our Winter-Spring 2016 Newsletter

Ironwood Newsletter l Spring 2016
ironwoodsprings.com
Office: 507-533-4315
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Castner Riding Arena: 507-533-9933
40th Anniversary
Bob Bardwell Receives
Lifetime Achievement Award!
Bob was recently
given this Award
by the Rochester
Amateur Sports
Commission at
the annual awards
banquet for his
work in the community. The award
was presented to
Bob by former
Olympic gold
medalist skater,
Scott Hamilton.
We would also like to congratulate longtime Ironwood supporter, Jarvis Anderson, for receiving the
Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award. It couldn’t
have been a more perfect evening to see these two
wonderful men honored at the same time. Their testimony during their acceptance speeches gave all the
glory to God. Congratulations Bob and Jarvis!
In 2016, Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch
is celebrating our 40th year! Our 40th
Anniversary logo reflects on what makes
Ironwood a special place:
Our Purpose: The purpose statement will
continue to be Spreading Joy and Changing
Lives. Shown on the logo in darker print shows
it is more important than our name.
The Cross: The cross expresses our desire to share the message
of the cross and the hope it brings to all those who visit the Ranch.
The Creation: God’s handiwork is symbolized by the trees, an
environment in which to find peace with your Creator.
Our Founder: All of this could not be possible without the vision
of God and the man who is in the wheelchair, our founder and
executive director, Bob Bardwell. God’s plan has allowed him to
give hope, encouragement, and inspiration to so many, and our
goal is to continue to live out and expand on that vision.
The Wheelchair: The wheelchair represents all of the trials and
challenges that people face. Our goal is to encourage and uplift
people to overcome their trials, choosing to become victors rather
than victims through the transformational power of Christ.
The Stars and Colors: One of our most important missions is
supporting our troops through Operation Welcome Home.
The Victory: Finally, the logo shows a person extending their
arms in the sign of victory through the love and joy of Christ.
21st Annual
President's Day
Pancake Supper Benefit
Monday, February 15th
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5:00-7:30 pm
The kids don’t have school, and Mom needs a
break from cooking, so why not plan to bring
the whole family to our annual Pancake Supper benefit? We’ll have delicious pancakes and
sausage, music by Gary Froiland, sleigh rides,
snow tubing and lots of good fellowship! Proceeds will support the Operation Welcome
Home Programs.
Snow
Tubing!
Check schedules and register online at
ironwoodsprings.com
Bits from Bob...
When I turn the calendar for a new year, I look
back on the previous year with gratitude on how
the Lord has once again blessed our year. I
don’t do resolutions, but each year I make a decision that this will be my
BEST YEAR EVER. Having said that, I expect it to be filled with promise, joy,
challenges, disappointments, surprises, sunshine, rain, but mostly God’s
amazing grace.
40th Anniversary: A great milestone for the ranch. Some amazing sta-
tistics: served 700,000 people, volunteers hours exceeded 160,000, served well
over 2,000 people with disabilities and served 700 military families. The JOY that
has been spreading and the lives that have been changes we only know that our labor
was not wasted or in vain.
30th Anniversary for the National Wheelchair Sports Camp:
Another milestone coming in June. To celebrate this year we need your help to SET A RECORD of getting
400 wheelchairs/scooters to the ranch on June 11th, 2 pm. Visit wheelers400.com for more info.
Thrivent Financial: This is a note to make all the Thrivent Financial members aware that you can
designate your “Choice dollar” to our ministry.
Family: For Jode and I, this year will be our 25th anniversary; our oldest daughter Hannah got married to Brandon Christenson
on December 31,2015.
New Board Members: Mike Jacobson, Tom Redalen and Bill Zaharia have joined the board. We have got a fantastic board
that is providing leadership, vision and execute what it takes for a bright future.
Equipment: We are in need of a hay rake and a 6 foot sweeper to fit on our skidloader
Gold Star Families (military): We just had an incredible weekend with military families all of whom have had a family
member give the ‘ultimate sacrifice’. Families shared words of gratitude, tears, hugs and great joy throughout the weekend.
