Continuing its mission of helping veterans and their families feel better and achieve their goals and dreams, the Dare to Dream Ranch in Foster recently announced its 3rd Annual Yellow Ribbon Gala that will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick.
The event will take place on Saturday, September 28th, 2024, from 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM. This is your perfect opportunity to hear from clients about how your donations for their services and programs have helped them with their mental health. There will be “Quilt of Valor” presentations, which honors veterans who have served, and attendees will hear from the board president, Jon Shelburne, USMC (ret).
There will also be a presentation of the 2023 Cory Zaranek Community Service Commitment to Excellence Award—given to the individual or individuals who have shown exemplary commitment to moving their mission forward through their dedicated volunteerism.
Last year’s event raised $15,000. This funding helps the Ranch offer all their programs and services to clients, at NO cost to them. They have hosted pre, post, and mid deployment events for RI National Guard families. They also provide recreational therapy at the “Carnival for Heroes” and “Holiday for Heroes,” for the RI National Guard.
They offer equine therapy, woodworking, fly fishing, deep sea fishing, hunting, two military kids’ summer camps, five-day retreat for male veterans, and five-day retreat for female veterans. They also offer whole-day retreats and individual sessions.
“I have recently had the opportunity to witness the LIFE-CHANGING results of Karen’s back breaking work and generous survivor spirit,” said one family member.
“Karen saved my life!” echoed a veteran, who did not wish to be named.
“I can’t express my gratitude for the work that Karen and Dare to Dream Ranch do for veterans like myself. I have been diagnosed with explosive personality disorder, anger issues with violent tendencies, and a litany of other issues. Unlike working with a therapist or group work at the VA, Karen and the animals on the Ranch aren’t pretentious or judgmental. There is no anxiety trying to make an appointment or find a parking space. If you’re reading this, guys, she needs help in the form of donations, as well as volunteers. Please help out and be a part of something bigger,” says another unidentified veteran.
“Finding this Ranch has been one of the most positive changes in my life,” added another veteran.
The Ranch aids veterans and their families with emotional challenges like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, military sexual trauma, mild traumatic brain injury, and stroke recovery, with various available programs.
Dalton has been very fortunate with numerous donations and grants over the past several years to continue funding its mission. “The increasing need to help more veterans currently exceeds what they would like to accomplish for helping out these groups, ” she said.
“We are looking to expand our programs and to offer more to support our veterans and their families. We rely on donations, grants, and volunteers to make this happen,” Dalton added.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 1.7 million veterans are dealing with some type of mental health issue or issues. That is one primary reason why events such as the Gala are important. Monies raised will go toward programs to help provide needed services to help those who served and their supportive families.
Those programs can also open the veterans up to express their feelings and experiences to other veterans, who better understand their struggles.
“Veterans tend to open up to other veterans because they have often witnessed the same or similar events as they have,” Dalton explained.
Dare to Dream Ranch, a non-profit military organization, now in its ninth year, offers alternative-therapy programs for service members veterans and their families with PTSD, anxiety, depression, military sexual trauma, mild traumatic brain injury and stroke recovery. They work with men, women and military children. Each year, they work with hundreds between all of their programs.
Behind the scenes, they assist with financial challenges, housing, food insecurity issues, and more. There are many organizations that offer different programs, but when clients can’t get support, they reach for Dare to Dream Ranch for support.
This year, they started breeding and raising Australian Shepherd puppies, as well. “We are looking for donors to sponsor a puppy that will be trained as a service dog for mental health for veterans,” Dalton said.
In addition to attending The Gala, companies and individuals are encouraged to either sponsor, donate, and/or volunteer.
Dalton is actively seeking donations of gift cards from local merchants, including restaurants, retailers, service providers, and in-kind services. They offer several sponsorship levels that include various benefits ranging from signage at the Ranch and social media mentions to complementary event tickets.
Tickets for this event, as well as further details about Dare to Dream Ranch, are available on the Eventbrite link on our website, www.daretodreamranch.org.
Additional information may be found by either visiting the Ranch’s website at www.daretodreamranch.org, or by contacting the Ranch at 401-919-2059, or at dare2dreamranchri@gmail.com .
