Celebration 2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS JIM COPELAND, CHAIRMAN Retired Senior Director, Human Resources, Wrigley Up for the Challenge TIM AYRES Partner, Eagle Ranch boys and girls marked the end of the school year with a triathlon. The supersprint Moore Colson & Co. CRAIG BARRS course featured a 250-yard swim, 8-mile bike ride and 2.25-mile run. The annual event is coordinated Retired Executive Vice President, External Affairs, Georgia Power Company by Tri-Kids Inc., and takes months of training and preparation from volunteers and the participating BRIAN BRODRICK Partner, children. The event helps children challenge themselves physically and mentally while gaining Jackson Spalding MIKE CALLAHAN, confidence and a sense of achievement. President and CEO, Gypsum Management & Supply ROB FOWLER Executive Vice President, Turner, Wood and Smith STEVE GILLIAM Partner, Smith, Gilliam, Williams & Miles JEFF HENDERSON Lead Pastor, Gwinnett Church People often ask, “How are things at the Ranch?” What a KRISTEN LEWIS hardReflections question to answer! There is always excitement, and Attorney, Tax Practice, Smith, Gambrell & Russell God is always at work. However, in the day-to-day there KATE MAINE Chief of Staff, are often negative reactions from the children because University of North Georgia MART MARTIN they are being pushed and challenged to grow in Brand Strategist, Jackson Spalding uncomfortable ways (Sometimes we adults react the MICHAEL MOHR Managing Director, same way to challenging times!). WilmingtonTrust DAVE POLSTRA Co-Founder, At graduation this year, we heard more than once a child say, “I thought I Brightworth didn’t want or need to be here. I thought I had no problems.” One child JIM WEBB Chairman of the Board, Triaxia Partners confessed, “I hated my houseparents, at first.” Another said, “Openness came in my 12th month here, when I decided to work hard and try. I began to BOARD OF ADVISORS change instead of blame.” COURTNEY AMOS DAN CATHY So the Ranch kids are in a process, which after a typical honeymoon period, VINCE DOOLEY, Emeritus ELIZABETH HARRIS generally involves a resistant period. Some never graduate from this period GLEN JACKSON and don’t last here. As you can imagine, that makes for long days in the homes EARL LEONARD and discouragement for the staff, if we look at the immediate picture. But in DAN QUINN DAVID RATCLIFFE time, most of the children come to a healthy period, where they own their DAN REEVES need to change and buy in to what we are offering. Their cooperation, of WENDELL STARKE course, makes all the difference. JOHN WIELAND PHILIP WILHEIT As you lift up our ministry, pray that God would soften the hearts of the kids JENNER WOOD and their parents, and give us the big picture of hope and redemption that He EAGLE RANCH FOUNDATION is always about. Coming to love and trust Him to save them from their BOARD OF TRUSTEES destructive patterns is our deepest desire for them, as it is for ourselves. TOM FULLER, Chair TIM AYRES Sincerely, JIM COPELAND DAVID FARMER ROY JONES KIRBY THOMPSON Kayanne Staub ROBERT WYNNE Wife of Founder and Executive Director Eddie Staub EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EDWIN J. STAUB EAGLE RANCH, INC. Our Mission Post Office Box 7200 Chestnut Mountain, GA 30502 Eagle Ranch helps make life better for children and their families, t: 770.967.8500 · f: 770.967.3757 positively impacting communities for the glory of God. EagleRanch.org the eagle ranch mission john “ Going home one weekend The Search for Identity and seeing how happy my “John didn’t realize how much his brothers and mom was with how I was Children in large, blended families sometimes struggle with finding their identity. With eight sisters look up to him, even though he’s not the acting really made me want siblings, John had difficulty understanding where oldest,” said his dad, Gary. “He is a natural leader, to continue the hard work he fit in. Adopted when he was five, John also and I believe his time at Eagle Ranch helped him I was putting in. The thing had issues with trust and expressing his feelings. not only discover the influence he has, but also I most want to take home how to use it in a productive way.” John’s misbehavior included teasing his sisters is to deal with my anger in and disrespecting his parents. John and his John also recognizes the right way. I am thankful mother faced daily power struggles. He the positive changes in for the staff of Eagle Ranch constantly rebelled against his parents’ wishes. his life. “At the Ranch, sticking with me and my Struggling behaviorally and academically, John I have learned