Boys in the calf program travel

Every summer, the boys who are a part of Westview's calf program are rewarded for a year of hard work by being rewarded with a special trip just for them. Previous years' trips have been to ranches in Wyoming. This year, Westview's Ranch Manager, Doug Gonzalez, took the boys to a ranch in Iowa, with special stops along the way. Boys participating in the trip were: Robert Bryan, Jeremy Menchaca, and Romas Roberson. The boys returned from this trip today, tired, but ready for the rest of their summer. We're proud of these boys, and we're glad that they are having an extraordinary summer.

Summer Work Program

Although work has been going on at Westview's campus earlier in the summer, the Summer Work program began in earnest this week. Ron Bruner (Executive Director) teamed up with John Moore (Director of Social Services) and Michael Ladymon (Maintenance Manager) to line out a list of tasks and a plan of attack to get the work done. Houseparents will be leading individual crews from each of the cottages, and Doug Gonzalez (Ranch Manager) will supervise a crew of older boys who will do work around the Ranch. With 1,500 acres, six cottages, several barns, and miles of fence, there is plenty of work for everyone!

The Butlers head out to Red River

On Friday, Burl and Y'vonne Butler head out to the Red River Encampment in Red River, NM. Burl and Y'vonne served as houseparents at the Home for a number of years; now Burl is our Director of Church Relations. For the last three years, the Butlers have represented the Home at the Red River Encampment, maintaining old relationships and establishing new ones. The Encampment is an annual meeting of individuals from the Churches of Christ who meet for spiritual renewal. We are proud of the Butlers' decades of service to the Home and to hundreds of boys, and we are proud to have them represent us there.

A busy birthday week for our boys!

Several of our boys are celebrating birthdays this week! Ray Bentley, Robert Bryan, Jeremy Menchaca, and Nathan Marshall are all getting to open presents and enjoy birthday cakes made just for them. We are glad to celebrate their lives, and the good things that are happening for them here at Westview.

Young men in driver's ed

Today, several of our 15 and 16 year-old young men started their Driver's Education classes at Hollis High School. Jesse, Robert, Jeremy, and Curtis will be in classes for a week, and then will begin their driving time on the following Monday.

Through the support of generous friends like you, Westview cooperates with the Hollis Public Schools to fund this program for our boys. We also invest many staff hours in one-on-one driving time to help our boys acquire the experience that leads to better driving skills and judgment.

A day at the ball park

Thanks for the rain!

We're excited to see the rain come to Harmon County! That's because, over the last two months, Westview Boys' Home's Ranch Manager, Doug Gonzalez, has worked with excavation crews to create a new pond on our north campus. Now that the earthwork is finished, we're all happy to see the rains begin to fill this six acre pond. The pond will serve as a part of our overall conservation plan as established with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and will provide watering for wildlife and our herd of cattle.

But there are more good things that will come with the pond. We are also eager, as the pond fills, to see a beautiful place on our campus where our boys can fish. We are already making plans to stock the pond with game fish when it has filled. This should result in countless hours of fun, and provide important opportunities for bonding time with our caring houseparents.

This project has been accomplished by pooling the gifts of individual donors with matching funds from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. We are thankful for all of you who make good things possible for the needy boys in our care.

Westview boys take off for fun!

Monday, June 13, the boys of Westview and the staff take off to the Dallas/Fort Worth area for two days of fun. As a result of the generosity of some friends of the Home, the boys will spend two days seeing the sights of the big city. Westview's Director of Social Services, John Moore, will be leading the expedition.

Monday will be spend riding the rides at Six Flags over Texas. After a busy day there, the boys will stay the night in an area hotel. On Tuesday, the crew will see the Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, and then take a tour of The Ballpark in Arlington. That evening the boys will watch the Texas Rangers play the Atlanta Braves.

This memorable trip is certainly something that our boys have never before experienced. We are grateful to the caring hearts and generous souls that have made all of this possible.

Welcome!

This is the initial posting for the Westview Boys' Home news blog! Look forward to reading the latest in news about Westview on this site.