It's been 50 years since Big Oak Ranch was founded to bring life-changing Hope to children in need of a chance.
It's been 50 years since Big Oak Ranch was founded to bring life-changing Hope to children in need of a chance.
Hope still changes everything.
What started with one home for five boys is now a network of ministries dedicated to giving abused, abandoned and neglected children a stable, loving Christian home and the opportunity to experience God’s grace.
While much has changed, our core mission remains the same: providing Christian homes for children needing a chance. This mission is deeply rooted in the four promises we make to every child who calls Big Oak Ranch home.
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Our Four Promises.
In those four promises, our children find love and emotional support. They find truth and honesty. They find security and discipline. But mostly, they find hope and the chance to discover God’s true purpose for their lives.
This was our mission in 1974. It is our mission today. And it will remain our faithful mission for the next 50 years.
Support our Mission
Help us celebrate our 50th Anniversary by supporting the mission and the children of Big Oak Ranch.
1974: BOYS' RANCH FOUNDED
Answering God’s call to relieve the suffering of children, John Croyle started Big Oak Ranch in 1974 to give boys who had experienced some of the worst life has to offer a safe, loving home and a chance to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives.
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1980: FIRST HOME BUILT ON THE BOYS' RANCH
In October of 1980, the first two-story residential brick home at Big Oak was built - The Hannah Home. John Hannah graciously donated his NFL signing bonus to build this home. As the design of our homes has intentionally evolved over the decades, each one is still filled with a godly mom and dad who love and care for 6-8 children, modeling family and equipping each child for a promising future.
1986: GYM AND CHILDREN'S CENTER BUILT
Construction of the Boys’ Ranch Gym & Children’s Center began in March of 1986. As the main hub for the Boys' Ranch, this building served us well for over 30 years, and is now transformed into the Isaiah 61:3 Gym and Children's Center, and is constantly bustling with basketball games, birthday parties, tutoring and much more. It also serves as our Business Office and is the venue for reunions, Christmas parties and many other Ranch functions.
1988: GIRLS' RANCH FOUNDED
The tragic death of a young girl named Shelley inspired John Croyle to found the Girls’ Ranch to prevent other girls like Shelley from experiencing the same abuse. The Girls’ Ranch opened in Springville, Alabama in 1988 and has since provided unconditional love and care for the many girls who call it home. The road leading to Girls' Ranch is named Shelley Drive to serve as an ever-present reminder of our calling to care for abused, neglected and abandoned children.
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1989: FIRST HOME ON THE GIRLS' RANCH BUILT
The first of nearly a dozen homes on the Girls' Ranch, the McDaniel Home was built to care for girls who have experienced difficult home lives. Each home on the Girls' Ranch is assigned to a Christian couple who strive to show each child what a loving family looks like.
1990: WESTBROOK CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ADOPTED AS A MINISTRY PARTNER
Knowing education is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children, we adopted Westbrook Christian School as a ministry partner, which serves students from kindergarten through high school and gives them the opportunity to grow academically and spiritually.
1999: BASHINSKY GYM AND CHILDREN'S CENTER BUILT
In November 1999, the grand opening of the Sloan Y. Bashinsky Gym & Children's Center was held at the Girls' Ranch. Bustling with life, it remains a place where, on any given day, it is the site of arts and crafts activities, birthday parties, reunions, basketball games and movie nights. When a girl arrives to join our family, she walks through the doors of this special building.
2006: BIG OAK'S MISSION FURTHERED
In August 2006, The Auxiliary of Big Oak Ranch was founded by Mrs. Joann Bashinsky (Mama B) and Phyllis Hoffman. This generous group of volunteers continues to further Big Oak's mission in countless ways, from hosting fundraising events, to equipping our high school seniors with tools for continuing education to Christmas experiences for our children and Boutique and Outfitters shopping days where our children can purchase items with points earned.
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2014: BIG OAK CATTLE ESTABLISHED
Big Oak Cattle provides a self-sustaining production system for naturally raised beef that helps feed the families of the Ranch. Big Oak Cattle was also established to help our children heal by working with animals, learning responsibility and developing a strong work ethic.
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2018: PLANTING OAKS ESTABLISHED
Planting Oaks resources and equips like-minded ministries as they establish Christian homes for abused, neglected and abandoned children. It was founded in response to a demand, as many who wanted to start similar ministries reached out to us for information, guidance and support.
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2019: ASCEND FOUNDED FOR BIG OAK GRADUATES TRANSITIONING TO INDEPENDENCE
“We’ll stick with you until you are grown.” To fulfill this promise to our children, we founded ASCEND, which provides spiritual, professional and personal life preparation for the young adults of Big Oak Ranch.
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2024: ASCEND VILLAGE OPENS
After years of intentional growth and development, ASCEND is now a place to call home. Sitting on 2.32 acres of land in Birmingham, Alabama, ASCEND Village is a brand-new living and learning space that serves the young adults of Big Oak Ranch who are transitioning into adulthood.
Committed to the Path...
Our 50/50 Vision
Equipped with 50 years of caring for children through the love of Christ, 50/50 is Big Oak Ranch's focused vision for carrying out the next 50 years of caring for abused, neglected, and abandoned children.
- Exhibit excellence in everything we do at Big Oak Ranch to the Glory of God in order to provide the best standard of care for our children.
- Fill a void in society through ASCEND, a ministry dedicated to guiding potential-filled young adults with education, life-skills training and healthy community as they navigate challenging, pivotal and defining phases of discovery equipped to step successfully into purpose-filled adulthood.
- Make the greatest state and nation-wide impact for children in crisis by equipping and empowering like-minded ministries to be a bright light in a dark world through the ministry of Planting Oaks.
Changing More Lives
We started small, with one home for five boys. Our growth since has been nothing short of miraculous.
Since 1974, more than 2,000 children have called Big Oak home. Today, we have 11 homes for girls and 14 homes for boys. In the past year alone, we’ve served 205 children from 12 states. And through Planting Oaks, we’ve helped like-minded ministries serve more than 6,500 children in 33 states.
And we’re just getting started.
Get Involved
There are more than three million children across the country in need of intervention. Your support helps us build homes, educate children, build partnerships and reach more young people in desperate need of a home, hope and a chance.
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All contributions received for specific projects/needs shall be applied to those areas. Occasionally, we receive more contributions for a given specification than can be used for it. If that occurs, we add these funds to operating support that allows for the care of our children and the programs benefiting their overall development now and in the future.