Portage Volunteers Serve at Youth Ranch
Portage Learning serves local community with a volunteer day at Ready Yourselves Youth Ranch on October 29th, 2024.
Cold.
Dark.
Dreary.
For anyone who happened to be outdoors around 8:30am on Tuesday, that was pretty much the vibe.
But not long afterward, the rain stopped. The sun broke through the clouds. And warmth radiated throughout the Ready Yourselves Youth Ranch in New Brighton. The sudden change in the weather occurred just as more than 50 volunteers from Portage Learning converged on the ranch to tear down, spruce up, and help make the property even more welcoming for the young people it serves.
Coincidence? Micheline Barkley has a theory.
“It’s like a shot in the arm every time Portage Learning comes out,” the ranch’s owner said. “It’s such a blessing to have all of you here.”
She pointed to the flurry of activity around her and smiled.
“I can’t even describe the impact you make when you come here. Just the man hours themselves. It would be like hiring a maintenance man to work 250 hours for us, in all areas of this place. It really is incredible.”
Not far away, staff and faculty from Portage were busy painting, sawing, pounding, weed whacking, cleaning horse stalls, and organizing equipment.
Rachel Sullivan, who leads the film team at Portage Learning, has been volunteering regularly at the faith-based ranch for the past four years. She calls the annual work event one of her favorite days of the year.
“It really is,” she explained. “I just love being here. And it’s really cool to show people what we do here and how they are helping us.”
The Ready Yourselves Youth Ranch opened in 2010 to provide free equine therapy for children and teens facing health issues or emotional challenges. Micheline said many of the students are from abusive or neglectful environments, and learning to ride and care for the rescue horses increases their trust, faith, and love.
Portage Learning President Steve Michalik sits on the ranch’s board of directors. On Tuesday, he was covered in sweat and sawdust as he performed construction work on the barn that houses 27 horses.
“We get to help participate in something we can’t do,” Steve explained. “They are really good at using horses for equine therapy, and we’re not. But we can do things we’re capable of doing to help their mentoring program continue to thrive.”
Micheline grew emotional when someone approached to thank her for hosting the Portage crew on the property.
“Do you believe that?” she asked. “They’re thanking ME for coming out to do all this work on our behalf. We are just so grateful for all Portage Learning does to help us.”
She paused to collect her thoughts.
“You know, every time I see a child smiling here, you’ve all played a role in making that happen.”
