St.
Jude’s Ranch for Children wasn’t a place so much as a dream in the mind
of one well-meaning man. ”What if we could build a place for neglected
children?” He wondered. “How much good could we do?”
A
lot! For 50 years, St. Jude’s Ranch has provided a safe, nurturing
home with therapeutic residential treatment services to thousands of
abused and neglected children in Nevada. St. Jude’s Ranch has made and
continues to make a difference by creating new lives with new hope for
these children.
It all began
with Father Jack Adam, an Episcopalian priest, who envisioned a place
where neglected children could feel loved. He named the place after St.
Jude, the Patron Saint of Desperate Causes. At first, Father Adam’s
project seemed to be one of those desperate causes, but that changed in
1966 when several members of the community stepped in to help.
Claudine
and Shelby Williams assisted with fundraising and organized a
successful gala called the “Nite of Stars.” With the help of Forrest
Duke, the entertainment columnist at the Las Vegas Review Journal,
they convinced stars including Jack Benny, Shecky Greene, Bob Hope and
Frank Sinatra to perform. Held November 15, 1966, at the Riviera Hotel,
the event was a great success, raising more than $30,000.
Alvin
Wartman, an attorney in Boulder City, persuaded City fathers to provide
40 acres of land for a campus. The Sisters of Charity, an order of nuns
based in Bristol, England, agreed to care for the children. Builders,
contractors and tradesmen offered to help develop the property.
St.
Jude’s Ranch for Children was instituted in 1966, construction began in
1967 and later that year, Eddie – a boy from Elko, Nevada – became the
first resident. The Ranch wasn’t big or fancy, but the kind people of
Southern Nevada quickly embraced the organization and its mission.
The
St. Jude’s Ranch Women’s Auxiliary was established and became the
largest and most active support group in the Las Vegas area with more
than 300 members. Publicity that had surrounded the Nite of Stars helped
bring new supporters to the Ranch family.
Under
the leadership of Father Herbert Ward, Executive Director from
1970-2000, St. Jude’s Ranch became one of Southern Nevada’s most visible
and successful nonprofit organizations. Over time, the
organization grew and expanded its programs into two locations in Las
Vegas, offering related services such as housing for homeless families
and singles, employment and education assistance, sibling preservation
for families separated in foster care and family support services to
provide caregivers skills and resources they need before children are
removed from the home.
Today,
our campus is a community landmark and an important part of life in
Boulder City. Not only do we continue to serve the needs of abused and
neglected children and young adults in Southern Nevada, we give tours of
our campus, maintain a Thrift Store that is open to the public seven
days a week and conduct weddings in our beautiful chapel.
Crossings
and New Crossings, our transitional living programs for homeless youth
and families, and Child Focus, our sibling preservation program, are
both located in Las Vegas.
Even
though there have been changes over the years, St. Jude’s Ranch has
remained true to its mission: rescuing abused, abandoned and neglected
children and providing a safe, nurturing and therapeutic home for them.
