Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch Foundation
In 2024, over 390,000 children in the U.S. were in foster care, many carrying the weight of trauma and mental health challenges. For children diagnosed as Severely Emotionally Disturbed (SED), finding stability—let alone a loving, permanent home—can feel out of reach. Therapeutic Foster Care is changing that by equipping foster parents with the training, resources, and unwavering support they need to make a lasting difference. Jordan is one of those parents. He knew he had more to give—a home, the space, and most importantly, the heart to help a child in need.
In the spring of 2023, Jordan became a licensed Therapeutic Foster Care parent. Soon after, he welcomed his first placement, five-year-old Ryan. From the start, their bond was undeniable. Not only did they connect instantly, but Jordan has also made it a priority to do what is best for Ryan, like keeping his biological family in his life, ensuring his grandmother remains a steady presence. Now six years old, Ryan has already faced more hardship than most experience in a lifetime. But just recently, he celebrated something extraordinary—his adoption by Jordan. With the love of his new father and the steadfast support of YBGR, Ryan is no longer just surviving—he’s thriving. He has found strength, hope, and the bright future every child deserves.
*For the privacy of the youth served at the Ranch, names have been changed. Image(s) shown here are a representation of those served at the Ranch.
Christmas this year at YBGR’s North Skyline Youth Home in Great Falls was magical! Staff and kids decorated the tree after Thanksgiving, and the house looked amazing. Therapist Brittany Olson took over wrapping duty to make sure all the presents were wrapped by Christmas Eve. Overnight staff Riley Hall played Santa, and the kids left him milk and cookies so after hauling all the presents under the tree at 4 am, he had some sustenance. The kids woke up to presents strewn everywhere under the tree, and it was wonderful! Big shout out to everyone who made this Christmas possible for the kids! Being away from home for Christmas can be hard, but caring staff and donors made sure the kids felt the love and joy of Christmas.
*For the privacy of the youth served at the Ranch, names have been changed. Image(s) shown here are a representation of those served at the Ranch.
Thanks to our generous donors, the library at YBGR’s Yellowstone Academy recently got an infusion of new books for the youth to check out and read, and for many of the Ranch’s kids, reading is a wonderful coping skill. For some, it is also a newly acquired skill.
That was the case for Derek when he arrived at YBGR. Because he struggled with reading, he had never been much of a reader until he finally found the right book to get him started. One of his peers recommended the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. One chapter and Derek was hooked. He even opted out of trick-or-treating around campus, instead staying in and reading because he couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.
The staff has been able to use this new love of reading to help Derek with his emotional regulation, and his grades in school have improved. Derek is more engaged and working on his treatment, and he has even started writing his own fan fiction for the series!
*For the privacy of the youth served at the Ranch, names have been changed. Image(s) shown here are a representation of those served at the Ranch.
Leona Little Cub had seen and experienced a great deal of trauma in her 12 young years. She was taken from her parents at an early age and bounced from placement to placement in foster care. “I had lost a lot of my traditions along the way, being in homes of those from different tribes or ones that were not Native, and I felt lost and confused. When Josie asked if I wanted to go to Daughters of Tradition, I was nervous but hopeful,” recalls Leona.
Daughters of Tradition is a White Bison program in communities nationwide that helps young girls ages 8-13 connect with Native American customs. They share a meal family style with other attendees and participate in Native customs like games or crafts. Josie Brady, the Native American Services Coordinator at YBGR, started arranging weekly passes for young Native American girls at the Ranch to go this fall. “We haven’t had Native American girls that young, and now that we do, I wanted to take them so they can connect with their culture in a small but meaningful way. I love taking them to Powwows and other bigger events, but at Daughters of Tradition, they can form connections and community which has been big for these young girls,” says Josie.
“I had so much fun and even ran into someone from my tribe that I knew at the first event. It was comforting to see a familiar face but also to see so many girls like me. Our stories are all different but the longing for connection and family is the same. YBGR has someone who looks like me running the program. She takes us places to connect with other people from our tribes, teaches us, and helps us heal from our hurts with traditional methods,” says Leona. “These all may seem like little things, but they add up in a big, healing way.”
*For the privacy of the youth served at the Ranch, names have been changed. Image(s) shown here are a representation of those served at the Ranch.
EIN# 81-0419905
Gifts to Yellowstone Boys & Girls Ranch Foundation are deductible for income tax purposes within IRS regulations.
