Servant teams on DBGR Bismarck, Minot campuses in July
FARGO Eleven teens and adults from Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church are visiting the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch Bismarck campus, Western Plains Residential Center, Monday through Friday, July 16-20, to provide help for service projects during the "crossing borders, erasing boundaries" event. Projects will include helping at the DBGR Thrift Store warehouse and also working on a landscaping project at Western Plains.
This is the Bismarck campus' first servant event.
An additional team composed of seven members from Peace Lutheran Church, Arvada, Colo., will serve on the Minot campus July 22-27. That team will complete projects such as fixing and painting the fence and planting trees.
The Ranch began the "crossing borders, erasing boundaries" servant teams in 2010.
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is a Christian, non-profit agency with a mission to help at-risk children and their families succeed in the name of Christ.
The three campus locations and their programs are supported, in part, by fees for service, sales of donations from the Ranch's eight thrift stores, private donations, grants and special events.
Jill Hambek
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch receives accreditation from CARF
FARGO - Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch completed a national review with the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities in late April/early May and has earned another three-year accreditation. At the same time, it went through a state licensing review for Residential Child Care Facility (RCCF) and Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF).
"The agency did well on all three of these reviews and it did well because of your efforts, hard work, and professionalism," said President Gene Kaseman in a press release. He said he could not remember a time in the agency's 60-year history that when all three happened concurrently.
Although the Ranch could possibly choose to operate some of its programming without a CARF designation, Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch always has sought the highest level of national accreditation, although the process is intensive and can be expensive. Through this process the ranch is benchmarked against the best agencies throughout the United States.
"Our program operates at the same level of a CARF accreditation program in New York or California," Kaseman said. "This has led to better outcomes for the boys, girls and families in our care and program innovations."
Kaseman noted there were some noticeable events which can be linked to accreditation.
"During last year's epic floods, the ranch was able to evacuate its Minot campus, move staff and residents to Fargo and still maintain an operational mode," he said. "What helped make this possible, besides the great efforts of all the staff, was the extensive communication, organizational and emergency plans the ranch had in place, that were developed by prior accreditation processes."
This continual seeking on the part of the highest level of national accreditation has played a major role, making Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch a successful, viable and a forward-looking Christian institution.
Jill Hambek