Dream in the Making: $10,000 needed. The most used path is the trail to our mini farm (animals). In June we plan to turn
the dirt/gravel trail into an 8 ft. wide asphalt trail from the Miracle Lodge to the Mini-Farm.
Tracy Bashore: I would like to personally thank Tracy for his leadership, Christ-like spirit and vision he brings to the Ranch.
Volunteers: The heart of the ranch continues to be volunteers who give of their time and talents. Let us know if you would
be available this year.
Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your actions
to the Lord, and your plans will succeed”
Spreading JOY and changing Lives,
A Note from Tracy...
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and
today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
Living the Christian Life: How can we be afraid of change?
As Christians, we should surely understand that change is not optional, it is necessary. It is even in our
purpose statement, Spreading Joy and Changing Lives. If Christ is alive in us, we should be constantly
changing our hearts and minds to be more Christ-like. Christ is not changing though, we are. It is part
of our growth in spiritual maturity. In the same way, we should expect that changes in organizations
are needed to grow in maturity and to be relevant in our ever changing world. You will see many changes over the next few years but these are not changes in our purpose (what we do) of Spreading Joy and
Changing Lives through the transformational power of Christ. It is not about changing our Statement
of Faith. They are changes about “how” we do things.
Here are just some of the changes we are working on this year:
Youth programs: We are changing the names of the program and camps to better portray our mission in discipling youth in their faith journey. Also we are adding new tracks to further attract more
youth along with emphasizing leadership development in our SOAR camps.
Increasing our disability offerings: To help families with a member who is physically challenged, we are adding a Wheelchair Family Camp. The accessibility of Ironwood and our experience with the physically challenged allow us to provide a family
vacation where access and acceptance are the standard.
New programs: We are investigating the possibility of adding program retreats for marriage and leadership.
Branding: We are working with a branding person to understand clearly what our brand is and then to use that knowledge to develop
new logos and new publication styles. This will provide more consistency and recognition for all that Ironwood does.
Adding a volunteer system: We want to utilize volunteers more in the operation of the ranch to allow staff members to be
more effective and to increase our capabilities. We are currently investigating new systems to register volunteers and their skills,
notify them of opportunities to serve, and provide scheduling and logging of volunteers. As a result we may ask you to register
when we have the system in place.
These are just some of the changes that are coming this year. Some of these changes may work, some may not.
If they don’t work, we will learn from it and adapt. But two things we know for sure. 1) If we don’t change, we
will not survive in the long term, and 2) We can stand on the promise that Jesus Christ is the same forever
and ever. Our future with Him is sure. For these reasons, we shouldn’t fear change.
2016 Youth Camps
Summer 2016 is coming quickly with many exciting changes
to our Youth Programs:
New Names:
Our overall
program will now be called
JOURNEY YOUTH CAMPS, symbolizing that the Christian life
is not a destination but a journey. The goal of our camps is
to help youth in that journey
of faith from new belief to becoming more Christ-like, with
teaching, encouragement, and
love. My vision for these camps is that they would be
an opportunity for kids to experience the presence of
God, his word, and his purpose for their lives through
worship, chapel, cabin time, and exciting new activities.
Along with a new name for the program, each camp has
also been renamed.
New Tracks: We wanted to provide other opportunities at our camps for those that are not interested
in horsemanship. These changes will go along with a
new daily schedule to concentrate the tracks (including
horsemanship) into a single morning session, making
it easier to do more large-group activities throughout
the afternoon. For our middle school camp, we are piloting these new tracks: woodworking, marksmanship,
art, and cooking.
rience for kids to continue
on their journey through
life with Jesus Christ while
gaining new experiences.
We also have new opportunities for our summer
staff. We are looking to hire
Program Staff Interns that
would work here for the
months of June and July
alongside our Summer Program Staff. Their primary
responsibilities would be
to help us plan summer
camps while running daily
activities here at Ironwood.
