The Allen Brand Family were guests at the House that were a delight to be around. Thank you for your smiles and the joy you brought to other guests, our staff and our volunteers!
Category Archives: News
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The Allen Brand Family
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Happiness
“Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.”
– John Harrigan
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Playroom Fun!
This is Averie Kate enjoying her time in the playroom at Reba’s Ranch House! Special thanks to her mother, Leigha Winslow, for sharing!
“Hi Susan! This is Leigha Winslow, Averie Kate’s mother. Thank you again for a wonderful stay while my grandmother had open heart surgery. It was truly a blessing. I’m also thankful for a place my little one can play and have some fun. She had a great time playing in the toy room. It was a pleasure to meet you, along with the rest of the staff at the Reba’s Ranch House.”
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BBQ for Hope!
Come support a great cause! The Texoma Health Foundation’s Room for Hope provides financial assistance for under and uninsured men and women of Grayson, Fannin, Bryan and Marshall counties who have been diagnosed with cancer as well as a resource room located inside of Reba’s Ranch House.
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Golf Tournament benefitting Room for Hope
BIG THANKS TO MITCH GRAY, HIS TEAM, AND THE MANY VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED RAISE FUNDS TO BENEFIT THE ROOM FOR HOPE!
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Sister’s on the Fly Camper Tour and Cowgirl Prom
THANKS TO ALL WHO MADE THE COWGIRL PROM AND CAMPER TOUR A SUCCESS AND FOR HELPING TO PROVIDE RESOURCES AND ASSISTANCE FOR CANCER PATIENTS THROUGH THE ROOM FOR HOPE!
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Caregivers: Take Care of You
A paper published by Buffalo University reports:
“Your general well-being affects your outlook on life and your ability to cope [as a caregiver]. Taking care of yourself is important and involves:
- eating three balanced meals daily,
- exercising daily,
- enough sleep/rest,
- allowing yourself leisure time.
Food is fuel for your body. Skipping meals, eating poorly, or drinking lots of caffeine is not good. Learn to prepare and eat simple, nutritious, well-balanced meals. Avoid alcohol above 2-3 ounces daily.
Being physically active can provide you with an outlet that is relaxing and makes you feel good.
Stretching, walking, jogging, swimming, or bicycling are examples of invigorating exercises. Consult your doctor before starting an exercise routine. Your doctor can help design a program that fits your individual needs.
Leisure time allows you to feel better and more able to cope with your situation. Having time to yourself to read a book, visit a friend, or watch TV can also bring enjoyment and relaxation, and break the constant pattern and pressure of caregiving.
If you are unable to sleep because of tension, practice relaxation exercises. Deep breathing or visualizing pleasant scenes can be helpful. Continued sleep disturbance may be a sign of major depression, which needs medical attention”.
Click to read the full paper on Buffalo University’s website.
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We Love Volunteers
Over 100 of Reba’s Ranch House volunteers gathered together for the Annual Volunteer and Meal Ministry Award Luncheon. The event was originally launched following the creation of the prestigious Betty Holland Service Award. This year’s Betty Holland Award recipient was Kimberly McKiddy. As an RRH Morning Volunteer, Kimberly makes our kitchen welcoming and warm. She not only assures coffee is brewing, but makes warm cinnamon rolls and hot meals. She is always finding better ways to serve our familes as well, like adding to-go coffee cups and breakfast bags for those in a hurry to get back to the hospital. She works tirelessly and smiles effortlessly. Kimberly follows past recipients including Betty Holland, Ron Ballou, Billy Langley, Sonnie Estes and Martha Nuckles.
The award was named after Betty Holland who seldom missed a day at the Ranch House since it first opened its doors in 1992. After 20 years of service, Betty retired from her volunteer position at the age of 92. This award was launched and presented to Betty in 2012.
Reba’s Ranch House volunteers help us greet guests, deliver meals, keep our pantry full, hold fundraising events and take on special projects.
Mary Hamel received The Meal Ministry Award. Meal Ministry volunteers give of their time, deliver groceries and prepare meals – bringing comforts of home to our families. One of our RRH guests shared, “Thank you all for making this stressful time easier. Please express my gratitude to all the Churches and organizations who brought food!”
Director, Marilyn Bice and RRH Guest Relations, Susan Hooper presented Carol Brownlee with the Room for Hope Volunteer of the Year Award. Carol has invested countless hours making handmade totems to raise dollars for the Room and coming up with creative and new ideas for us to grow and care for those facing cancer.
Ruiz Food and Tate’s Cleaning also received Awards. Ruiz was recognized with the RRH Community Organization Award for their time devoted to holding fundraising events, making hundreds of handmade hats for our Room for Hope and for their continued financial support.
Tate’s Cleaning received the Friend of Reba’s Ranch House Award for going above and beyond to help fulfill our mission. Tate’s Cleaning not only keeps our house beautiful, they do so with passion, a smile and true care for our guests.
Other honorees included the Grayson County Co-Op. students who help clean the sidewalks, make beds and do laundry as part of their life skills class. “Grayson Co-Op” brings joy to staff every day they serve. In addition, the 2017 Intern of the Year Award was given to Austin College student, Alex Haj. Lemming shared that interns have been a critical component of THF since the foundation was created in 2007 and Alex exemplifies hard work, character and heart.
In addition to awards, Chairman Brett Graham distributed a special, personal gift from Reba for each recipient.
Reba’s Ranch House is one of six core projects of the Texoma Health Foundation. This last year THF gave over $1.3 million in nonprofit grants and support of RRH, just under a million to support the building of the THF Park and just under $250,000 in private donations from families for a total of $2.25 million. In addition, THF is proud to administer the Reba McEntire Fund supporting those in need across the US and world.
We call the Ranch House the heart of THF. “We could not do what we do at the level we do it without our volunteers”, said Chairman, Brett Graham. “They make our house a home”.
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Celebrating In Style
Visit Reba’s merch site to order our special edition 25th Anniversary Mug. Each mug is handmade and the design commemorates 25 years of service.
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Sister’s On The Fly Event (benefitting the Room for Hope)
Sisters on the Fly and Reba’s Ranch House are partnering up to raise money for the Room for Hope, the free resource room for cancer patients.
October 14th:
Meet and Greet Public Tour: NO RSVP NEEDED
- 12 pm – 3 pm Tour of the Campers
- There will be roughly 25 trailers to tour
- Admission – $5 donation to the Room For Hope
- Hot dogs, chips and water for sale ($5)
“Under the Moon and Stars Cowgirl Prom”: RSVP REQUIRED
- 7 pm – Midnight
- Admission – $50 per person donation to the Room for Hope (includes a delicious BBQ dinner provided by Deiter Brothers, dancing, and surprises!)
- 9 pm – Music by Cheri King Band
- Attire – wear your “Cowgirl Chick” outfits
RSVP to Shunnay Gilmore at 903.337.0755 or [email protected] by OCTOBER 10th
See you then!