A Wings of Hope Newsletter • P.O. Box 1674 • Ashland • Virginia • 23005 • 804.883.8903 x 2 • www.wingsofhoperanch.org

Inside This IssueThe View from My Saddle................................. 2

Ranch Wishlist................................................... 5

Matches............................................................ 5

Who is Who...................................................... 6

The Herd............................................................ 7

Calendar of Events............................................ 7

Noah leading with confidence.

“He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” (Psalm 91:4 NKJV)

Ranch Roundup

Spring 2020Rancher ProfileTRULY A GODSEND - by Gail McDonnell, Board Treasurer

Noah Parker Link is a fixture at Wings of Hope Ranch. Starting as a rancher, Noah advanced through the programs and is now a volunteer! He is an unassuming and gentle soul. A quiet giant of a teen – only 16 years old, who can make everyone smile and feel loved. Noah is pure of heart and spirit and loves God unrestrictedly. Just being around him makes you feel at peace and makes you want to try harder.

When asked what inspires him, Noah said - his family, whom he describes as respectful, good mannered, and good people; and the Ranch horses and their life stories. At the Ranch Noah is always busy completing a chore or loving on the horses. The special interaction between him and the horses often causes me to stop, and soak in God’s spirit surrounding all of us.

Things weren’t always easy for Noah. He began working with the Ranch at his mother’s suggestion. She thought it would be a good experience for him, and he was willing to give it a try. On the first day that Noah visited the Ranch, it was love at first sight. Fortunately, Noah was able to almost immediately join as a rancher. Noah needed some help learning healthy ways to manage his temper and cope with stress and anxiety. Little did they realize what this experience would bring. “A peace came over me when I met the horses, mainly Levi, Samson, Cinnamon and Angel” Noah recounts. Noah feels things very deeply, and you can see his genuine concern for the horses, the ranchers, and the volunteers. Never one to shy away from a difficult situation, Noah offers his support to ranchers who are having a hard time and is always willing to help. When asked what he would say to parents considering bringing their child to the Ranch, he says, “It would help quite a bit having something for your child to look forward to

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Greetings Friends and Families of the Ranch!

I hope this newsletter finds you and your loved ones healthy and stronger than ever as you persevere through this season of trial and testing.

In January I was invited to lead a goal setting seminar called, “God has 20/20 Vision For Your 2020”. In hindsight, that title seems a little…ah, confident? It honestly brings me great peace. While I certainly didn’t know what was around the corner, God surely did! I can be confident He is in control and has a plan for all of us.

As I reflect on His plan I think of our first, “Under His Wings” gala hosted last October. Just visualize that name, our guiding scripture is Psalm 91:4 “He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will take refuge. His truth will be your shield and buckler”.

Psalm 91:4 says to trust God to cover and carry us through tough times, even provide spiritual abundance in time of worldly shortage. At the Gala we shared that Wings of Hope Ranch needed a “Forever Home”, somewhere to call our own, now and in the future. A place where we can have more horses and build a covered riding arena to serve ranchers all year round, in darkness, heat, rain, etc.

I remember saying that while we didn’t “actually” have a piece of land or a solid plan, I had a feeling that the Lord was about to “knock our socks off”! Just like this January when I said God has 20/20 vision for our 2020, the Lord knew what was around the corner and was preparing us, even if WE didn’t know what was coming.

About the same time, we became aware of a grant opportunity through the wonderful organization, Hanover Mental Health Association. We were able to apply and make a case that Wings of Hope Ranch had contributed to the mental health of our community for the last 14 years and would continue to contribute positively to the mental health of our community in the future.

While we never, refer to ourselves as “therapists” but always a “ministry”, we know that all of us benefit mentally, physically and spiritually by contributing to and or participating in our free program because we always try to point people to the TRUE healer, Jesus Christ. In God’s perfect timing we received the news and were able to announce at the Gala that Hanover Mental Health

Association selected us as a recipient of a grant in the amount of $70,000. One….sock….knocked….off!

GOD HAS 20/20 VISION AND PREPARES US IN ADVANCE FOR HIS PLANSThe Holy Spirit was at work at the Gala and powerful testimonies were shared by families that had been impacted by our ministry. Donors stepped out on faith, believed in our vision for the future and gave generously so we could start seriously considering acquiring a “Forever Home”. By the end of December we had over $100,000 donated! The $70,000 grant was amazing and through God’s provision donors took that $70,000 and more than doubled it. As of the newsletter print date, we have raised nearly 30% of the funds needed for the 1st Phase of the Forever Home. Second...sock...knocked...off!

