Refuge Ranch on a mission to help kids facing trauma through mentorship

ROCHESTER, Ill. (WAND) - Since 2008, hundreds of kids have made their way to Refuge Ranch, learning to ride horses in a safe environment. The ranch has a Bridges Mentoring Program, which serves at-risk youth with one-on-one mentoring. It also offers Freedom Reins, which provides special needs and physically disabled youth, ways to ride horses.

"We just had a desire to offer what we had to kids who had maybe been through trauma or struggled or were hurting in some capacity," said Chris Daniels, the Executive Director and Founder of Refuge Ranch. "When kids enter the program, they stay as long as they need to, so it's a long term program with the opportunity to eventually become mentors themselves."

Daniels has seem hundreds of kids build their confidence and learn to trust themselves, their mentors, and the horses through the programs. One of those is current mentee Faith Miller.

Miller started attending Refuge Ranch through the Bridges Mentoring program about a year ago. She was paired with her mentor, Melanie Winters. Through the program, the pair meet for 90 minute sessions. They spend 20-30 minutes working on a farm chore and talking about life, before getting their horses ready, and riding.

"I just immediately felt so at home and at peace here and it's been really great," said Miller. "I love talking to Melanie, she gives the best advice and we always are having, like really deep conversations and I just feel so much better after talking to her about things."

Refuge Ranch is launching plans to expand their programs to be able to help more kids. Right now, they have over 100 children on their waiting list. Daniels said it can be difficult to include more people because the programs don't have an expiration date, and children can stay in their programs as long as they need.

Refuge Ranch was recently donated a large, historic farm in Springfield. As part of their expansion, they want to open similar programs at this secondary location, to ensure kids can get the support they need.

Refuge Ranch is hosting a program to break down their expansion initiatives and recruit new volunteers. Information on that event, held May 3rd, is available here.