Dear Supporter,
I am a little late with my Bi-yearly update. Most letters end with an appeal to hope. Today, I want to do things a little different and begin this letter with hope. I think we could all use a little hope today.
I believe there is a solution for every problem. It may not always be easy to find, but it is out there. That gives me hope, and hope is exactly what Ranch Hands Rescue was built on. Hope for abused animals. Hope for treatment resistant clients. Hope for the unseen survivors of sex trafficking. It was a dream and a hope that was made into reality. The only way to turn a dream into reality or hope into a solution is through work, hard work. That’s what we put into RHR and Bob’s House of Hope every day. The hard work that it takes to make hope and healing tangible. Without your support, this wouldn’t be possible.
Over the years, most nights were sleepless for me as I wondered how we would continue to pay our bills. As you know, building a sustainable organization takes incredible discipline. My problem has always been the ability to say no to bringing in a new special needs animal, placing a child who has been sexually abused and needs our help on a waiting list, or not having housing or space to accommodate a young man who has been sex trafficked. Because of you, I know that all is not lost and there is a way forward. Because of you, my dreams to HELP more innocent victims become a reality. Because of you, I am able to find solutions to problems others said could not be solved. The key to solving seemingly unsolvable problems is to keep searching and not give up. And that is why I write to you today. Together we have created hope and healing by finding innovative solutions to the overwhelming challenges in our community.
Over the last six months, we have experienced so much, and I wish I could share all of it with you. I will, however, share with you the highlights.
- We rescued another young man who required emergency rectal surgery. He was only 17 years old.
- We rescued a young man who was both labor and sex trafficked by a cartel.
- We reunited a young man who was sex trafficked with his family.
- Developed a partnership with a tattoo artist to remove the branding tattoos of the boys. Yes. They are all branded to mark them as property to their traffickers.
- We increased our caseload from across the country to 30+ survivors.
- We initiated new partnerships with law enforcement to drive the detection and recovery of boys being sexually exploited. These efforts have already resulted in arrests of perpetrators.
- We established new business partnerships to increase training and awareness of trafficking at all levels throughout the USA and the Texas community.
- We have two young men in college, and they are getting straight A’s.
- We completed a national billboard campaign with Clear Channel resulting in over 600 million impressions that Boys are sex trafficked too!
- We increased our number of case managers to serve more innocent victims, hired a Director of Business Development, and a Digital Marketing team member.
We continued to build out our new property in Justin, which we expect to have ready for staff and residents by Thanksgiving of this year. Opening this phase of our new 40-acre facility in Justin, Texas will have an additional 18 beds for innocent victims of sex trafficking.
The other night one of the boys sent me this text. I want to share it with you because I want you to realize just how important you are to our mission and vision. I want you to witness the healing we get to be a part of each day. This boy was adopted at 5 and returned to the system over and over. He was labeled a bad kid. He was trafficked across the country for years. He has been in our program almost one year.
Bob, It’s been a year since a buddy of mine who I went to rehab with died from a heroin and fentanyl overdose. I’m so grateful to beat addiction Bob, not everyone is so lucky… But it’s very eye opening to me because I was able to be the percentage of people that the Lord saw favor in me to become the best version of myself.
Love you Bob, thank you for making an avenue for individuals who suffer from addiction, mental illness and sex trafficking. I never believed that I was worth anything. I had so much shame and guilt from what those sicko’s did to me. For the first time in my life, I am surrounded by love and by people who are helping me to be a survivor and not a victim. Because of you Bob, I am learning to be the best version of myself. Your work has saved my life and allowed me to open my eyes each day I wake up to count my blessings and realize that God has a wonderful plan for me. I can turn my pain and suffering into something good. Bob, I want to be just like you. Thank you for helping me. ❤️
I received this text, and I cried. I love them all as if they were my own, and that is how we treat them. We invest in making HOPE real for these boys. We do this by establishing safety, structure, and trust. We meet them where they are in their recovery. We provide them with an education, mental health services, healthcare, dental care, mentorship, and anything else they need. We also help them pursue their personal goals and interests so that they learn there is more to life than just suffering. We help them find their higher power. And even though I get calls because of challenges these young men face (night terrors, bed wetting, trouble sleeping because of bad storms, attempts to self-mutilate, the list goes on), messages like this, my friends, makes it all worthwhile.
If you know me, you know that I am surrounded by people who have the same passion as I do for helping others. That’s why we say: Its Animals Helping People and People Helping Animals. Our Executive Director, Landon Dickeson, executes my strategy daily. He leads by example and is one of the kindest, most compassionate and intelligent individuals I know. He is able to do his job and help so many because of you! Here is a note from Landon:
We are able to pursue meaningful, life changing work because of the support you provide. I want you to know that I take the stewardship of your generous donations very seriously. Without you, the work that gives my life meaning, would not be possible. To that end, I have spearheaded the overhauling of our financial policies and procedures, hired new firms to manage our accounting needs, brought in new administrative staff to ensure accurate and timely reporting, and upgraded our accounting and donation systems to meet the rapidly changing needs of the digital age. I am humbled by and grateful for the trust you put in us when you choose Ranch Hands Rescue. We can dream it; we can solve it; and, we can work hard towards it, but you are the one who makes it tangible. You make it real. You make it all possible. I simply cannot do this without you.
The Ranch Hands Rescue Ignite Hope gala is coming up in September, and we have included a special invitation for you with this letter. If you want to join our community of hope dealers and turn the dreams of the lost into tangible futures, then fill out that RSVP and commit to a sponsorship, a donation, and a ticket. We put in the hard work to see our hope of your participation become the reality of your attendance. Now it’s your turn, hope dealer.
In addition to a one time or monthly donation, please consider hosting a fundraiser or birthday party for us. The boys need experiences, so if you know anyone at theme parks, baseball stadiums, soccer games, musicals etc., please connect us. We’ve suffered a huge loss since the Amazon smile program has been shut down, and we are looking at creative ways of making up that monthly financial loss. One way we are doing this is by seeking to bring in more corporate sponsors. So, if you have recommendations, or know of someone who can help, please reach out to me.
In closing I want you to know how much I appreciate your support. I ask you today for your continued support. I know that times are challenging, and we all have many needs. I also know that together we can, have, and will do great things! As always, I love your calls, emails, and letters of support. I will always make time for you. I want you to know that I pray for you daily, and we deeply appreciate your prayers for the boys, the clients, and all of the animals we serve. I am humbled by your kindness.
God bless and God speed,
Robert Williams
Founder and CEO
Ranch Hands Rescue and Bob’s House of Hope
[email protected]
940-240-0500, ext. 3
Landon Dickeson, MS, LPC, C-DBT
Executive Director
Ranch Hands Rescue and Bob’s House of Hope
[email protected]
940-240-0500, ext. 4
Ranch Hands Rescue, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN: 26-4610450
Bob’s House of Hope is a program of Ranch Hands Rescue