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Volunteerism Remains at Core of HCYR Success |
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The Youth Ranch got off the ground in 1977 and became a ministry taking care of children because volunteers were committed to making it so. Volunteers put up the first sign, graded the first road, drew the first plans, constructed the first cabin, organized the first fund-raising event. Before there was a paid employee, they had worked 3 years without anyone getting a paycheck. Their only interest was in getting it started. For the last thirty years, thousands of volunteers have provided support for children at Hill Country Youth Ranch. The Ranch began with a piece of land given by the family of HCYR Founder Gary Priour, but without any funds. Volunteers cleared the land, built the roads, and erected the first building - a community center put up by the Kerr County Homebuilders Association on weekends. For three years, there were only volunteers, having "events" like weekend construction marathons with others bringing sodas and hamburgers to keep them going nonstop. Volunteers worked in town passing out leaflets for a rodeo and dance to benefit the fledgling dream. And it was volunteers who gathered in September 1977 to form the Hill Country Youth Ranch Auxiliary. since that time, the Auxiliary has organized a continuous flow of volunteers to serve the ministry, first to help complete homes for the children, and now to care for the children. One committee mentors and tutors children. Another gives them birthday cakes and special gifts on their special day. Another helps organize Christmas gifts and parties. The group has won awards from two Presidents and a First Lady for their extraordinary dedication and commitment of time, totaling tens of thousands of hours a year. One of the most successful programs for helping has been the Auxiliary Thrift Store in Ingram, serving the two-fold purpose of raising funds for the children while providing a service in the community. The Store has become the county's most successful thrift store, open Tuesday through Saturday, one mile east of Ingram on Highway 27. Now we have two thrift stores, thanks to the dedication of the two chapters of the HCYR Auxiliary. The Founding Chapter, located in Kerr County, opened in its newest location on March 1, 2002 and has 10,000 sq. ft. of bargains. The store is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday each week. Meanwhile, builders and doctors and other professionals continue to give time and services that could never be purchased by the Youth Ranch. One dentist brings his mobile dental lab onto the Ranch campus on a monthly basis, saving the Ranch thousands of dollars in dental expenses for its children, pluss all the staff time and transportation costs that were involved in taking them separately to various offices. It's amazing how such volunteers amplify what's possible at the Ranch. Many have had ideas for sharing an unusual gift such as scuba diving, a sport the Ranch would never be able to include in its array of programs except for a professional deciding to volunteer. A group of traveling RVers decided to camp at our Volunteers RV Park out at the Leakey campus and do work, including construction and maintenance, reading and tutoring, and teach the children various skills. The enrich Says HCYR founder and director Gary Priour, "We can never say it enough: it is only through the dedication and hard work of our volunteers that the Ranch has been able to grow and prosper and expand into two ranches, each with its own extended family and auxiliary support system. Credit for the enrichment of these children's lives resides in their choice to help." When HCYR opened its second children's home village in 1998, just 50 miles west on a Ranch near Leakey, the volunteer spirit followed. The Leakey Chapter of the Auxiliary, formed in 1999 to support the new Big Springs Ranch for Children. It borrowed bylaws and much of the outline for involvement developed by the Kerr Auxiliary. In a building just behind the courthouse, it operates a bustling thrift store right in the town square. The store is a donation of one of the Auxiliary members. Both stores are prospering and growing, providing support to the respective children's programs and lots of bargains for shoppers. The Big Springs Thrift Store is open 10:00 to 4:00 Thursday, Friday and Saturday of each week. What a wonderful example of cooperation and selfless service to others these volunteers have been. They join in projects together, and serve in the common mission of providing an extended family for children living at the two Youth Ranches. Make plans now to visit one of the monthly luncheons provided by the Auxiliary, or perhaps one of the the thrift stores in your area for a chance to get some real bargains and help the children at the same time -- or maybe to offer some time to help the volunteers operate this terrific enterprise.