I am thankful for God’s
faithfulness to us here at
Ironwood, and I am looking
forward to what he will do
here this summer.
Leadership Development:
We want to see
our youth develop into the leaders of tomorrow as it will
be important to have people of faith in leadership roles
in our society. Our SOAR camp provides an opportunity
to teach leadership skills. We are also adding a SOAR
camp for girls this year.
I am looking forward to another great summer here at
Ironwood in 2016. These camps will be a great expe-
Launch
– July 5-8 For youth going into 3rd5th grade. This is a three night four day camp intended
to get campers familiar with the word of God, and with a
week at summer camp.
Quest – July 11-15
For youth going into 6th8th grade. For this camp we will be starting our track
program where campers can choose to participate in a
track for the week of camp. They will have the option to
choose from Horsemanship, Woodworking, Marksmanship/Gun Safety, Art, or Cooking. This will be a great
opportunity for campers to learn new skills as well as
walk deeper into their faith in Jesus Christ.
Encounter
– June 27 - July 1 For youth
going into 9th-12th grade. This camp will be a great opportunity for campers to encounter the presence of God
through worship, teaching, and community. Our desire
is that they would walk away from this week of camp
equipped with the ability to encounter God in their daily
lives and to prepare for their next phase of life.
Boys and Girls SOAR
Leadership Camps – July 20-23
For youth going into 6th-10th grade. This is a three night
four day camp for young leaders, with a focus on outdoor activities. The Boys and Girls camps will be run separately with many exciting outdoor activities like camping, cooking meals over the fire, and team building and
leadership exercises.
Wrangler Day Camps –June 20-24. . . . Beginner
Aug. 8-12. . . . . . . Beginner
Aug. 1-5. . . Intermediate
For beginners and intermediate riders in the 5th-8th
grade. This is a five day camp where campers get firsthand experience with horse riding, technique, and care.
These campers also experience daily devotional times
with our summer staff.
Register Online at ironwoodsprings.com
Theme: #Wheelertough
National Wheelchair Sports Camp
We are celebrating another great milestone at the ranch this year. This will be our 30th annual
wheelchair camp. Here are some interesting facts about the wheelchair camp over the years:
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The inspiration to build the Miracle Lodge came from the need for accessible housing.
More than 2000 campers have attended this camp over the years from 6 different countries.
Several attendees were inspired at camp to go on to the Paralympics.
Our favorite theme over the years: “A race is won not with the wheels but with the heart.”
We are now the largest wheelchair sports camp of its kind in the U.S.!
To celebrate this milestone, we are having a few special events:
l Saturday, June 11th at 2 pm, we will be attempting to set a NEW RECORD of 400 wheelchairs/
scooters all in motion for 3 minutes. We need your help to get the word out. For more
info and to register for this free event, go to wheelers400.com. During this event food will
be available and there will be a free concert by Tony Melendez at 3 pm. Purpose: To raise $10,000
for a 1/4 mile bike/wheelchair asphalt trail from the Miracle Lodge to our Mini-Farm. All
donors will be recognized.
l Sunday, June 12th: The NBA wheelchair team, the Rolling Timberwolves, will be playing
against our campers, the “Rollin’ Ranch Rebels”.
Wheelchair Family Camp
We are so excited for this new offering. This camp will be a funfilled time where the whole family, regardless of ability, can
share in the activities and build relationships with families
who have a shared experience.
FOR MORE INFO OR TO REGISTER, go to
ironwoodsprings.com
SPONSORS NEEDED: Please consider sponsoring
these camps. Your donations help lower the cost or
provide full scholarships for attendees.
Ironwood Springs Horse Programs
Trail Riding:
Eight-year olds up to adults are
welcome to ride with us through the picturesque woods
of Ironwood Springs during spring, summer and fall.
We Have Camps for All Ages:
Horse DAY
camps for 5-8th graders, plus youth horsemanship programs in Launch, Quest and Encounter
camps.
Wagon Rides and Sleigh Rides: For everyone! We’d love to accommodate your group with
a horse-drawn ride through the woods!
