The following story originally ran on WRTV.com. CARMEL — Ben’s Ranch Foundation hosted its annual Barn Bash at Conner Prairie on Sunday. The event focused on mental health awareness and healing in the heartland. Ben’s Ranch Foundation operates and supports programs designed to connect teens who have mental health challenges to employment opportunities on farms, […]
This commentary by Ben’s Ranch Founder Brose McVey was originally featured in The Indiana Capital Chronicle. On a hunch, I pulled out of the rat race and West 38th Street traffic in the state capital the other day, and to my delight, found myself in a wonderful garden right in Indianapolis. I hope I’m the last […]
By: Tina Rhoden-Lewellyn, Executive Director, Ben’s Ranch Foundation You turn on TV news each day and see the evidence of our nation’s declining mental health through stories of school shootings, assaults, and addiction. While professional help is a must for those struggling, there is a free complement to therapy and medications – spending time outside. […]
By: Tina Rhoden-Lewellyn, Executive Director, Ben’s Ranch Foundation The Texas school shooting in Uvalde shook our nation to the core and left many of us struggling. Unfortunately, the unknowns and whys seem to outweigh the solutions, but preventive measures do exist. Coming together as a community, paying attention to those who are struggling, reaching out […]
Registrations are still being accepted for the inaugural Ride to Reconcile Poker Run that will benefit Ben’s Ranch Foundation and the teens with mental health challenges that the nonprofit organization serves. The Poker Run kicks off at noon on Saturday, June 11. The event was rescheduled from May 21 due to the threat of inclement […]
Ben’s Ranch Foundation has been busy spreading the word about the healing power of its internship program. We connect teens struggling with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues with internships on farms and at stables and equine therapy facilities that expose them to nature, animals and work. Founder Brose McVey shared our story recently […]
The following opinion column originally appeared in the Indianapolis Business Journal. Indiana’s new high school graduation requirements form a pathway to a diploma through job experiences. They also form a pathway to improved mental health for students. The guidelines bring us full circle to a time when our society placed a lot of importance on […]
This article originally appeared in the May 2021 edition of Special Needs Living Magazine. When Ben McVey was about 14, he began to show symptoms of serious emotional problems. At first, his parents thought it was typical teenage angst. Not long afterward, though, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. By the time he was a […]
Innovative Partnership Targets Exploding Mental Health Crisis Ben’s Ranch Foundation, Inc. (BRF), a 501c3 charitable organization based in Carmel, today announced an exciting new partnership with Conner Prairie. Under the agreement, Conner Prairie will employ interns referred to them by Ben’s Ranch and host BRF’s first annual “Barn Bash” called Healing in the Heartland on October 3, […]
The following commentary about the benefits of the outdoors from Ben’s Ranch Foundation Founder Brose McVey first appeared in The Statehouse File: One of the most powerful tools we can employ in a much-needed war against mental illness is dirt cheap, easy to access and universally accessible. My friends would say I’m biased. They’re right. I […]
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