You were the difference…
Did you know the single greatest predictor of whether a young person will thrive or face adversity is not their background, their circumstances, or even their past? It’s YOU. A caring adult who believes in them.
Between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, your compassion and love became the foundation for hundreds of young people who found the strength to rebuild their lives. You were the difference between hope and despair. Between loss and resilience. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
From the first generation of youth served at the new Residential Center for Healing & Resilience to the quiet, courageous work happening every day in Idaho Youth Ranch therapy offices across the state, this has been a year full of hope and transformation.
It takes someone truly special, like you, to recognize the bravery it takes for a young person to confront their deepest fears and traumas and to support them through the hard work of healing. These pages are filled with stories of resilience and change—all made possible by you. While the names have been changed, the courage and journeys of these youth are 100% real.
Thank you for being the difference for Idaho’s kids.
With deepest gratitude,
Scott Curtis, LMSW
CEO, Idaho Youth Ranch
Youth Served . . .
July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024
No two young people are the same. That’s why Idaho Youth Ranch is not a one-size-fits-some organization. Your commitment to our young people means that we can meet each individual youth “where they’re at” with the opportunity to participate in more than one program. Of the 785 unique individual youth you helped last year, nearly 200 participated in more than one service.
785 individual youth were helped by one or more Idaho Youth Ranch programs.
72 Idaho Youth Ranch alums received ongoing support, financial aid, and college scholarships through alumni services.
102 vulnerable kids found shelter and safety through 4,404 shelter days at Idaho Youth Ranch Hays House.
102 teens gained confidence and life skills that will carry them into the workforce and beyond through YouthWorks.
22 young people became the very first to experience life-altering, long-term care at our new Residential Center for Healing & Resilience.
252 young people healed from trauma, set boundaries, and cope with adversity through outpatient therapy and counseling.
149 kids learned how to trust, gained confidence, and healed in Equine Therapy.
156 families got the support and tools they needed during their adoption journeys.
Domestic Violence. Abuse. Homelessness. Loss.
These are just a few of the incredible obstacles many of the youth at Idaho Youth Ranch have faced—that we know about. Often, young people don’t disclose the adversity they have experienced. In fact, it’s estimated that 60% of abuse and trauma goes unreported.
Below are just a few of the challenges encountered by the 525 youth who participated in clinical services, including therapy, counseling, and residential care.
You kept the dream alive . . .
In 1953, Reverend James Crowe and his wife, Ruby Carey Crowe, dreamed of a place where wayward youth could find a path toward a bright future full of potential. They believed in their heart of hearts that generational cycles of loss, poverty, and abuse could be broken with the love and support of kind, caring adults. From that dream grew a statewide network of programs and services that nurture hope, healing, and resilience.
After more than 60 years at the original Ranch in Rupert, we knew that the needs of kids and families had changed. Idaho Youth Ranch began the search for a new home that could meet the needs of today’s youth. A place where state-of-the-art care would meet the timeless values of hard work, determination, and resilience. We knew we needed a place where parents and loved ones could be a part of each youth’s healing journey.
Meet the first graduate of Idaho Youth Ranch
You made this possible . . .
After years of planning, the Residential Center for Healing & Resilience opened its doors in August 2023. What started as a dream in 1953 of a place where Idaho's youth could come and step away from the world to heal and grow has become a leading facility in the nation for residential care.
In May 2024, the Residential Center for Healing & Resilience became Medicaid-approved. Medicaid, along with private insurance, scholarships, and private pay, means that Idaho’s kids who are struggling the most now have access to the highest quality care available, without being sent out of state. They can stay in Idaho, where their families are part of their healing journey.
At Promise Academy, the embedded year-round public charter school, kids are catching up academically. Teachers and therapists are working together to provide the individualized support each child needs. When they return home, they have the ongoing support and aftercare to help them thrive.
Because of you, these kids have a chance to heal, with their families alongside them every step of the way. Thank you for making this possible.
You were the difference . . .
. . . that helped Jason grow.
Jason was big. Big enough to scare anyone away. And that’s exactly what he wanted. At over 6 feet tall, his size was his shield, protecting him from a world that had only ever hurt him. But inside, he was just a frightened boy struggling to survive.
When Jason came to the Residential Center for Healing & Resilience, he was on the verge of expulsion. His record was full of suspensions, misdemeanors, and the beginnings of a criminal future.
“I dropped out of school,” he told the leader at Promise Academy—the year-round school at the Center.
“Well, we’re dropping you back in,” the leader replied.
Jason’s teachers were patient. They saw a kid who wasn’t “bad,” just deeply hurt. While his teachers helped him catch up in school, his therapy team helped him cope with trauma, fear, and anger.