Above, thumbnail maps show the locations of the two Ranch Thrift Stores, located 50 miles apart, in Ingram and Leakey respectively. The stores are a gateway to joining in the service of abused and orphaned children. Stop by and get more information about Hill Country Youth Ranch in Ingram and Big Springs Ranch for Children near Leakey, as well as the activity of the Ranch's volunteer organizations.
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The ladies and gentlemen of the Thrift Shop make this a fun place to stop and browse or buy quality items at garage sale prices. Donated items are picked up in the community every Thursday and sorted so that the Auxiliary can continue its original mission of furnishing the children's residences and putting other items out for sale. To find out more about volunteering time, or donating items, call Joyce at 830-367-2131. ~~~ "As I reflect on the thirty-year history of the HCYR Auxiliary, I must say that the support, the encouragement shared, and the way members have responded to the challenges that were presented, have been outstanding." Marj Nicholson Auxiliary Founder "Stand Tall and Proud . . . Stand Together" |
Ingram Ranch
Brief History of HCYR at Ingram
Where the Children Come From
Cailloux Elementary School For more information on joining the HCYR Auxiliary, or to find out about the many ways volunteers can help HCYR's two ranches, call 830-367-2131, and speak to one of our staff. ~~~ The Thrift Store in Ingram is growing! It offers a wonderful opportunity for volunteer involvement and service. We invite you to visit our store, to browse, or to find out how you can help. Men and women, young and old, all share in this remarkable enterprise of service. ~~~ Ingram Thrift Store ~~~ Hill Country Youth Ranch also operates a Charter School system, and mentors serve an important function when they come to work with an individual child on reading or math or to encourage the child by being a special friend. Some mentors bring a unique expertise that give the children exposure to knowledge of a special kind. Call 830-367-2131 to inquire about volunteering time. ~~~ History of Kerr County Auxiliary A special ministry emerged in the Hill Country community in 1977 with the forming of the Youth Ranch Auxiliary. Founded by Marj Nicholson and a special group of women, the Auxiliary quickly became a major partner in helping meet the day to day needs of the children who came to live at the Ranch. With 154 members joining in that first year, the story of the origin and growth of the Auxiliary is an amazing account of commitment and sacrifice. Today, with over 200 active members, the Auxiliary manages a thrift store with all volunteer labor that supplies a significant part of the Ranch's annual budget. The volunteers (both women and men) turn trash into treasure on a daily basis. They also take the time to give birthday presents and cakes to the children, help label and mail the newsletter, and do "extended family" things like reading to the children or tutoring them, or bringing them games and puzzles when they learn that a number of them are home with the flu. They also help to celebrate the opening of each new residence or building with a dedication party. The Hill Country Youth Ranch Auxiliary is a non-denominational, non-political ministry which has made a direct and daily difference for over thirty years in the healing of children. According to HCYR founder and director Gary Priour, "When it was formed, I did not know how vital this group would become in the evolution of the Youth Ranch. This home for wounded children would never have been built without them. It would not be the same materially or spiritually." Marj Nicholson, still serving 30 years later as a HCYR Advisory Director, sounds an invitation for others to serve saying, "As each Auxiliary member has shared love and concern for the youth of this ranch in the past, today we invite others to join us. Share in our many blessings and prayers for these youth that may be less privileged than ourselves . . ." Take a chance . . . call us and get involved. |
The Youth Ranch Auxiliary has operated a thrift store
in Kerr County since
it was formed in 1977. The first "store" was run out of a storage
unit, with ladies taking turns on Saturdays to have sales. Then the store
moved to a location in Kerrville in a warehouse, and that location served
until the purchase in 1990 of the current facility on Junction Highway
between Ingram and Kerrville. Thanks to thousands of hours of volunteer
management each year, the thrift store sends 100% of its funds (minus a few
utility bills) to the Ranch. The store has gained momentum each year and
continues to grow.