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Planting Pines That's Progress! That tiny seedling circled in the lower right corner of this picture seems insignificant, but multi­ plied by thousands 1t will play an important role in our progress. {See story about "Planting Pines for Profit" on the back cover.) That's Progress: Three boys from the Boys Ranch, under the super­ vision of Farm Manager Bruce Goff, built a new pasture fence as one of the 1980 improvements at the Girls Villa. The members of the hard-working crew are (from left) Grady Crunkleton, Goff, Ray Sorrell and David Olton. The girls in the background were taking their mid-morning break from the Girls Villa Learning Center. That's Progress! We Grew and Prospered In Many Ways in 1980 By almost any yardstick, 1980 was a good year for the Florida Sheriffs Youth Fund. We grew, we pros­ pered, and in many ways we enhanced our ability to help Flori­ da's dependent, neglected and homeless youngsters. Let us count the ways. The activity center dedicated in 1980 has added new dimensions to the lifestyle at the Girls Villa. New activities During 1980 we occupied two new residence cottages. include ballet classes taught by Peggy Stone, from Winter One was Hauer Cottage, which increased our enroll­ Haven. The students in the pictures are Melanie Smith, ment capacity at the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch to 96 Anita Tucker, Margie Hill and Dawn Camp. boys. The other was Noell Cottage, which increased the capacity at the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch to 20 jects covered included health, socialization, budgeting youngsters. and career awareness. Dedication rites for a new activity center at the Florida During 1980 Villa girls were also given their first Sheriffs Girls Villa focused attention on the fact that we opportunity to participate in the Jerry Stevens Flying are also adding new dimensions to the Villa lifestyle. The Scholarship Program, a Youth Fund project that offers activity center, with its swimming pool, educational our boys and girls an opportunity to explore career facilities, chapel and auditorium, will give our girls many opportunities in aviation. Six girls, most of whom had new opportunities for recreation and enrichment. never flown before, were taken on flights from the Bar­ 1980 was a year of new experiences for the girls at the tow airport, and one was actually allowed to take over Villa. Ballet classes were offered for the first time. Eight the controls briefly. girls took piano lessons. A new Life Education Program Boys Ranch youngsters have been involved in the exposed older girls to experiences and information Flying Scholarship Program for several years, and some which will be helpful to them after they graduate. Sub- of them have learned to fly. 2 THE RANCHER At the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch new experiences Worker assigned to, and responsible for, each of seven included horseback riding and roller skating. The horses regions covering the entire State of Florida. were imported from the Boys Ranch, and a new fenced Programs designed to help boys and girls who are pasture corral was established on the Youth Ranch prop­ behind their age groups in academic achievement con­ erty. Roller skating became a popular craze after a Bra­ tinued to produce favorable results during 1980. At the denton skating rink owner donated 200 pairs of used Boys Ranch Learning Center students showed an aver­ skates to the Youth Fund. New paved streets gave skaters age gain of 19.8 months in reading skills and 13.3 months an opportunity to skate in safety. in mathematics during nine months of instruction. Sim­ The St. Petersburg unit of the U. S. Navy Sea Bee ilar figures were reported at the Girls Villa. reserves began taking an active interest in the Youth One of the important events of 1980 - important Ranch during 1980. They were responsible for many because we are constantly striving to tell the Youth Fund plumbing and electrical repairs and began construction story to the public as effectively as possible - was the of a rustic bridge over Bishop's Creek which will provide filming of a 14-1/2-minute color-sound movie which more advantageous access to six remote acres of the portrays the Youth Fund as a successful venture in child Youth Ranch site. care with a bright and promising future. Generous members of Clearwater's Altrusa Club The future will indeed be promising as long as we established the nucleus of a library which will eventually continue to benefit from the generosity of a lot of special be housed in the proposed Don people who care what happens to Genung Activity Center at the Florida's dependent, neglected and Youth Ranch. Planning was begun homeless youngsters; as long as we in 1980 to raise funds for the Genung continue to have a skilled and dedi­ building. cated staff; and as long as we con­ The Youth Fund's network of pro­ tinue to have the active support of fessional Family Social. Workers Florida's Sheriffs. These are the ele­ which provides counseling and re­ ments of a winning combination ferral services to youngsters and that will enable us to. face the future families was improved during 1980. with optimism and confidence. The network now has a Family Social Florida Sheriffs Youth Fund Presi­ dent Harry Weaver (left) and Florida Sheriffs Association President Don Moreland pre­ viewed "The Road Ahead" before it was premiered at Annual Mid- 'S Ava1·1able Now.I Winter Conference of the Florida /t Sheriffs Association. New Movie Dramatizes our Progress We could write 10,000 words about the progress of the Florida Sheriffs Youth Fund and still leave some of our readers unimpressed. Fortunately, there is a better way. We have just com­ pleted a 14-1/2-minute color-sound movie which shows the current status of the Youth Fund in a dramatic and interesting manner. It's called "The Road Ahead" and it is now available for showing to civic clubs, church organizations and other groups. To arrange for a show­ ing in your area, please contact your Sheriff or call the Youth Fund Office (904/842-5501). Sheriffs applauded the movie enthusiastically when it was premiered at the recent Mid-Winter Conference of the Florida Sheriffs Association. It is a quality film and we are eager to show it to as many people as possible during the months ahead. Rancher readers can help us by Pro football star Dick Butkus (the big fellow, of course) will arranging to have it put on their civic club programs. be featured in Youth Fund television commercials utilizing footage from "The Road Ahead." Pictured with him are "The Road Ahead" was produced by Tel Air Interests, (from left) Rick Huft, cameraman; John Dzuro, sound man; Inc., of Miami, and the script was written by Sunny and Grant H. Gravitt, producer and President of Tel Air Fader. Interests, Inc. (Photo by Marika Christ.) · SPRING 1981 3 That's Progress! Turning Losers Rodney Colebrook, Ronnie Armstrong and Troy Singleton. After weeks and weeks of push ups, basketball free throws, into Winners basketball dribbling, running laps around the gym floor and bouncing a volleyball off the wall, five boys emerged as champions of the "activities night" competition. They When we try to measure our progress, there is always are: Ronnie Armstrong (ages 10-11 ); Troy Singleton (ages the temptation to do it almost exclusively in terms of 12-13); Rodney Colebrook (age 14); Darwin Colebrook (age 15); David Olton (age 16 and up). funds raised, new buildings constructed or new pro­ grams launched. That's progress, of course, but when we get down to the real nitty gritty, the most conclusive way to measure our success is in terms of what we are accomplishing with our boys and girls. Nearly all of our youngsters come to us with very little awareness of their personal worth or their inherent potential. Many, due to tragic circumstances in their pasts, see themselves as losers who will always be losers; and it is our job to try to turn these confirmed undera­ chievers into confident winners. We try - Lord knows we try - and frequently we see signs of success. We get all broke out with encourage­ ment when one of our boys stars in a talent show; when a shy girls develops enough confidence to model in a fashion show; or when youngsters who are unaccus­ tomed to winning bring back blue, white and red rib­ David Olton (with Recreation Director Joe Macera in back­ bons from livestock shows. ground) 4 THE RANCHER Dennis Carpenter (right) with Winn-Dixie representatives Raymond Griffin, Rick Nelson and W. C. Ragans. Pictured here are two of the ranchers who entered ribbon- , winning steers in the Suwannee County Fair Livestock Show. Five boys brought home five ribbons .-a blue, two reds and two whites - and also received the Herdsman Trophy for excellence in animal care. Dennis Carpenter sold his 899-pound blue ribbon steer to Winn-Dixie Stores for $827.08. (Photos by Skip Weigel, Colonial Photog­ raphy, Live Oak) Volleyball was a new activity at the Girls Villa in 1980. We buckle down to our tasks with renewed energy when ballet classes make us realize that a certain clumsy girl wasn't really clumsy after all - just unsure of herself. Our hearts take wings when we see a quiet, withdrawn boy - one who had seemed to resist our best efforts - suddenly getting excited about his flying lessons. Small triumphs keep our enthusiasm alive, and, although we don't exactly set the world on fire every day we often see losers turning into winners, and that's progress! During 1980 the Girls Villa fielded its first volleyball team for off-campus competition, and we gave our girls enthusiastic support.

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