It took tough love for Dmitri Branton to realize he could break a family cycle.
The 16-year-old credits a nonprofit organization that houses and educates underprivileged children for giving him an opportunity to make something of his life.
"It feels good to know people actually trust me and can depend on me," Branton said.
Branton has become a leader to other kids in his 3 1/2 years at Still Creek Ranch, said Evelyn and Wes Priest, his house parents at the boarding school near Kurten.
Branton was born in Russia, grew up in an orphanage and went through two boarding schools before discovering responsibility, strength and character at Still Creek Ranch, Evelyn Priest said.
He is one of 29 student residents at the ranch who are victims of abandonment, abuse or broken homes. The ranch also has a 52-student school for first- through 12th-graders who need a more personalized classroom setting. There are 16 full-time employees working as house parents or teachers.
Margaret O'Quinn, who started the ranch in 1988 with her husband, Danny, said watching the kids thrive is rewarding.
"I cannot imagine a day without having all these precious kids around," she said, adding that the couple has also raised four children of their own. "We don't have any bad kids, not even trouble kids. They're just kids from troubled situations."
The key, she said, is to give each child love, encouragement, guidance and time.
Animals, education and God
The ranch has grown from 14 acres to 275 acres with multiple buildings, but there still isn't enough room to meet the demand, O'Quinn said. The facility turns down children three to five times a week because of a lack of space. Most of the children are from the area, she said, but seven current residents are from failed adoptions or other countries.
The ranch is run as a nonprofit organization funded entirely through donations.
It takes about $50,000 a month to operate the facility, O'Quinn said, which goes toward feeding and clothing the children and paying the staff members.
The ranch relies heavily on three annual fundraisers and donations from the community.
O'Quinn said the couple doesn't accept government funding because it would prevent it from teaching a Christian message and instilling a strong work ethic.
"We teach the kids that Jesus loves them every day, and we teach them to work every day," she said. "They learn to respect themselves more by being able to do the daily chores."
Every child partakes in chores such as mowing the lawn, painting fences and helping raise the animals.
Animals are a large part of the program, O'Quinn said. Most of the children begin in the 4-H program when they join the ranch and get an animal to care for, feed and groom.
"These kids, most of them have had a lot of people leave them. So our concept is to teach them that they have a father in heaven that will never leave them or forsake them. Each one of them is valuable to God. God loves you and you are worthy of this love, and if they can just realize how much they are worth and how valuable life is, it makes all the difference. We don't teach a religion. We just try to teach God's love and just the importance of doing right. ... Life has choices, and there's consequences."
Transforming lives
The ranch's staff members and volunteers make a big difference in the children's lives, O'Quinn said.
Ashley Donnell, 25, said she's been volunteering a couple times a week for the past four months at the ranch, helping teach the students how to ride and care for horses.
"Once I went out there and started interacting with these kids, I completely fell in love with these kids," she said. "They are so grateful and so eager to learn. That's when I wanted to do more."
Evelyn Priest, 25, said it is humbling to give back to the ranch where she lived as a young girl after coming from an abusive home.
"They are never ever going to forget you for the rest of their life," she said.
Sometimes, the 16-hour days can be draining, she said, but every day is rewarding.
"This is an opportunity for them to change their life around," she said.
Wes Priest, 26, said it's amazing to see the transformation of children who arrive at the ranch co-dependent and leave self-sufficient, confident and in control of their lives. He said he and his wife plan to stay at the ranch as long as possible.
If everything goes as planned, Branton will be the first student to graduate from the Priests' home.
Branton wants to join the Marines. He said he had an abusive father and watched his mother try to raise a family on her own before he was sent to an orphanage.
Branton said he thinks his grandfather was the only one to do anything productive with his life, and he wants to change that.
"You have to jump in with both feet," he said. "You've got to learn to make the best out of things."
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