Dare to Dream 2nd Annual Yellow Ribbon Gala by Mark Berger
Continuing its mission of helping veterans and their families lead more productive lives, the Dare to Dream Ranch in Foster, recently announced its 2nd Annual Yellow Ribbon Gala that takes place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick. This event happens on Saturday, September 16, 2023, from 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM. Besides dinner and dancing, there will be live and silent auctions, remarks from Ranch Founder and Executive Vice President Karen Dalton, the Quilt of Valor Presentations, which honors veterans who have served, and a keynote speaker. Plus, there will be a presentation of the 2023 Cory Zaranek Community Service Commitment to Excellence Award—given to the individual or individuals that have shown exemplary commitment to moving their mission forward through their dedicated volunteerism. Last year’s inaugural event raised $22,000. A portion of the proceeds went to aid veteran-owned businesses, and the remainder funded the Ranch’s mission. Dalton said that the Ranch aids veterans and their families with various programs to address emotional challenges like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, military sexual trauma, mild traumatic brain injury, and stroke recovery.
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Her facility, located on 11 acres in Foster, a stone’s throw from the Connecticut border, offers such activities as woodworking, gardening, beekeeping, agri-therapy, equine therapy, and fly fishing. Dalton has been very fortunate with numerous donations and grants over the past several years to continue funding its mission. The increasing need to help more veterans currently exceeds what they would like to accomplish for helping out these groups, according to Dalton. “I want to further my mission of providing and expanding programs to help as many military veterans and their families as possible,” said Dalton. “We have a lofty goal of raising $10 million dollars, to not only build an indoor health and wellness arena, a teaching kitchen, and function rooms for events, but also to build a farming and education center. This would assist in reinforcing the mission, purpose, structure, and comradery taught in the military, and the mission, purpose, structure, and comradery taught in farming,” Dalton explained.. The Health & Wellness Arena will have two medical offices for massage, reflexology, hypnotherapy, eight stalls, and an indoor riding arena, so our clients do not