children and their families receive food assistance by making a donation today, or call us for more information on how you can participate.
Yellowstone Foundation has several real estate offerings available to interested buyers today.
Looking for land in Montana? We are offering three separate parcels of land totaling 1280 acres located in McCone County, Montana, for sale via online auction. Visit Kinsey Auctioneers & Real Estate for details, maps, terms and conditions. Auction deadline is June 14th, 2022.
Looking to invest in real estate development or build your retirement dream home? We have building lots available in Wittman, Arizona, a booming community just outside of the greater Phoenix area and adjacent to the Lake Pleasant Regional Park. Visit WestUSA Realty for pricing and more information.
In the market? Visit our For Sale page regularly for updates and new listings.
FOR SALE: Yellowstone Foundation is offering for sale 1280 acres of agricultural land located in McCone County, Montana. Property will be sold in 3 separate tracts via online auction only. Visit Kinsey Auctioneers & Real Estate for details, maps, terms and conditions. These properties can be viewed by contacting 877-243-6691 for appointment with auction company. Bids can be submitted June 9th until Noon on Tuesday, June 14th, 2022.
It’s easy to understand why Tomas feels that Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch is the only place that ever felt like home. He was removed from a mother who was neglectful and violent.
Before arriving at the Ranch, he had multiple placements, but none lasted due to his emotional state, making it difficult to interact with others. Once under the Ranch’s expert care, he commented that there was something different — the staff cared and understood how to connect with him. From experiencing his first real Christmas to receiving new clothes (not hand-me-downs), Tomas exhibited dramatic improvements from his therapy.
Ultimately, as much as he loved the comfort and stability of the Ranch, he recognized that moving on was a step in the right direction. Upon his three-year anniversary at the Ranch, Tomas transferred to a step-down facility to begin building a relationship with a foster family before becoming a member of their home.
This Easter, and throughout the year, your gift to Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch Foundation underscores an important theme that forms the foundation of every treatment approach utilized at the Ranch to help youth with emotional wounds – that it is easier to believe in yourself when others believe in you.
Christa had been attending Chapel services at YBGR every week when she mentioned that she wanted to try the 30-Day Challenge that uses spiritual cues to take control of one’s personal struggles by embracing God. Initially, she thought it would be too hard for her, but found it easier by partnering with Julie and Savannah, two peers from her lodge. All three completed their 30-Day Challenges in exchange for a takeout lunch of choice. When asked about her experience, Christa replied, “It was actually really fun to read the Bible and talk about it with friends. I feel like we all became much closer to God and to each other.”
If you agree that every young boy and girl deserves a chance to experience a healthy emotional state and to embrace God’s love, your Easter gift will help the Ranch continue delivering a program of healing that touches upon hope, courage, love and strength.
Mackenzie Martinson has been the Equestrian Specialist at YBGR since 2019.
Mackenzie has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Dallas Baptist University and studied Equine Therapy for two years at Rocky Mountain College in Billings. Mackenzie is certified in the EAGALA therapy model.
The EAGALA therapy model uses horses to provide healing and support to emotionally troubled youth. EAGALA therapy helps youth use their own instincts to engage the horses in various activities or challenges.
The goal of the program is to help children problem solve and find solutions to the challenges they are facing in their young lives.
Mackenzie also oversees recreational riding at the Equestrian Center which allows YBGR youth to experience the simple joy of riding a horse. Boys and girls learn about the basic care and handling of the horses which offers yet another skill they can use even after leaving the Ranch.
Simon’s first stay at Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch was impacted by the Covid pandemic restrictions. However, when Simon returned to campus, he began to thrive in group activities and one-on-one counselling.
Simon got involved in YoungLife and became a Ranch Foreman, helping work with livestock and mentoring other kids.
Take a moment to read Simon’s Story.
“Knowing that God has a purpose for me and my life has made all the difference.”
The first calf of the 2022 season has arrived at YBGR, and she did so in style, delivered in the brand new Calving Barn!
In the past, calves on the Ranch were delivered in a shelter that was not enclosed or heated. This made for difficult conditions not only for the new momma, but also for Ranch Manager, Gary Adams, and his YBGR student ranch hands. Several years ago, the temperature reached 19 degrees below zero in early March when calves were still arriving, causing stress on both the calves and cows. Now, thanks to a generous local foundation, Gary, the kids, and the cows of course, can be in a heated building and out of the elements when the new momma needs a little help with her delivery.
The new calving barn, located east of the Equestrian Center, was just completed in January. Additional funds from the same foundation and Northwest Farm Credit Services provided maternity pens for the interior. With temperatures still dipping below zero and calving season now officially underway, the new barn was completed in the nick of time.
EIN# 81-0419905
Gifts to Yellowstone Boys & Girls Ranch Foundation are deductible for income tax purposes within IRS regulations.