Jason worked hard. He even grew a sunflower in science class. Imagine that: a boy once known for scaring others, now nurturing a flower. He discovered that under all his muscle, there was a kind, gentle heart—buried under years of pain.
Thanks to your support, Jason’s life took a new path. After six months at the Center, he went home to a relative who could care for him. No more outbursts. No more suspensions. Just a 16-year-old boy in a safe, loving home. A boy who goes to school each morning and waters his sunflower every night. Finally, his heart is at peace.
You were the difference . . .
. . . between a life of struggle and a bright future.
When Braxton arrived at the Residential Center for Healing & Resilience, it had been more than a year since he had been in a classroom. He was a ghost, slipping through the cracks of a system that didn’t notice he was gone. But you noticed.
In his first weeks, Braxton wouldn’t even look people in the eyes. His heart was guarded by years of trauma, and his depression was so heavy, he couldn’t imagine a future.
For nearly 9 months, he spent hours in daily therapy, doing the hard work of healing. Doctors discovered developmental delays that had gone unnoticed for years. Braxton threw himself into school, surrounded by teachers who understood his unique needs. He was surrounded, perhaps for the first time in his life, by people who saw him as more than a foster youth. More than a case number. They saw a whole person.
When Braxton was finally well, and a foster home was ready to take him in with open arms, the team at the Residential Center coordinated with his foster parents, outpatient therapists, and his new school. When Braxton went home, he was no longer a ghost. He was a kid with a support system and hope for a bright future.
You were the difference . . .
. . . between anger and peace.
Jessica was tough. Tough in the way only someone who has survived the worst can be. After a lifetime of abuse, neglect, and violence, she arrived at Idaho Youth Ranch Hays House with nothing but rage. No foster home would take her. She was alone. Unwanted. Again.
She lashed out—cursing, yelling, fighting anyone who got too close. But the staff at Hays House saw through it. They knew she wasn’t angry—she was hurt. She wasn’t mean—she was scared.
Day by day, they gave her something she hadn’t felt in years: safety. And when Jessica pushed, they didn’t push back. They showed her there was another way. A way without rage, without fear.
Daily individual therapy and group therapy with the other kids and weekly Equine Therapy sessions helped Jessica heal and finally let down her guard. Soon, she came to love the staff who never gave up on her.
“Thank you for making me feel loved and special,” she wrote in a letter to the team at Hays House.
Her last day at Hays House was a world away from her first. No more shouting, no more fighting—just laughter. And hope. For the first time in her life, Jessica had found peace.
You were the difference . . .
. . . that kept Penny & Conner connected.
Penny sat quietly in the crowded arena, her heart racing as she looked over the sea of black caps. She couldn’t quite believe she was here after all these years.
At 17, Penny had made the hardest decision of her life—placing her baby boy, Conner, up for adoption. She knew she wasn’t ready for motherhood. Years passed, and though she built a life of her own, she never forgot about the son she left behind in Idaho—the boy she knew only through the pictures his parents sent.
Now, that sweet baby was all grown up. Conner was about to graduate with a master’s degree.
Thanks to the support of compassionate people like you, Idaho Youth Ranch, where adoption services are a commitment for life, helped reconnect Penny with her son. Through the miracle of open adoption, when Conner was ready to meet his birth mom, Idaho Youth Ranch was there to support Penny, Conner, and his adoptive parents through every step.
That day, Penny watched with tears in her eyes as Conner’s family cheered his name, their voices full of love. She realized that her sacrifice had given him the childhood he deserved.
You were the difference . . .
. . . between hiding from life and finally living.
At 7, Ethan lived in a world of chaos. Ashtrays on every surface, strange smells in the air. But what terrified him most were the drugs.
One night, the police came. His parents were taken away in handcuffs, and Ethan was sent to live with his grandmother.
Now 12, Ethan hides behind video games, trying to escape the emotions he doesn’t know how to face: grief, loss, and anger. His grandmother, desperate for help, called Idaho Youth Ranch Counseling & Therapy.
For weeks, Ethan sat in therapy, silent and closed off. Then one day, his therapist asked about his favorite game. For the first time, Ethan’s eyes lit up. But the moment was brief. His voice cracked. “My mom used to play with me. I wish she’d call,” he whispered, before burying his face in his hands.
That was the breakthrough that helped him face his pain.
Months later, with his therapist’s support, Ethan isn’t just escaping anymore. He’s living. He’s making real friends (in real life!). Finally, he's starting to heal.
You were the difference . . .
. . . between loss and a future full of confidence.
