Eagle Scout Project- New Ranch Signage!
Last fall, the Barnfield family came to serve at Goshen Valley Boys Ranch through Woodstock City Church’s “Be Rich” campaign. They all were inspired by their day of service. Just as we always hope, they became interested in getting more involved.
A few months later, Connor Barnfield began planning his Eagle Scout project. He decided to help out Goshen Valley, and through discussions with Zach, he decided to create new signage for the Ranch. This has been a significant need for Goshen Valley over the past several years, but with limited manpower and funding, it had not yet happened.
We expected something along the lines of plywood signs with painted logos and directions. Connor decided to take this project to a far greater level of excellence. He researched the best materials to use and found a highly resistant polycarbonate structure that will last much longer than wood. He found a CNC Router to engrave our logos and writings with perfection. Connor and his family then took hours detailing and painting the engravings to look phenomenal on the white signs.
On Saturday, Connor brought his family and 14 additional volunteers to the Ranch. We worked for six hours installing seven signs all around the Ranch. Connor even came back on Sunday to touch up a few spots and install an improved border on the entrance sign.
This is not the first Eagle Scout project to take place on the Ranch, and with several other aspiring Eagle Scout’s in attendance serving Saturday we are excited to welcome more going forward!
Goshen Valley is incredibly thankful for the excellent signs made by Connor Barnfield for his Eagle Scout project. Thank you to Woodstock City Church, The Boy Scouts, all of the volunteers involved, Tony and Missy Barnfield, and most of all to Connor Barnfield for the excellent work. Goshen is better because of people like you.
Goshen Graduates- Defying the Odds
- The statistics show that only 50% of youth in foster care will receive a high school diploma.
- Only 10% of former foster youth will attend college.
Graduating high school is an accomplishment to be celebrated for any teenager, but especially for youth in foster care. We want to highlight the youth in our care that have achieved this great milestone while being away from their parents and family support. We are extremely proud of each of them and the next steps they are making! Each graduate is attending college and continuing to grow with peace and purpose.
Your investment into Goshen Valley has made a way for these young people to succeed. Every gift given was utilized to surround them with the safety of a home, love of a family and hope for the future. We hope you enjoy seeing the fruits of your support!
If you would like to participate in the $50 for 5 campaign you can give a special gift in honor of our graduates below:
An Interview with Stacy Cooper
Stacy Cooper is the executive director of the Goshen Valley Boys Ranch. She describes her role as “overseeing the quality of care, operations, and safety of both the boys and our staff.” She has been with Goshen for over three years and has done incredible work in advancing care for our boys as well as staff longevity and satisfaction.
I asked Stacy what she loved most about working at Goshen. She gave two answers that would not surprise anyone who has seen her passionate endeavors at the Ranch. First she said “getting to know the staff and serving in ministry together.” We would be hard pressed to find any Ranch employees who have not felt the deep love and intentional care Stacy gives freely to her staff. Her second answer is even more obvious, and 46 boys could attest to it each day. “Of course the boys. They are absolutely precious.” When asked about her favorite aspect of working with the boys, Stacy elaborated that she loves being with them when things are not going well. “You can come out of it with a deeper relationship and show them that even when things are bad you will be there for them.” This mindset and practice is profoundly powerful for youth who have found themselves in foster care.
I then asked Stacy about her favorite memory during the past three years at Goshen. It was obvious that her mind was filled with story after story of love and transformation; Peace and Purpose changing the heart and direction of so many youth. She said that she absolutely loves seeing a boy exceed in ways that others would have thought impossible. She told of a boy she interviewed on his first day at Goshen. He was overly anxious and kept apologizing. He couldn’t look anyone in the eye or sit still. He asked what kind of clothes hangers we used at the Ranch. Stacy felt an immediate connection with this boy, and through the years she has watched him transform.
“He had never felt free at home. One day I saw him running laps around the football field, and every time he passed by he excitedly said ‘Hey Mrs. Stacy!’ He learned how to ride a bike at the Ranch at age 13. Everything was so new to him. He saw the world open up. He even got a girlfriend.” Stacy says he brought a note from her home and was so excited to share the good news with her. Last year he went to a Braves game and rode with Stacy and two other staff members. She said that in his sleep deprived state at 1:30 he was “goofing off, laughing, singing, and laying his head on my shoulder. This is a level of freedom he never knew before arriving at Goshen. He thinks of the Ranch as his family, and here he has experienced the world and grown up so much.”
