Arkansas Sheriffs' Youth Ranches Inc.*

Last year, Mike Cumnock was in a car wreck that nearly took his life. One thing on his mind as he was being cut from the wreckage was his job as CEO of the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches Inc. in Batesville.

Today, Cumnock is satisfied knowing his life has been rewarding. And what better reward than watching abused, neglected and troubled children get the help they need to become productive citizens.

“Most kids, if given the opportunity, will do well. It’s just that most of these kids weren’t given that opportunity,” he said.

More than 400 children have gone through the program since it was founded in 1976 by Arkansas’ 75 county sheriffs. It relies fully on donations for operation, which defray the $25,000 price tag needed to care for each child each year.

At the ranches, children live in family units with house parents and participate in typical family activities, such as watching television, going to church, doing homework and doing chores together. Ranchers are required to attend school to get their diploma, GED or college degree.

Students aren’t forced out when they enter the “adult world” at 18; they may remain at the ranches – a 528-acre site in Batesville or 87-acre area near Hardy – as long as they are in school or working to set up their own households.

The ranches can accommodate up to 48 children in the permanent residential program and 24 in the emergency shelter/receiving home. Capacity will be greatly increased as the ranch system finishes construction on two more sites: in Clark County on Lake DeGray and in Alma (Crawford County). The first family home in Clark County will open in March as part of a $4.5 million construction project. At Alma, the 265-acre project will cost $7 million, most of which will come from private organizations and individual donations.