Our regular fall season ended in November 2019 when the time changed. The shorter days and early darkness usually bring down time for our teams to regroup, evaluate and train new volunteers for the next season. This winter was different, there was seemingly no down time. The ranch was inundated with new volunteer and rancher applications like we have never seen before!

To meet this growing need, which could no longer be tackled in a volunteer capacity, we hired our first part time Program Director, Sharon Dennehy to oversee our program, volunteers and ranchers. Sharon D. couldn’t come soon enough and was working as fast as she could to meet, interview, train and onboard all the new volunteers.

Luckily, we have another wonderful Sharon (Puckett) on our volunteer staff who jumped in and helped Sharon D. prepare for the spring 2020 season. By March 1, the Sharon “squared” team, administrative expert Diane Pace, plus barn manager Kennedy Hall and professional consultant, Wendy

Floral arrangement made by volunteers Dotty, Kathy and Lori, for the Under His Wings Gala.

The View From My Saddle

CINNAMONCinnamon was one of the greatest teachers I’ve ever had. Whether it was her insistence on returning to the mounting block or not wanting to lift her hooves to be cleaned, I learned patience and leadership from Cinnamon. Teaching my ranchers how to use the reins to get Cinnamon

to do what they wanted her to was a lesson for me in the importance of gentleness while still being firm. I have so many memories of walking the ring, enjoying conversations with my ranchers and weaving through the barrels and poles like a mini obstacle course, and every one of those memories is one I will cherish forever. Despite all that Cinnamon went through before coming to Wings of Hope, she never lost her trust in people, and she inspired me to do the same. She was a shining example of Christ’s unconditional love for us, and somewhere underneath her leopard-spotted coat was a pair of angel wings.

Atkinson got everyone trained, background checks completed, paperwork filed, had our practice week (with volunteers and rescue horses), then a full week of wonderful, beautiful, sessions with over 54 weekly ranchers meeting over 6 nights of the week (our biggest season yet).

CINNAMONS PASSING AND OUR FOREVER HOME BECOMING A REALITYIn the meantime, January brought the passing of our sweet old girl Cinnamon. A true fixture at the ranch for 13 years. At the ripe age of 33, her health started to decline rapidly, and it was time for her to lay down her saddle and run free in Heaven. We had a few days to say goodbye before she was put down easy by our incredible veterinary team at Woodside Equine. There were a lot of tears and emotions and even a live memorial service with over 50 people to say goodbye, sing songs and hug her furry neck one last time. Cinnamon’s memorial was on a Sunday night.

The next day, Calvin Stanley, one of our original board members and Tina Word, our current board member called to tell me there was a fantastic property within

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a mile or so of the ranch that came on the market that day. It was on Tower Road, 51 acres, half cleared, half woods with beautiful giant old trees and flowering bushes, a perfect location, size and fair price. I told them both “No. Right now, I do not have the bandwidth to take on such a project.”

I was too tired, too drained, too sad and could not imagine taking it on. The next morning I woke up renewed, and thought, well maybe we should TRY to get the property. If the Lord wants us to have it He will see to it because it’s too much for me to handle. (I have learned this is a perfect scenario for the Lord to do His best work so can only give Him all the glory!) I called Calvin, I called Tina, met with the board via phone and text messages and got approval to make an offer. We put in an offer on Tuesday. We got a loan approval on Wednesday. We put Cinnamon down on Wednesday. Our offer was accepted on Thursday. By Friday we had a contract on our Forever Home!

Since then, our incredible Forever Home team, led by retired contractor and volunteer Billy Agliano has worked seamlessly pulling together, soil tests, surveys and appraisals needed to make our vision a reality. And of course, every, single test, or document, was returned without a single hiccup. We ended up closing on the land a week early on 3-25-2020. With both socks already knocked off we were shown God’s overflowing abundance of grace during the purchase of the Forever Home. Two blessings were incredible but

by Carissa Boll, Adult Session Volunteer

three. Wow! God’s provision is beyond what our plans can even comprehend.

A PASSING, PROVISION and A PANDEMIC, WHAT COULD BE NEXT?A few weeks before closing on the land, COVID-19 hit, and after preparing all winter the Spring 2020 season came to a screeching halt. We were required to shut down indefinitely. It seemed like a crazy time to be stepping out on faith and close on a piece of land. BUT, GOD…..while all of us are disappointed about not being able to continue our spring season as planned and scheduled, we know GOD is in control.

He has shown us since 2006 His plans are not our plans! His ways are not our ways! He has answered our prayers over and over and again and shown us to lean on and lean into Him, trusting Him even when we can’t see how each story ends. So here I am again, telling you, I get the feeling God is about to “knock our socks off”, but since both our socks are already gone, He is going to do something new, and I think this time, it is going to be… REVIVAL!