The love and acceptance Stacy gives so freely have impacted the lives of so many youth and will continue to do so for years to come. We cannot thank Stacy enough for the work she does every day serving both our staff and the youth in care at Goshen Valley Boys Ranch.
Reflections from 2014 Summer Academy Interns
Throughout the year, the Goshen Valley Academy provides young men with opportunities to have some fun while on the ranch, especially during the summer months. Starting in 2005, the Academy was once just a summer camp, but has evolved to be so much more. From tutoring to field trips to service opportunities during school holidays, Goshen Valley Academy is a daily intensive program where young men can play sports, work, grow spiritually, catch up or get ahead in school or just enjoy some fun time off….all year long.
With so much going on at the Academy, we rely heavily on the community to help run the Academy. Volunteer tutors, interns and partnerships make it a true success. The young men get an experience they won’t forget.
Reflections from 2014 Summer Academy Interns
“It’s been the best summer of my three years at Goshen Valley. I loved seeing each and every kid grow—some moving from boys to mature men and others giving up what they wanted so someone else could have joy. I’m very thankful to have been a part of Goshen Valley.” – Nick Rowell
“This summer has been the best yet. The kids were incredible, the leaders were great, and Michael did a great job organizing it all. We had a lot of large group activities like football, basketball, soccer and ultimate Frisbee. We also divided the kids into groups to get to know them on a more personal level and encourage team bonding. Hearing the kid’s stories and struggles was eye-opening and being able to help them work through some of their struggles was a major blessing.” – Dalton Porche
“This summer was life changing with the boys on the ranch. The relationships made throughout the summer were unforgettable. As well as strengthening their walks with Christ, my relationship with God got stronger. During the last few weeks, you could see the boys finally dropping all resentment towards one another and just loving. I hope to come back again next year!” – Ben Rowell
Goshen Valley in United Way of Greater Atlanta Community Report
United Way of Greater Atlanta featured Goshen Valley in the education section of their 2014 Community Report, focusing on one of our best success stories of Chase, a young man who went from Burden to Blessing while at Goshen Valley.
Watch Movie Online Logan (2017)
Burden to Blessing
I want to clearly define what it means for our young men to move from burden to blessing. The connection I feel is the strongest is to explain it through the lens of the child. The young men of Goshen Valley are quick to identify with themselves and others through their burdens. This includes the abandonment, guilt, anxiousness and fear that has built up inside of them due to the trauma they have faced in life. During their time at Goshen Valley we work intensively to understand those issues and walk with the child through the journey of overcoming those emotions and tensions. Thus, through this journey, they experience blessings that they would not have otherwise. This journey includes being part of a healthy family environment, engaging in therapy, and being part of a engaged church community. Such blessings may come in the form of adoption, reunification, graduation, full-time employment and a relationship with God.
What we experience at Goshen Valley is that this message of Burden to Blessing is not only true in the lives of our boys but also those that work for, serve and visit. We find that people have the ability to identify those times in their own lives when they carried their own burdens and sought the right environment, family, and church to overcome and grow stronger from those times.
It is this idea that unifies us all. Foster child and supporter.
Blessing of Relationships
At the end of the day, our lives completely rely on relationships. Relationships can consist of family, friends, employers, co-workers or even the relationship you have with your mechanic. Good or bad, we rely on others to meet all of our needs.
Young men at Goshen Valley have broken relationships at the core of their being. No matter how these relationships were broken, mended or severed forever, the blessing of relationships is the key for true
Broken relationships with parents are healed through intentional relationships with house parents.
Difficulty in forming relationships with peers is healed through consistency of friendships at homeand school.
Conflict once resolved with fighting or abuse is now resolved through discussion and honesty.
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'Carol' is a movie genre Romance, was released in November 20, 2015. Todd Haynes was directed this movie and starring by Cate Blanchett. This movie tell story about In 1950s New York, a department-store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman.
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