to family through the hard thought maybe he didn’t even belong at home and control my anger and times and for making our considered ways to get kicked out by his parents. be a better brother and son,” said John. family better.” “My life was a mess. I figured I'd do a better job of fixing the problems I had caused instead of John looks forward to fixing them the way my parents wanted to,” said returning home, comp- Age 16, the Joy Home John. “I thought I would be better off on my own.” leting high school and exploring a career in the John with his parents, Leann and Gary. 2017 spring graduate Instead of kicking him out of the house, John’s Coast Guard as a certified parents, Leann and Gary, brought him to Eagle underwater welder. He is hopeful, determined Ranch. It took John nearly eight months to realize and excited to begin the next season of his life. the impact that the Ranch was having on his life. Today, John understands who he is and how, He learned how to talk through his emotions even in his big family, there is a perfect fit for him. and discovered that goal setting helped him ad- dress his problems in a productive way. For the To see more about John's graduation, visit first time in years, his life didn’t feel like such a mess. EagleRanch.org/John2017 Adopted children tend to: Many children • Struggle connecting with their adoptive parents and siblings at Eagle Ranch • Look at their parents as “caretakers” instead of parental figures come from • Struggle with discovering their identity • Lack a general sense of belonging adoptive • Have bouts of oppositional defiance . Through work on communication and emotional awareness, we are able to families help build relationships between the adopted child and his or her family. the search for identity 2017 spring graduate AUSTIN age 14, the hope home celebrating our graduates “Before I came to Eagle Ranch, I didn’t really care Graduation: Equipping for Resiliency that I was misbehaving or acting out. I knew I could stop, but I didn’t want to. Now I feel that I have the Graduation is an important milestone in a child's time at Eagle Ranch. Rather than marking the willpower to behave well, to do my chores at home end of a stage of life, an Eagle Ranch graduation represents a new beginning. and to complete my work at school. I have more control over my anger and have better relationships with those around me.” When a child comes to Eagle Ranch, we partner with their family to help them gain perspective on their current crisis and address any immediate trauma issues. From there, a plan is put in place with goals for the child and family in areas such as communication, accountability and relationship building. While meeting these goals is an important step joshua toward graduation, the most progress is made when children and their families address issues “When we first came to the Ranch, we did not have a lot of of the heart. The ability to show empathy, to trust in our family. There was a lot of tension. By coming to learn and accept another’s point of view, and to the Ranch, I was able to build up that trust with my Mom, talk and tell the truth from a loving perspective Dad and brother. Having trust in your family is a really great are key to a graduate’s success. thing to have, because it brings your family close. That’s All graduates are offered the opportunity to something we never had before.” participate in Eagle Ranch's Continued Care program to help facilitate the child’s transition home. Continued Care offers counseling, 2017 spring graduate education and activities designed to help build upon the foundation laid at Eagle Ranch. age 13, the love home We provide tools and information to help increase resiliency so that each child and ivey Eagle Ranch Graduates family can manage future struggles and life’s Top: John and Zac; Below: Joshua, Morgan and Austin inevitable challenges. Not pictured: Ashton, Ivey and Matthew “Before I came to the Ranch, I didn’t want to have feel- ings, and eventually, I began to not feel anything at all. I was lost, confused, and making a lot of bad decisions. I became extremely disrespectful to my parents, and I didn’t want to be with them anymore. At Eagle Ranch, “The Ranch helped me develop relationships with my I’ve learned that feelings are important. In order to have a relationship with someone, you have to be able to tell ASHTON parents and brothers. We know how to come back together them how you’re feeling, talk about it, and try to under- after an argument, talk about what went wrong and figure stand why you’re feeling the way you are.” 2016 winter graduate out how we could have done it better.