Arrowhead ranch hopes to point boys in the right direction

Jeff and Preston Sweeney work the 200 acres on which Arrowhead Ranch for boys sits. (T-G Photo by Sadie Fowler) [Order this photo]

That may be true, if you consider that luck is really when preparation meets opportunity.

The Sweeneys' lifelong dream of opening a ranch for boys in need of a safe place to live is about to become a reality in Arrowhead Ranch, the once large Normandy dairy farm of Randall Banks. The ranch, which held an open house last night, is now open, accepting applications, and ready to change the course of lives for boys -- mainly boys whose parents can no longer care for them -- between the ages of 10-17.

Six homes like these will house boys and house parents. (T-G Photo by Sadie Fowler) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

"We want them to have as normal a life as possible," said Jeff Sweeney, executive director of the ranch. "This is not a ranch of rules. It is a ranch of expectations."

A need to give

Jeff Sweeney, a national land developer formerly from Memphis, and his father Preston Sweeney of Health Service Management, Inc., have been involved in foster care previously and had been looking for a location that would suit their desire to give back to youngsters in need of a stable family.

Jeff sold his company in 2005 and has been preparing to open a boys ranch since then.

Last year, a friend of Preston's called the two about Banks' land the day it went up for sale. The Sweeneys closed on the property in November 2008. Eight months later, silos that once housed cattle feed and barns that housed cattle, were torn down and replaced with brand new homes, a horse barn, new fences and fire pits. The old, run down dairy farm is now a land of possibilities, full of all things young men dream mostly only dream about.

"My dad is a cowboy at heart," said Jeff, pointing out the lush green pastures that overlook Duck River where the future Arrowhead boys will work the ranch horses and cattle. "He's always wanted to do something like this. To make a place for kids to run around and play 'Cowboys and Indians.' He is a visionary and I am a detail person so this works pretty well."

Hardship to friendship

Criteria for entrance into the Level 1 boys home requires boys to be facing a hardship such as loss of parents or abandonment. Level 1 boys are not mentally or psychologically challenged.

Jeff gave the following example of who an ideal candidates for Arrowhead might be:

A young, single mother with no college degree has four children and she's working three jobs. She realizes she can't take care of her children under the present circumstances. She wants to go back to school. She finds a Level 1 boys ranch to provide for her son in ways she can't.

That, however, is not the only scenario that would land a boy at Arrowhead. Jeff said he heard of another boys home taking in a boy whose wealthy mother just decided she didn't want to be a mother any more.

A child's economic or social background has no bearing whatsoever on whether or not they would be accepted into the home, he said.

Jeff said some residents may be shorter term compared to others who may come in at age 10 and stay until they're ready to attend college.

House, 'parents' ready

Arrowhead, a private non-profit organization that operates through private and corporate sponsorships, has one house finished and one set of house parents ready to mentor their incoming children. Each house will house six children and have a set of house parents who will assume the role of parent.

"They will be their mom and dad," Jeff said.

Jeff, who said boys above the age of 10 are not as adoptable as younger children and babies, wants to attract families from Bedford, Coffee, Rutherford and surrounding counties to the home.

"I have always worked with kids and have done foster care in the past," said Jeff, explaining he did extensive research for Arrowhead by visiting many other boys camps in the South. "We feel our greatest resource is found in our children."

Jeff said his father's success at Health Service Management Inc., a corporate sponsor, allowed them to go into this project with a three-year plan, debt free.

Plans underway

Arrowhead is taking applications, doing interviews and is ready to fill its first home. As soon as that happens and the need arises, they will continue construction of the remaining homes. Social workers and therapists will be available for the boys, and eventually will become part of the full-time staff at Arrowhead.

The boys will attend Cascade School and live as normal -- though structured -- a life as possible. They will wake up at 6:30 a.m. to have breakfast with their Arrowhead parents and siblings, attend school, partake in extracurricular activities, attend church, work on the ranch, and participate in daily devotionals and team building activities.

Jeff wants Arrowhead to have an open relationship with the community and hopes to allow clubs and organizations, of which future boys will be a part, hold events and activities on the ranch.

Ranch life

Arrowhead sits on the Duck River, but there's also a 6-acre pond the Sweeneys have built, among other smaller fishing ponds.

Jeff, a father of four, sold his home in Memphis to build his new home, which also sits on the ranch.

He and his father, who resides in Murfreesboro, are fond of horses, so they're also interviewing folks for the wrangler position at the ranch. This person will oversee the cattle and equestrian program.

Each child will have his own calf and when that calf is sold, the profit will go into a college fund for the boy.

The wrangler, as well as house parents, will reside on the ranch. House parents are being sought as well. They must be a married Christian couple with no more than one child.

'Inner satisfaction'

Jeff said the role of house parent, more than providing a lot of money (though it is a paid position and parents can work regular jobs during school hours) provides "inner satisfaction." House parents will undergo background checks and have to go through some training, but they are not required to have any background in social work. The primary requirement is for house parents to want to give back and provide these boys with a family.

"We want these kids to understand what family is," Jeff said.

Arrowhead Ranch is a 501(c)3 organization and donations are accepted. Jeff is also looking for horses, about 15 years of age, to be donated to the ranch.

For more information, call (931) 857-4000 or e-mail Andi Burgess at arrowheadranchtn@gmail.com.