Right now we are in the midst of a holy pressing of the virtual “pause” button before the next phase of our ministry work begins. He has provided the people to serve, the children and families He has called us to minister to, and the financial resources to secure our future promised land for our “Forever Home”.

Won’t you join us, and be a part of the REVIVAL… essentially a season of harvesting? The pandemic and associated woes are preparing hearts and spirits to receive the Good News of Jesus Christ. The pressing down of worldly interests, money and resources will cause all of us to look UP and seek spiritual answers to worldly

problems. We need to be ready to provide those answers.

The work is still going on in this quiet time at the ranch. We are taking new volunteer applications and lining up summer training for new people to join the team. We hope to roll our 2020 spring season in to summer as soon as we get the green light. We are going to need dedicated and regular donors, not only to help pay for the building phases of the Forever Home project but also to maintain our operational costs of running the day to day program and caring for what will soon be 10 rescue horses. We will need volunteers to help with the maintenance of the existing property and the new property. We are also gearing up for a summer Bible study at Western Hanover Church, for volunteers, rancher families, and community. The study will help us prepare to meet the needs of ranchers who have experienced trauma, of which we are seeing more and more children struggling with. (See page 8 for more info).

I look forward to seeing you all soon and hearing what the Lord is calling you to do in this next chapter of His fantastic story!

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each week – I see peace come over a lot of kids, not all of the time, but a lot.” Noah describes the Ranch as a place where you can express yourself and feel safe. Noah thinks the Ranch has helped him become more mature and levelheaded. His mother, Ashley, says the Ranch has, “provided Noah a refuge where he feels at peace, it has provided this mama fulfillment beyond explanation.” According to Ashley, what Noah has taken from the Ranch is a love for the horses that seems to simply make all his hardships disappear. Both Noah and his mom believe that spending time at the Ranch

has strengthened their relationship with each other, and most importantly has enhanced their relationship with the Lord helping them to simply trust in His plan.

I have been fortunate to work with Noah and Ashley for several seasons and it’s always a happy sight seeing Noah loping up the driveway to join our Thursday night sessions. While Noah says that he has grown at the ranch, I don’t think he realizes how much he has helped others grow and learn to deal with their challenges. Noah is an inspiration to me, and I thank God for bringing him into my life. Noah works very hard to achieve the future he envisions (one that definitely includes horses). I have no doubt that he will achieve his dreams. I believe in Noah.

Rancher Profile - continued from page 1

Gratefully,

Alison Boyd, Executive Director

Alison with rancher, Martha Cogbill at Hoe Down 2018.

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Ranch Wish ListWings of Hope Ranch has a number of non-monetary needs that you may be able to fill. Known as in-kind contributions, these gifts to Wings of Hope Ranch are just as valuable as the money that would purchase them. Also, the fair market value of these donations is tax-deductible.

The following item would be a huge blessing to us!• A new or gently used tractor that mows, digs and drags.

We have a complete wishlist on our website at www.wingsofhoperanch.org/help/wish-list. A link to our Amazon wishlist can be found on the page too.

Please contact Wings of Hope Ranch if you have any item to donate. We will happily give you a tax deductible contribution receipt for your in-kind gift(s).

804.883.8903 ext. 2wingsofhoperanch@aol.com

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MISSIONThrough hands-on experience in a safe and peaceful environment, children facing conflicts and challenges come together with rescued horses to help each other learn to love and trust again.

CORe VaLueS1. We are Christ-focused2. We are a safe haven3. We serve with excellence

CONTaCTBARN LOCATION

Wings of Hope Ranch 14505 West Patrick Henry Road

Montpelier, Virginia 23192

MAILING ADDRESSWings of Hope Ranch

PO Box 1674Ashland, Virginia 23005

804.883.8903 ext. 2wingsofhoperanch@aol.comwww.wingsofhoperanch.org

Wings of Hope Ranch is a Christian 501 (c)(3) nonprofit and mostly an all-volunteer organization that relies solely on the generosity of volunteers and donors. These men and women are the lifeblood of the Ranch and we could not continue to serve families at no cost to them without volunteer time and donor resources.

Would you consider becoming one of our volunteers or making a donation? Volunteer applications are available on your website, and we accept online donations at our secure giving site at: www.wingsofhoperanch.org

SuPPORT

MatchesLast year volunteers and donors from Dominion, McKesson, Bank of America, CarMax, HCA Healthcare and Capital One submitted documentation that equated to a little over $3500 dollars in donations to Wings of Hope! As a registered 501c3 Wings of Hope often qualifies as a recipient for company matches. Many companies match donations from retired employees too!

Ask your Human Resource department to see if it’s a benefit they offer. If you need help navigating we can pair you up with a Wings volunteer or donor from your company.