Arena Rental:
By the hour or by the day, our
100’x200’ indoor arena is one of the largest in the area,
and has bleachers and stalls. Also, there is an event/
conference room for groups of 35 or fewer.
Riding Lessons:
To further your equine education
and feel more confident about your rides with private or
group lessons.
Extras: Pony Rides are available for children ages 2-7
before or after scheduled trail rides.
Staff Highlights
Yahna Zaharia: Our
Equine Director will be
leaving us on March 1st.
She and her husband
Andy have decided they
want to fulfill their dream
of living and working in
the open ranges of Montana. We are so thankful
for the service and care
that Yahna has provided for our horses and
our Ironwood family and we wish her and
Andy God’s blessings in their new adventure.
Kathrine Krusel:
We are pleased to announce Kathrine
as our new Equine Director. Kathrine comes to us from
Colorado, where she was part of Sombrero Ranch, one of
the largest horse ranches in
the country, providing many
various riding experiences
for guests. We are excited to
have her on staff as she has
a heart for God and horses,
along with strong experience
in providing excellent customer service. Kathrine will
be starting in late February.
To book an event, contact our Wranglers at 507-533-9933
or by emailing wrangler@ironwoodsprings.com
Sponsors Needed
One of the programs that we treasure at Ironwood is our ministry to adults
with disabilities. This program was initiated by our Hospitality Director,
Jan Odle. Jan and her husband Terry have fostered over 200 youth at risk
and adults with disabilities so Jan has a heart for this community. We have
been holding 3 camps for them over the last few years and this year we are
adding a 4th one (a winter camp that was requested by them). Three of the
camps are a day long and one is a 3-day camp. Each camp has a special
biblical theme and our staff and volunteers love dressing up and doing skits
for these. The name ConnectAbilities communicates the goals for this program as we seek to connect our participants with:
1. God through biblical teaching
2.
3.
God’s creation through outdoor activities that
they can’t experience anywhere else
Each other by providing an opportunity for
building lifelong community and friendships
Last year at the 3-day camp, we witnessed some real community building
with some of the participants. They got together and decided they wanted to help plan future camps (which is where they requested the winter
camp). They worked as a team to decide
on what food they wanted and what activities they wanted to do. And what was
most exciting was to see how they cared
for each other by trying to figure out how
certain individuals who were physically
challenged could still participate in the
activities. It was so amazing to see. Besides our camps for these precious people, we also use an Ability Building Center team as our primary cleaning crew for
Miracle Lodge. We have a crew here every
Tuesday and Thursday to clean the lodge
rooms and enjoy getting to know them at
our daily staff lunches. They do a fantas
tic job at providing our
guests with beautiful
rooms.
Camp Director
If you would like to be
involved with helping with this
program, please contact Jan Odle at
jan@ironwoodsprings.com
Operation Welcome Home
We are looking forward to serving more military families. To
date we have served about 700 families (over 2000 people). The
challenge ahead is to reach another 150 families this year.
SPONSOR A FAMILY: Please consider being a major sponsor or donating $300 per military family. Our goal is to raise
$110,000 this year to support this program.
April 22-24
Married Couples Retreat
May 5-8
Wounded Warrior
Turkey Hunt
May 20-22
Gold Star Challenge
July 22-24
Military Family Camp
September 9-12
Korean War Veterans
Gold Star Families
Sept. 30-Oct. 2
Project New Hope
for Combat Vets
October 21-23
Military Family
Fall Getaway
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Silent Auction 5 pm l Live Auction 6:30 pm
It will be another “Basket Case” Auction!
To donate a basket, contact Jode at
jode@ironwoodsprings.com
Ironwood Springs
Board of Directors
We would like to
thank the people
that are serving
on the board this
year. In God’s provision, He brings
us just the right
people at the right
time, and this year
is no exception with
our new board
members.
