Our Dream

Imagine a new reality for victims of sex trafficking…

For a moment, put yourself in their shoes. Imagine being a sex trafficking victim suddenly rescued and now in need of a new home and way of life. Imagine the nightmarish world you escaped is all you have ever known, and you don't know how to live life differently. You have nowhere in your world to run that feels safe and secure. You have been led to believe for so long that you have no value that, at this point, you believe it.

Yet here you are sitting in front of your rescuers. The fact that they found you and pulled you out of that hell hole is already nothing short of a miracle. They say they can take you somewhere safe, somewhere full of hope, somewhere you can learn another way of life. Nothing has ever sounded so beautiful. Could it be true? Is there such a place? Hot tears roll down your face. You so desperately hope it’s true.

As you drive to your new home, you roll down your window to smell the fresh air and feel the sun on your face. It is rare for you to go on a car ride that did not hold a threat at its end. For the first time you can remember, you can enjoy the sight of the landscapes passing by.

Eventually, your driver exits and then turns down a bumpy dirt road. You pass through a white gate next to a sign reading, "Applejack's Ranch: Where home meets healing." Cows are pastured, chewing grass on one side. You pass horse stables and hear a whinny through the window. Beautiful rolling hills and big trees are all around. An eagle cries in the distance. This is definitely something new, something wonderful, you've never before known.

You pull up in front of an old farmhouse. A middle-aged woman is there to greet you, along with four other teenage girls. Their smiles are big and welcoming. The girls are glowing with excitement. They welcome you warmly and share that they were also rescued. One girl has been there for five years already and says she is already doing online college. She says she is going to be a psychologist someday and help other girls who have been rescued. They show you to your new room. The older woman is your house mom and, when you come back downstairs, she has a bowl of warm stew waiting for you. The girls are excitedly talking over each other. One wants to show you the litter of puppies in the barn that was born two weeks ago; another is raving about the horse therapy and how much you will love the horses. A third wants to tell about what it was like the first time she milked a cow, laughing to herself at the memory.

You think you might like it here.

I hope my little story helped spark our dream within your own heart. Applejack's Ranch will be a ranch dedicated to four to eight teenage girls rescued from sex trafficking. At this moment, we are in the research stage of creating the ranch. From the research stage, we will complete a business plan, attract investors, procure funding, purchase property, and then put in place the support organizations necessary to open our doors. We hope to open the doors by May of 2022.

If you see the vision and want to be a part of making our dream a reality, please consider donating, becoming a business sponsor, or volunteering.