Joey Stock, the son of Dream of Hopes Ranch founder Laura Stock, plays a game of “tortilla flip” on Saturday at the ranch. (Courtesy photo)
by JONATHAN YORK
Some things are OK if you don’t get them right the first time. Bagging groceries, for example.
It takes coordination to open the bag and place in the fruit and vegetables, milk cartons, steak packages and cereal boxes. Each grocery item has a distinct shape and must be stacked such that the delicate items do not get crushed.
Or setting and busing restaurant tables. These tasks are simple once you get them down, but for the developmentally challenged people who come to the Dream of Hopes Ranch in Buda, getting them down can require a healthy amount of practice.
“Our goal is to train young teenagers and adults who have special needs how to drive, what to wear,” and to get them jobs in the community, said Laura Stock, founder of the nonprofit ranch. Stock’s sister has learning disabilities, and her son was born with Down Syndrome. Running a camp for people with special needs was one of her childhood dreams.
“And if they can’t work out in the community, our goal is to get them jobs here at the center,” she said. “We’ve been meeting with some of the school districts to help get them employed after high school because, after high school there’s actually nothing for them to do.”
The nonprofit helps 65 families throughout the year, she said. The oldest person in its programs, which also include special olympics and summer camp, is 52 years old. The youngest is 6.
“It’s a very special organization,” said Gretchen Singh, a member of the board of directors. She became involved because her daughter, who is now 30, still wanted to do Special Olympics after she finished high school.
“I knew somebody who knew Laura,” Singh said. “I thought, this is really too good to be true. And then I met her and I still thought it was too good to be true.”
On Saturday the nonprofit celebrated the construction of its new work and social center on the Buda ranch. From 2000 until now, its programs were run from Stock’s home in South Austin. Now the group has more space for work and fun.
“It’s hard for me to tell you what they mean to me,” Singh said.
