The Roundup Summer 2012 - Cal Farley's

The McNeillsHappy 40 th AnniversaryNancy and Dennis McNeill began their journey with Cal Farley’s40 years ago when Dennis took a job as a mechanic at Boys Ranch. Hemoved his wife, who was seven months pregnant at the time, and their22-month-old son to Boys Ranch and they have been there ever since.In 1976, Nancy, too, joined the workforce and landed her first job atBoys Ranch – the first of many positions she would have during her fourdecades at Boys Ranch.“I worked at the laundry,” she began. “I worked at the warehouse for21 years, and then I came to work at headquarters.” That last transitionwas in 2001, but no matter where her job takes her, she finds it easy to getattached to the boys and girls.“You get to where you know them pretty well and then they graduateand go off,” Nancy said. Though the faces and names have cycled throughthe years, one thing has remained consistent – Dennis is still working inmechanics, 40 years later.There’s no rhyme or reason as to what exactly has kept the McNeills atBoys Ranch. They even still live on campus. “We just like it out here. Welike the people, we like the kids, we like where it is located,” Nancy said. “Idon’t even know how to describe it. It’s Christ-centered and that makes abig difference to me.”While Nancy has had the opportunity to make an assortment ofmemories at Boys Ranch, there is one that she particularly enjoys. “Wealways had fun at Christmas. There were always those boys who didn’tget to go home and so that’s when we always had the best time because itwas more like a family atmosphere. There was a smaller amount of workgoing on and more fun.” She smiled as she continued to recall makingChristmas candy and cookies with the boys.Nancy admits that she would not change a thing about her 40 yearswith Cal Farley’s and she has no intention of leaving anytime soon. “Wearen’t the type of people who can just sit around. So retirement is notexactly what either one of us are looking for,” she elaborated. “I don’tknow if I could ever live in what the kid’s call the ‘free world’ becauseout here, to me, it’s a safer environment than in town. Everybody kind ofwatches out for everyone else.”There’s no denying it takes an incredible person to give 40 years of theirlife to something they are passionate about. To the McNeills, they werejust doing what God had planned for them.“Neither one of us know what to say when somebody asks, ‘Well what isit like?’ Well, I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve been out here for so manyyears this is just the way life is for us. This is just home.”The McNeill family when they arrived at Boys Ranch in1972 and the McNeills today.Cal Farley’s has been named to the 2012 Best Companies to Work for in Texas.Cal Farley’s is a great place to work. We offer competitive salary and benefits, opportunity foremployee development and growth, and through our Model of Leadership and Service ® ,we offer our employees a safe environment in which they may belong and achieve; havepurpose in their work and power over their successes; and experience adventure in allthey do. If you are interested in learning more about employment at Cal Farley’s, pleasecontact us by phone at (800) 687-3722 or visit our website at www.calfarley.org.13