Another simple way to make a big impact is by selecting Wings of Hope as your charity on Amazon’s charity link, AmazonSmiles or through Kroger’s Community Rewards program. Last year Wings received $260 from AmazonSmiles and $502 from Kroger! We have links to select Wings as your charity pinned to our Facebook page.

If you need information from Wings please contact - Elizabeth Pace, Development@WingsOfHopeRanch.org or 804-822-0787

Thank you for your support of Wings Of Hope Ranch!

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Who is Who at Wings of Hope Ranch?

Visit our website at www.wingsofhoperanch.org and click on the “About Us” tab to meet our leadership team, board of directors and new staff members!

Can you find the person in this photo who is our new program director?

Our new book keeper riding Jewel on the trail ride.

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Please contact, Admin@WingsOfHopeRanch.org

or call 397-0469 if you would like more information on our events.

2020 Calendar of eventsWhile we are all subject to change schedules

we invite you to check out our website - www.wingsofhoperanch.org/events for the most

up-to-date schedule. Our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/wingsofhoperanch is also a wonderful resource to connect with us daily!

We hope you will save the date on these summer and fall events we have planned.

JUNE 18 – SEPTEMBER 3

5:30 – 8:00 pm: Potluck and Bible Study - “The Connection: Where Hearts Meet” (see page 8)

JULY 296:00 – 6:30 pm: Tour and Orientation for anyone

interested in volunteering

AUGUST 266:00 – 6:30 pm: Tour and Orientation for anyone

interested in volunteering7:00 pm: Rancher and Equine season sponsorship event

SEPTEMBER 8

Fall Rancher season kick-off

SEPTEMBER 236:00 – 6:30 pm: Tour and Orientation for anyone

interested in volunteering

SEPTEMBER 26 & 27East Coast Ranch Ministry Clinic at Ready Yourselves

Youth Ranch in Pennsylvania

OCTOBER 10“Under His Wings” Fundraising Gala

OCTOBER 286:00 – 6:30 pm: Tour and Orientation for anyone

interested in volunteering

NOVEMBER 7Trail Ride Fundraiser at Millstone Farm

DECEMBER 5Deck The Stalls Christmas Open Barn and

Live Nativity Play

LACEYLacey is our beautiful new horse, a paint Quarter horse mare, although she doesn’t have any paint spots. She used to be a 4H horse, but tragic circumstances led to her and her pasture mate being given to new owners. Those owners then needed to find a

new home for the two horses, so Lacey came to Wings of Hope! She is ready to go as a horse in our program, having been a walk-trot-canter-jumper show horse while in 4H, and is getting to know her new herd. Lacey’s name means ‘cheerful’ or ‘joyful,’ and there are many verses in the Bible that include those meanings! Her chosen verse comes from Psalm 35:9, which says, “And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall rejoice in His salvation.”

The Herdby Carissa Boll, Adult Session Volunteer

“The true beauty of the ranch lies in all of the volunteers that make it such a beautiful place” -Sutton Marks

Mrs. Betty and Sutton

P.O. Box 1674Ashland, VA 23005

804.883.8903 ext. 2wingsofhoperanch@aol.comwww.wingsofhoperanch.org

This interactive small group study is designed to help us build connections with our own children and ranchers. We will meet once a week for 13 weeks on Thursday nights from 5:30- 8 pm at Western Hanover Church. Pot luck dinner shared from 5:30 pm to 6:15, study and child care from 6:15 - 8 pm. We will be providing child care for a limited amount of children. We are also hoping to have a separate pre-teen/teen small group.

You will be encouraged and equipped with practical help based on Biblical truths and research-based interventions specifically developed for adoptive, foster care families and people in relationship with children who have experienced trauma. When we meet we will watch video sessions by, Dr. Karyn Purvis, author of The Connected Child,

and Elizabeth Styffe of Saddleback Church as well as have small group discussion.

Just to highlight a few of the topics covered: “Understand What Causes Difficult Behavior and How to Respond to it, Identify and Disarm a Child’s Fear Responses, and TeachYour Child New Life Values.” The authors say “All families at times face struggles and difficulties, but for families who adopt or foster children who have come from the “hard places”, those struggles and difficulties are often greatly increased in intensity and complexity. This study is designed to help you change the way you relate to your child and bring healing to his or her heart.”Please register on-line at www.wingsofhoperanch.org/events so we can prepare and share any materials you may need prior to the first night.

Join us for Summer Bible Study: “The Connection: Where Hearts Meet”

Wings of Hope Ranch Statement of Faith

A place where Jesus holds the reins, our feet are firmly placed in the stirrups of the Bible, and people are encouraged to sit securely in the saddle of God’s hope and love.