for decades the Central Florida
nonprofit has been getting results for
thousands of families through the
principles of faith and love the
Edgewood Children's Ranch in Orlando is
where kids from 7 to 17 go to play live
and worship their missions to give
guidance motivate and help kids who are
misbehaving with family or hanging out
with the wrong crowd new six at ninth
Karolina Cardona joins us now and you
visited the ranch that's right I met
with some of the kids and the executive
director ed which ran Children's Ranch
is a Christian organization with a
voluntary program for kids and teens it
was created by an Orange County Judge
Arthur yogi 53 years ago when he saw
kids that were coming through his court
room with negative social behavior kids
that were giving their mom and dad a
hard time at home so he realized there
was a need for a residential facility
facility to address those issues in a
different way the program basically
offers these kids an opportunity to
change the direction their life is going
in so that they can become productive
citizens and lead by example founded in
1966 Edgewood Children's Ranch was
developed with the hope of creating
stronger family bonds they come here
with some a lot of woundedness and a lot
of hurt a lot of anger we want the child
to say yeah I could use a little bit of
help
executive director Stewart Eldridge has
been part of the nonprofit organization
for 36 years we're not a lock-up
facility so a child has to agree to come
to our program we don't want to try to
force our program onto anybody the kids
receive one-on-one education in a
classroom setting
Edward Children's Ranch spans across a
hundred and ten acres it includes a gym
with a basketball court a soccer fields
pool and a baseball field also a chapel
where they worship the organization has
a spiritual focus and belief prayer and
a loving environment is key to the
healing process our whole goal is to get
the families reunited they all have
their own story and they all have their
own thing that they're working on the
kids live in cottages alongside a couple
willing to live on-site as well this is
the day room so when we're finished with
our chores twelve-year-old Hayden
Hardesty has been here a little over a
year
changed a lot like with my relationship
with God and with my family the
organization operates solely with
donations we don't think any kind of
state or federal monies to to keep our
program and keep our doors open so a lot
that has to come through donations and
giving and and that's what we depend on
and even though it were in the cafeteria
here and even all of our food is
actually donated jack valenti volunteers
during six months here and helps out
with maintenance probably the most
meaningful experience is a relationships
you build with the kids with the staff
with the administration but also when
you go to bed at night you're tired and
as you look back at the day and you say
I would rather be here that anyplace
else on earth and I get emotional about
that a place that's brought hope for a
brighter future
- fourteen-year-old yasiel Lopez changed
me greatly honestly before I came here I
thought mostly throughout my life I had
a messed up turn but when I came here it
should all change like I'm now on the
right Road I'm just happy to be here
this place honestly gave me a chance a
second chance in life now the executive
director tells me they are always
looking for couples willing to work and
live on-site with these kids it is a
staff position the organization does not
take in kids from out of state their
focus is the Central Florida area and
now a Bridgette I know you did the story
a couple of years ago yes many years ago
did a story out there for the making a
difference franchise and it's so great
to see an update and a good work
continues there yes they're changing
lives yeah definitely it's a something
worth looking into if you have one of
those kids that maybe are giving you a
hard time right and those kids do get to
see their families on the holidays I
know after Sunday service they get to
spend time with them too so it's also
kind of including the family as well
which is always extra special yeah