The Roundup May/June 2011 - Cal Farley's

Becoming aProductive CitizenTable ofContentsBoys Ranch Class of 2011..................3Girlstown, U.S.A. Class of 2011.........9Graduation Highlights.....................11Building Success...............................13Kari Cabrera......................................14Note to Donors“This whole thing would notbe possible without you. Itwouldn’t be possible for kidslike me to come out here andlet our lights shine. Not a lot ofus had that opportunity out inthe real world. If I were giventhe opportunity, I would justsay thank you. Thank you somuch for giving your money toa kid that you don’t even knowto just make someone else better.I think God is seriously going tobless them.” – Dejon HayeI was taught something in college that has ended upbeing one of the most important lessons of my life. AnEnglish teacher had given the class an assignment andasked us to develop an essay on a particular topic andlimit ourselves to 500 words or less. Well, I consideredmy topic so important that it far exceeded my desireto be constrained by a word limit. Needless to say, myteacher did not look favorably upon my 1,542 words.These days, I am often asked what we at Cal Farley’s ultimately want to accomplish witha young person. That question used to confound me because it seemed so hard to naildown in just a few words, but then I remembered how too many words can obscure themessage. So, I just stick with age old American values and respond that we want to createa path for a child to become a “productive citizen.”Most people say, “Well, that sounds great to me.” But, if anyone wishes to carry theconversation on further by asking what a productive citizen is, I go straight back to mymenu of basic American values and start listing them: belief in God, completing one’seducation, work ethic, the capacity to make decisions, the capacity to cope with stress,honesty, and respect: those are the attributes of a productive citizen.It is not easy to send our youth out into a world that shows little tolerance for fledglingcitizens. In fact, life can be downright brutal to these young people who will be countedon to keep our communities strong and vibrant in the future. But, we don’t spend a lotof time making excuses for them, as that just breeds victimization. At Cal Farley’s, wework very hard, sometimes making mountains out of molehills, just to give them thebasic tools they need and the opportunity to use their God-given talents to make a go ofit. I bet my freshman English teacher would even give to that cause.It is my belief that after reading about each of our seniors you will feel the overwhelmingsense of pride that we all feel concerning their individual successes. Your investmentinto their future has made a real difference. So please, enjoy this newsletter and takespecial note of their words of thanks to you. What you do truly does make a difference.Dan AdamsPresident and CEOP.O. Box 1890, Amarillo, Texas 79174(800) 687-3722 • www.calfarley.orgRoundup StaffBoard of DirectorsAdvisory Board Members1EditorPhotographersJennifer HarkerDavy KnappJennifer HarkerDan AdamsTom Roach III ChairLenny Sadler Vice-ChairRodney Ruthart TreasurerLilia Escajeda SecretaryTanner AlexanderTom BivinsTom BlakemoreBetty CooperHarold CoursonJoe HowellBud JoynerJane KingMike KingDebra McCarttGreg MitchellFay MooreWade PorterWalter “Four” PriceJerry RainesAlan RobersonJ. Avery Rush IIIShannon StappChris StormW.A. “Billy” AtteburyConey BurgessEd FancherBettye GreenGenie Farley HarrimanSherm HarrimanGene HaymanVirginia MaynardRosemary RoachLamont WaldripBill Ware©2011 Cal Farley’s – CALFAR 21138