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Dreams Happen Here |
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speech from the 2007 Big Springs Dedication |
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Text of speech given by Gary Priour at 12th Annual Dedication Barbeque on April 27, 2007.
Welcome to the Big Springs Ranch for Children. If you haven’t been here before, this is quite an historic Ranch in perhaps the most beautiful valley in Texas. As soon as you hit the top of the hill, coming from the north, on both sides of the highway, it was the Big Springs Ranch on the Frio, 7,000 acres, as far as the eye could see. What a beautiful place for children! When we began work on the Youth Ranch in 1976, the only other Texas children’s homes were depression-era orphanages that utilized army barracks to house 24 children and staff. Part of the calling that I felt was the need to bring family into the world of childcare. I also felt that the environment for such children needed to be top shelf, of the highest quality. The children had seen enough of chaos. Only the best would do for them. That was admittedly an interesting vision for a school teacher with no money. I think God likes to do things like that – putting impossible tasks in front of us to see if we go for it as he designs it. When you confront a situation like that, you either go forward or you don’t. My experience is, that if God is in the calling, going forward works. If not, it won’t and doesn’t. Despite some criticism of this idea, for 30 years we have built only quality facilities for children. We were blessed to meet Dave Hofer, who was the best builder around and joined us to oversee the building of quality structures on both campuses. We were blessed when retired mason Dean Mitchell came here to grandparent and also agreed to supervise development of this physical plant and grounds, and has personally constructed the new Stevens Grandparents Cottage, where he and Susi live, and you will have a chance to tour today. Don’t miss it, it’s a wonder in itself. We were blessed when a native of our area, Walter Masters, brought his road machinery and has cleared every pad and every road for 30 years, most of it as a donation. Having the best campuses was only the beginning. Mike Wood, who came to help as Program Director in Ingram in 1995, exemplifies the quality leadership that has been provided to gather wonderful staff members and teachers to provide our children not just with something of an education, but with the very best in the state. We started all this dreaming with no funds, so it has taken an enormous number of volunteers. Many of you are here today. Our Auxiliaries and Boards are the best volunteer organizations in five states, as far as I can tell. The best. And look what else happened to make possible this quality environment – the best donors in the world. What a wonderful group has come over the years. You’ll see many of them honored in today’s short video. Ed and Trudy Brune, who funded the administration building we dedicate today, exemplify the finest spirit of American philanthropy. They also want the best for our children. Not only do they give, they get involved and help with everything from planning to decorating. Ed serves on our Board of Trustees for our endowment, and Trudy is a member of the Auxiliaries. In the new admin building, Trudy chose the colors, the furniture, and has designed and arranged a history room to honor the Perry family. While we were working on this project, spending about a day each week together for several months, Trudy said to Carol and me one day, “Dreams happen here.” The phrase has resonated ever since, on so many levels. It’s true. “Dreams happen here.” I want to say to our young people, when things look too hard, let your faith fill the gap, and look for God’s guidance with every step you take. When I agreed, with real hesitation, to take the challenge of the Big Springs project in 1995, I told Oma Bell Perry that many new angels would have to come to help – that this seemed much too big for our little program in Ingram. Oma Bell reassured me with a statement that has become classic here, “Get to work,” she said, “and they will come.” And here you are. In a world beset on every side with the threat of chaos and the destruction of innocence itself, we stand as a beacon, unashamedly anchored in our Christian faith and values, determined that these very children, who’ve experienced so much pain, will, by the time we’re done with our part, have all the equipment they need to go out and help improve this troubled world. The following video, edited and produced by my wife Carol, is called “The Place of a Thousand Angels.” That is the name that we’ve come to have as a second name for this special valley. It derives from the sunlight dancing on the waves of the river over near where our first children’s homestead is built, and where I stood one day in 1996 and saw a thousand angels dancing on the water, just when I was looking for the right spot to start a village on this ranch. One of our grandparents, Susi Mitchell, wrote the lyrics to the song you will hear on the video, and we recorded it at our studio in Ingram. Thank you Susi, for this wonderful anthem for our dream, in this Place of a Thousand Angels. |
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