Craig Milde
Craig Milde - President
Mike Enke - Secretary
John Deedrick
Peter Sandberg
Dave Deming
Ryan Gregory
Bill Zaharia - NEW
Mike Jacobson - NEW
Tom Redalen - NEW
Merl Groteboer - Ex Officio
Rob Gregory - Board Advisor
Non-Profit
US Postage
PAID
Rochester, MN
Permit No. 4
507-533-4315 Info & Reservations
507-533-6707 Bob Bardwell
507-533-4315 Tracy Bashore
507-533-9933 Castner Riding Arena
507-533-9339 Miracle Lodge
507-533-4315 Youth Camps
507-533-8126 Kitchen
Like us on FACEBOOK
www.IronwoodSprings.com
www.MiracleLodge.com
office@ironwoodsprings.com
bob@ironwoodsprings.com
tracy@ironwoodsprings.com
wrangler@ironwoodsprings.com
jan@ironwoodsprings.com
cathyjo@ironwoodsprings.com
kitchen@ironwoodsprings.com
Summer Weekend Camping
Want to get away for the weekend with your family? The Ranch is
a great place to bring your family camping for the weekend with
its beautiful location and many activities. Camping weekends
run from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Check-in starts at 3
pm on Friday and check-out is by 1 pm on Sunday.
ACTIVITIES:
l Swimming Pool (heated outdoor)
l Horseback Riding*
l 11-Hole Mini-Golf (wheelchair accessible) - NEW this year!
l 9-Hole Disc-Golf across the river
l Hiking
l Playground
l Tennis and Basketball Courts, Sand Volleyball
l Horseshoes/Lawn Games
l Inquire about activities/facilities available for groups
RATES:
l $35/night per camp site for up to 4 people, $40/night for
up to 6 people. All camp sites have electrical. A mini
mum two-night stay is required for holiday and Miracles
Happen Festival weekends.
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Full Season (15 weekends): $725 electricity, $825 full hookups
RESERVATIONS:
Call 507-533-4315 for reservations. Payment is required via
credit card when making the reservation.
GUIDELINES:
Christian principles should be observed in speech, conduct,
activities, and dress (including swimsuits). No alcohol is allowed on Ranch grounds. Children 14 and under must be supervised by an adult in the pool area. Two-three-four wheeler
motorized vehicles are prohibited. Dogs must be kept on leash.
Firewood is available for purchase (you cannot bring your own)
and dump stations are available.
*Trail rides are $25/hour (4-10 riders). You must call ahead
(507-533-9933) to arrange. Long pants and shoes are required.
2016 Schedule
Feb. 6
Feb. 15
Feb. 24 - 28
May 3
May 12
May 14
May 27 - 30
June 11
June 11 - 16
June 18 - 21
June 20 - 24
June 23 - 25
June 27 - July 1
July 5 - 8
July 11 - 15
July 20 - 23
July 29 - 31
August 1 - 5
August 8 - 12
August 11 - 13
September 2 - 5
September 17
September 22
October 8
October 15
November 2 - 6
ConnectAbilities Snow Day
Annual President’s Day Pancake Supper
“A Time to Sew”
Senior Day at the Ranch - Blue Bell Tour
Annual Benefit Auction
ConnectAbilities Day at the Ranch
Memorial Day Weekend
Wheels and Heels of Fire - 10K Event
30th Annual National Wheelchair Sports Camp
Wheelchair Family Camp
Wrangler Day Camp Beginner (Session 1)
Grandparent / Grandchild Camp
Encounter Youth Camp (9th -12th grade)
Launch Youth Camp (3rd-5th grade)
Quest Youth Camp (6th-8th grade)
S.O.A.R. Leadership Camp
Miracles Happen Festival
Wrangler Day Camp Intermediate
Wrangler Day Camp Beginner (Session 2)
ConnectAbilities Camp
Labor Day Weekend
MuddyWarriorRun.com (new location)
Honoring Our Heroes Fundraiser
ConnectAbilities Day at the Ranch
Lumberjack Day
“A Time to Sew”
Feb. 24-28 & Nov. 2-6
Quilter’s Retreat
Treat yourself to a
weekend you won’t
soon forget in the
Miracle Lodge