The letter below was sent on April 7, 2020 on behalf of the DHR Board of Directors. In response, a DHR friend, Joel Trammel, has pledged to match all donations, up to $75,000. Every donation will be doubled thanks to Joel!

Dear Friends, 

While these times continue to create great uncertainties, they also have created one crystal clear certainty: the ability to continue the mission of DHR is at risk.

The last three weeks have presented us with almost hourly changes in conditions, rules to sort through and adjustments to make. We have gained more clarity in some areas and been flooded with new uncertainties in others. Craig Russell, DHR Executive Director, and his staff have worked incredibly hard and proactively to deal with the evolving issues. Recent “stay at home” orders have given us clarity on how to react to some of our questions from earlier in March, though we were limiting access to DHR and practicing social distancing before the orders. As we serve some of the more delicate members of our society, we take every precaution possible while maintaining a high quality of life for them. 

We fully expect this crisis to end, and we have hope that recent provisions for loans to small businesses such as DHR will provide cash in the future. However, for the sake of our residents and the continuation of our mission, DHR must still be OPEN when these things happen. Many of the fundraising activities that DHR depends on to operate have already been cancelled due to this crisis. That means very little sales of lilies or spring color plants this year. That means no Ranch Camp. That means no organizations having retreats at DHR. That means no Swim Fest and Field Day. That means a loss of revenues of about $185,000.

Plain and simple, it means that DHR runs out of cash in June. That could well be before the crisis ends or government loans are received. DHR must still be OPEN in June. 

We have an urgent plea to everyone who believes in the mission of DHR. If you have the ability to help DHR remain OPEN, when better times and conditions return, the time to help us is right now. While we always need donations to help improve the quality of life for our residents, this is the first time, and we hope the last, that they are crucial to make sure we stay OPEN.  

Thanks to everyone for your support of Down Home Ranch. We will get through these tough times together.

On behalf of the DHR Board of Directors, Gary Holliday, Chairman

*If you would like to make a donation towards the cause, you can do so here. Thank you for your support in helping DHR remain open for years to come.