As I write, it is late October, and this has been one of our busiest years for client hours. We have increased our time with clients by over 30% from 2023 and as a result have transformed more lives. To date, Peace Ranch has provided over 750 hours of therapy for children and adults with similar issues.

The Body Keeps the Score, (2014) by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk is a New York Times best seller. This college level textbook, based on Van der Kolk’s 30 years of trauma research states “the urgent work of the brain after a traumatic event is to suppress it through forgetting or self-blame to avoid being ostracized.”

The Body Keeps the Score, (2014) by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, is a New York Times best seller. This college level textbook, based on Van der Kolk’s 30 years of trauma research, states “the urgent work of the brain after a traumatic event is to suppress it through forgetting or self-blame to avoid being ostracized. But the body does not forget” which causes all kinds of issues.

A generous 5 acre donation of land given to Peace Ranch by Paul Biederman will be developed for a new Rustic Retreat program offering short term intensive therapy services prioritizing Veterans and children & families in crisis, with a focus on trauma and addiction recovery.

In 2022 most of us in the US finally started moving away from the constant shifting and dancing to manage the world with covid. But it still left its mark on the way we do business and work, and the mental health field was no exception.

Dear Friends: This year I write with such nostalgia as I consider our journey to this landmark year in our history. The 17.5 acre ranch campus, much of which had been privately owned, now belongs in its entirety to Paraklesis dba Peace Ranch. A silent campaign launched in January by our Board of Directors raised nearly enough to retire the debt. Many thanks to the generosity of several anonymous donors, Bill & Susie Janis, and the estate of Peg & Erwin Sporte.

I guess I’m an old farmer at heart. I remember when our kids were young, brining in bushels of fruit and vegetables for freezing and canning to preserve them for the coming winter. Harvest is work, the result of good sown plus watering and tending to promote healthy growth toward maturity.

The tragedy that took place Monday, May 24th in Uvalde, Texas has had global impact. Nineteen children, and two adults were senselessly gunned down by an 18 year old (who was also a casualty) the day before this picture was taken. It was after Tuesday that age old wisdom struck me recently.

With war abroad, national unrest, and difficult times in our community, our team has joined the battle to reclaim lives devastated by abuse, neglect, war, and now systemic trauma caused by the pandemic. We increased service personnel, added new programming and partnerships to broaden our capacity and ability to help.

In January, at our Annual Meeting we reviewed the History of our organization. Paraklesis Inc. was founded in 1990 to fill a service gap and Forest Lakes Counseling was born to provide quality, faith based counseling services for people in need regardless of their ability to pay.

Dear Friends: As I write, our local hospital has reached RED for the first time in history due to COVID19 complicated by a lack of medical and support staff. Schools are struggling with administrators juggling their responsibilities while doubling as teachers as coaches.

Jackie Kaschel, Executive Director and Co-founder of Peace Ranch, is nominated for the Traverse City Record-Eagle's Influential Women of Northern Michigan. Read an interview with Jackie.

Addiction, Anxiety, Depression, Grief, and Suicide are just a few of the giants impacting our children, families, communities, and nation. Here at the ranch we are expanding services to meet these needs. Resilience and Leadership for Kids, Parenting Classes, Internships and Trainings for students and professionals.

The headline of a Feb. 2021 Wall Street Journal article read: “For Better Health During the Pandemic, Is Two Hours Outdoors the New 10,000 Steps?” The article goes on to say that “the benefits of nature have been clear to scientists for some time but the pandemic has made the matter more urgent.”

In January, at our Annual Meeting we reviewed the History of our organization. Paraklesis Inc. was founded in 1990 to fill a service gap and Forest Lakes Counseling was born to provide quality, faith based counseling services for people in need regardless of their ability to pay.

Since day one making an impact and contributing to local, national and global nonprofits has been part of The Good Bowl’s DNA via their $1 per bowl donation to charities program. The recipient organizations are nonprofits rooted in humanitarian and environmental efforts are selected by their guests and employees and rotate each quarter.

The weeks and months are flying by, so many changes and adjustments, adding, subtracting, doing more of some things and less of others with not much time to process, have made my cup feel a little emptier lately. One thing that is unchanged is our commitment to serving both horses and humans in need.

Download Peace Ranch's 2020 Second Quarter Newsletter and subscribe online to receive future e-newsletters.

Download Peace Ranch's 2020 First Quarter Newsletter and subscribe online to receive future e-newsletters.

Nestled back on Hoosier Valley road in Traverse City is a tranquil farm appropriately named PEACE Ranch. At first glance, it resembles a regular farm; horses, outbuildings, and gardens. However, it is so much more than that. By: Brooke Felger