Rawhide Boys Ranch
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| Founded | 1965 |
|---|---|
| Founder | John and Jan Gillespie |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization |
| Focus | Child Treatment, Residential Treatment Programs, Alternative Education, Counseling |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 44°18′42″N 88°51′03″W / 44.3118°N 88.8507°W |
| Website | Rawhide.org |
Rawhide Boys Ranch is a faith-based non-profit organization established in 1965. Its campus is located south of New London, Wisconsin, in the Town of Caledonia, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. It provides residential programs for at-risk and troubled boys as well as outpatient mental health services dedicated to helping at-risk youth and their families lead healthy, responsible lives.
Rawhide Boys Ranch was established in 1965 by John and Jan Gillespie, who purchased the 714-acre (2.89 km2) plot along the Wolf River near New London in 1965. They opened the ranch and took in their first eight boys.
In 1967 Rawhide incorporated summer only boys programs, treating up to 300 boys a year.
Rawhide ran its own fire department beginning in 1967 that also served the Town of Celedonia. It was one of only 10 such fire corporations in the state of Wisconsin. The boys were actively involved although they were given a separate ride to the fire scenes since they could not ride the fire equipment. In 1969 the Rawhide Fire Department responded to approximately 28 grass and woods fires in and off the Rawhide property.
John and Jan Gillespie were thinking about starting a group home for troubled boys and heard that the Starrs had a similar idea. John found their phone number in the phone book and called them up. They then met and the Starrs agreed to help the Gillespies start up Rawhide. Bart was the chairman of the fundraising drive to pay Rawhide's mortgage. Seventeen other members of the 1966 Green Bay Packers team, including Fred "Fuzzy" Thurston, Jerry Kramer, and Jim Taylor, joined in to help raise $20,000.Bart Starr also donated a red 1968 Chevrolet Corvette he had won for his performance in the Super Bowl to be raffled. The raffle raised over $40,000 for the Ranch. Ronald Kent, of Larson, Wisconsin won the drawing from over 45,000 entries.
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