Bella was quiet. Losing a parent can do that—shatter your world, take away your voice, leave you feeling small. At 16, she wasn’t the Bella she used to be.
School? She couldn’t face it. Anxiety and depression consumed her. Therapy at Idaho Youth Ranch helped, but her therapist saw she needed more—she needed confidence.
That’s when Bella joined YouthWorks! Two weeks of workshops taught her how to handle job interviews, write a resume, and plan for her future. Six weeks of paid training at an Idaho Youth Ranch thrift store helped her find her footing again. She learned to build skills, talk to customers, and be part of a team. Slowly, she began to lift her head, to speak, to believe in herself.
The girl who once shrank into herself? Now, she stands tall—ready for her future.
Bella’s transformation? It happened because YOU believed in her.
You were the difference . . .
. . . between silence and hope.
For six painful months, Piper said nothing. Not to her family, her teachers, or her friends. At 9 years old, she carried a pain no child should ever bear. Silence became her shield.
On her first day of Equine Therapy, Piper was terrified. The horses’ whinnies shattered the quiet she had lived in for so long. She froze, heart pounding. She wanted to run. In that moment, she was braver than anyone realized.
Three weeks later, Piper whispered her first words in over six months. Fragile, tentative whispers, but they were hers. The towering horses she once feared had become quiet companions—trusted friends she could share her deepest secrets with.
Whispers became words. Words turned into stories. And slowly, her voice—her precious voice—came back.
With a kind therapist, a gentle horse, and your unwavering belief in her, Piper is writing a new chapter—one filled with hope, healing, and the courage to step out of silence.
You were the difference . . .
. . . between relapse and rejuvenation.
When Jared got the call that his brother had passed away, it shattered him. At 27, he was already having one of the worst years of his life—a painful divorce, and now this. The grief was overwhelming.
He found himself on a dangerous path he knew too well: addiction. When he was a teen, it was heroin. Now, it was alcohol. He could feel that familiar, terrifying pull beneath his feet.
When Jared was a teen, he found sobriety at Idaho Youth Ranch. After facing his trauma head-on, he graduated proudly clean. For nine years, he never looked back. Until now.
Thankfully, he remembered something important: that we would always be here for him, just like you are here for Idaho kids every day.
When Jared saw alcohol taking over his life, he called his former therapist and said, “You’re the only person I can be totally honest with, and I know I’m struggling. I need help.”
Because of your support, we were ready. We got Jared into a therapy session right away and connected him with a doctor and adult counselor to help him navigate his grief and reclaim his sobriety.
You didn’t just help Jared find hope once—you were there for him when he needed it a second time. Thank you for being his lifeline.
You’ve made the difference . . .
. . . as we recover and rebuild.
July 18, 2022. A devastating fire shook Idaho Youth Ranch to our core. It took more than 5 days to put out the flames, and the challenges the fire brought are still smoldering. But thanks to our incredible donors, volunteers, and dedicated team members—we didn’t have to face it alone.
We are still working hard to recuperate from our loss. Even when we had to file a lawsuit against our insurance company in February 2024, we were able to start rebuilding our future because of the loyal support of a community united for Idaho’s youth.
Construction moved forward to rebuild our distribution center—the beating heart of our thrift store operation. Finally, the 100,000 square foot space is filled with music, laughter, and conversation once more as our team of more than 100 people works to sort, process, and price donated goods with the enthusiastic support of hundreds of volunteers.
In April 2024, we proudly reopened the Boise Outlet Store, which had been closed since the fire. Without you, none of this would have been possible.
We still need you . . .to be the difference.
Every day at Idaho Youth Ranch, youth and their families find a new trajectory for their lives because people like YOU care deeply about helping them. Your generosity is the engine that powers transformation, healing, and hope.
But there are still kids who need your help.
Our youth need you to stand with them and watch over them. We will not stop fighting for our young people to get the support they need and deserve. When kids reach out for help, you will be the difference between despair and hope with your generous and loyal support.
Board of Directors
Sheila Hennessey, Chair
Laura Smith, Chair Elect
Scott Anderson
Liz Beem
Kristin Bjorkman
Jim Bratnober
Leroy Custer
Celia Gould
Angie Harrison
Jim Johnston, MD
Travis Leach
Molly Mosher
Rick Rietmann
Leanne Rousseau, MD
Alonzo Sanchez
Laura Simic
Ivy Smith
Chris Taylor
Deanna Turner
Julie VanOrden
Bridgette Wewers
Ron Ashley, Emeritus
Scott Curtis, LMSW
CEO
5465 W. Irving Street • Boise, Idaho 83706 • 208-377-2613 • youthranch.org