News & Info

Connie's Corner

February 2012

For those of you who know me well, you know that I am an avid sports fan—especially football and basketball. Therefore, the next few months are packed with the ultimate competitions: Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, NBA All Star Game, March Madness, and the Olympics this summer. After work, I enjoy watching all kinds of games on TV and in person. ESPN Sports Center is my bedtime story and I subscribe to Sports Illustrated.

So what do Valley Teen Ranch (VTR) and the National Football League (NFL) have in common? (Sorry Niners fans.) With both there is a short (1 year) season. Both experience "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat". There is fierce competition to win by applying skills that have been taught and modeled by others. There is a huge compacted learning curve to the experience. There is a team with coaches, players, and cheerleaders. There are lots of risks, followed by consequences when you don’t play by the rules. In both you can get knocked down, but you get back up and try again. A Judge/Commissioner oversees the choices that are made while on the team. There is an economic implication—although there is an enormous inequity between the NFL and VTR. There are donors/fans who pay to keep the organization in business. Both have pain and suffering involved. Both have family implications and involvement. You have to practice living a healthy, clean, and disciplined lifestyle every day in order to accomplish your goals. Goals are set and evaluated on a daily basis, with game day as the ultimate “test”. It is a team that works together to accomplish the goals. Costly mistakes or bad choices take away from the victory. One person can affect the outcome. The Denver Broncos and VTR both can be seen TeboBowing. Both have some members who go to Disney World!

On any given day I am the coach, the cheerleader, the one who signs the checks, and the one who communicates with you—the donors. I represent and lead the VTR Team. I’m here for the long haul, on the good days and the difficult ones, too. My season has no ending date!

Our Board of Directors (General Managers) had our annual all day Strategic Planning & Evaluating Meeting at the end of January. We remain committed to our mission, our team (including all of our kids), our budget, and our goals. We regularly evaluate our effectiveness based on measurable outcomes. Our Annual Report will be coming out next month. Our approved budget includes a 10% line item called "Undesignated Financial Donations". Needless to say, we depend on YOU to help us keep our organization going forward. We don’t have a Super Bowl game to generate income, but we will be having a 25th anniversary celebration on May 17, to showcase what has happened since we started and what you can expect in the future. Notice our new logo, colors, and stationery! We ARE looking for sponsors and there will be tickets to purchase so you can attend.

Thanks for being on our team and keeping us going for the Victory every day. Thank you in advance for your continued support to the VTR team. I am grateful and we depend on your continued support.

Onward and Forward,

Connie R. Clendenan, CEO Valley Teen Ranch

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