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Last spring a family who wishes to remain anonymous read about our struggle to build a new house for the guys from the "south 40"—Kyle, Travis, Sterling, and John—in the Village.

We'd got as far as pouring the slab, and we needed help to build the exterior—frame, siding, windows, doors, roof, rocking. This generous family sent $27,419, exactly half of our estimate to get to this stage!

The New Joseph House halfway through rocking phase

That was enough to call in the carpenters. Today the house is looking like a home. We promised the guys we'd try hard to get them in the house by Thanksgiving and it looks like we might make it, although there's still a long way to go.

Our guess is, though, that we'll make it, mainly because the guys keep us on task! They ask every day, "Will our house be ready soon?" They peer in the windows and debate which room belongs to whom. They calculate the savings in walking time from this house to their girlfriends' homes (three minutes) over walking from the Spur, where they now live (about 15 minutes). They long to walk across the road to the Village at the end of the day and take their place in the neighborhood, rather than being stuck isolated on the Spur.

And—they changed the name of the new house from Isaiah House to the "New Joseph House." (They get who St. Joseph was—Jesus' earthly father—but who the heck was Isaiah?!)

Now that the home is snuggled into its spot between Cabin #4 and Benedict House, it's hard to imagine when it wasn't.

It just belongs.

Please help us out by donating to the completion of the "New Joseph House." For one thing, these guys deserve it!

For another, we'll get no peace until it's finished.

If you'd like to help four cowboys join their friends in the Village at Down Home Ranch by making a contribution or a pledge to finish building the "new" Joseph House just click the yellow "Donate Button" near the top of this page and we'll soon be started.
 

Dr. Jon Pierce-Shimomura

The clock is ticking for our Ranchers with Down syndrome. Right now they are young adults, but all will develop Alzheimer's in their lives if they live past early middle age. Dr. Jon Pierce-Shimomura, Assistant Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Texas at Austin, is the father of an eight-year-old boy with Down syndrome. Jon is performing cutting-edge research on the functional implications of the extra 21st chromosome that causes Down syndrome. This research will lead to interventions to overcome the limitations of Down syndrome and block the development of Alzheimer's in people with (and without) the condition. Jon's work is fascinating and holds great hope for the future of those we love, but its continuance depends on Jon's ability to secure funding for it. Those of us who love people with Down syndrome owe it to them to help out in any way we can—through direct contributions, securing help from others, and lobbying for more research dollars to go to Down syndrome, which is sadly underfunded relative to other disabilities. Please contact us today and join up with us to support the "Down Syndrome Research Project."

Hope for the world's forgotten ones

Down Home Ranch depends on your gifts to make a great life for our Ranchers, and you have blessed us in amazing ways throughout our 19 years. Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day running of the Ranch we forget about kids and adults with intellectual disabilities who are not lucky enough to live in such a wealthy, caring nation as ours. Down Home Ranch has been asked to help two very poor organizations: Dharamsala, in India, run by The Forgotten International and one run by our friend Elaine Hennessy in Shenyang, China. (They can be reached at Ambassadors of Joy (China), c/o Keith Ragsdale, 7107 Boniface Lane, Austin, TX 78729). Both organizations care for children with serious disabilities—physical and intellectual—in cultures where such children are in desperate need of care, education, and respect. Small gifts go a very long way for these organizations, and Down Home Ranch would be honored should you choose to donate to them in our name.
 

We don't just need your donations (although we'll never turn them away)! We often need items that you might have and no longer need.

• Golf carts for our residents to learn to drive
• Big screen TV and DVD for the Learning Center
• Two seater kayaks with double blade paddles
• Rowing machine for gym
• Metal-cutting bandsaw
• Functional truck for on-site maintenance
• Lawn care equipment
• Shop tools
• 10k volunteers

Down Home Ranch is a 501 (c) (3) corporation and registered as a Texas non-profit. This means that the Ranch is a charity, and as such gifts of money, goods, and services are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. For more information about charitable deductions, consult your tax advisor.