YBGR therapeutic foster parents, the Fowlers, embarked on a lifelong journey after choosing to become foster parents to two siblings.  Click here to read The Billings Gazette’s touching article on their experience with YBGR foster care.

Hey Jimmy Buffett fans! Do you like sand between your toes, good music, and a tasty burger? Check out Billings Metra Park’s “Salt on the Rims” event, happening Saturday, Mar. 11. The  event will feature beachy, Jimmy Buffett style music, a warm, indoor temperature for your shorts and tank top, and tons of sand to squish between your toes. And better yet, a portion of tickets sold will benefit Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch!

So, if you’re sick of the cold and snow and feel like warming up your toes, check out tickets at http://www.metrapark.com/events/2017/salt-on-the-rims.

(BILLINGS, Mont.) January 9, 2017 – The Robbie Chapel at Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) will fill with the vibrant sound of music during a visit from the Billings Symphony. January 9, Monday afternoon from 1-2:30 p.m., YBGR kids will experience the symphony’s sophisticated classics, familiar Disney songs, and melodious tunes.

Candy Holzer of the Billings Symphony said that through the Explore Music program that the Billings Symphony receives grants for, they are able to visit schools and seniors in the community.

“Of course, our whole reason is to hope that maybe they will try out music and take advantage of their school band, choir or orchestra program,” she said.

The Ranch is no stranger to strings. Pictured above are members of the Yellowstone Bluegrass Association, playing for a crowd in the Ranch’s Chapel last fall.

The symphony has visited YBGR in the past for similar concerts. Ron O’Leary, YBGR’s music and art teacher has enjoyed their visits.

“I think it’s great to expose students to unfamiliar forms of music,” he said. “It helps to expand their idea of what’s out there in the world.”

Both O’Leary and Holzer said that the experience is unique for many of the kids because they may have never heard a professional live quartet or musical group before.

“It’s really a rewarding experience for so many of the kids,” said O’Leary.

(BILLINGS, Mont.) December 7, 2016 – This holiday season, Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) has much to be thankful for, especially when it comes to gifts provided by Billings area partners and businesses. Nonprofit organization Blankets and Bears, founded by Sandy McCaffrey, is just one of the businesses who’ve supported YBGR in years past. The Ranch is excited to see the organization back again this year.

“For the past 9 years, Pillows, Blankets, and Bears has provided a number of youth with a unique gift at Christmas,” Rick Hamblin, Director of Community Based Services, said. “The children are all smiles when they receive their bundles.”

For YBGR’s Community Based Services (CBS) kids and families, they get to be a part of a special kind of giving… guaranteed to be cozy and warm. In an event which lasts from 3:30 – 5 p.m. on Dec. 19, at Garfield Center in Downtown Billings, nonprofit organization Blankets and Bears will donate enough bundles which include a new pillow and pillow case, a blanket, and a stuffed animal for nearly 60 YBGR CBS youth and other children in the community. In years past, volunteers have dressed in Christmas outfits and presented each child a gift.

“Deliveries to YBGR have captured me because this is what caused us to grow,” McCaffrey said. “I am just blessed to be able to have our community rally around the children that need us here in Yellowstone County and beyond.” McCaffree said that, in 2005, Blankets and Bears delivered only seven bundles in total, but expects that this year they will deliver nearly 800 bundles. “All of the children have my heart. They’re my first priority,” she said.