RAINBOW ACRES BLOG

At Rainbow Acres, lunch is a community activity.  Ranchers and employees gather in the communal dining hall and eat together.  It is a great time to check in with friends and share news, stories and current events with one another.  Lunch is always a lovely time.

Occasionally, this community lunch time is used to benefit those in need.  Employees provide a special treat, for a small fee, to raise money for a worthy cause.  Most recently, Rainbow  held a chili cook-off to benefit victims of the January earthquake that devastated Haiti.

Employees brought every kind of chili you could ask for – traditional chili, green chili, chicken chili, veggie chili, even a cinnamon chili!  You name it, and we probably had it.  Each chili chef had to convince people to try and vote for their personal concoction.  Ranchers, employees and volunteers were all bribed with promises of secret and exotic ingredients.

At the end of the day, there was a winner for best chili, but everyone knew that who won was not what ultimately mattered.  This cook-off was to benefit some of the people who have been affected by the earthquake in Haiti.  Everyone who participated helped to raise over $300 that will go to help a Haitian orphanage.

At Rainbow, we believe it is important to acknowledge all we have been blessed with, and share those blessings with others in need.

At Rainbow Acres, we are motivated and inspired everyday by our Ranchers. We strive to recognize them individually for their accomplishments and the spirit they bring to the Ranch.

The Rancher of the month for February was Matt M.!

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Matt’s birthday is on March 21.  He was born in Spokane, WA, but grew up near the Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ.

Matt is an active guy.  You can often see him walking laps around the Ranch for exercise, motivating himself with some upbeat music in the headphones.  Matt also participates in Special Olympics golf, and will soon compete at the nine-hole level.  He is a HUGE Phoenix Suns fan.

To relax, Matt enjoys kicking back and watching DVDs.  His tastes are eclectic, ranging from science fiction to musicals.  His favorite musical is Grease – go Grease Lightning!

Matt takes his faith very seriously.  He loves to pray, and strives to do every job to the best of his God-given abilities.

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We appreciate Matt’s contribution to the Ranch, and we look forward to sharing more Rancher stories with you!

Health & Wellness Director Chris Walker is very close to her nieces.  Her niece Stephanie is in the Air Force and recently returned to the United States after a long assignment in Afghanistan.  During the long months overseas, months that encompassed holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, Rainbow Acres Ranchers kept Stephanie company by sending a steady stream of cards, letters and prayers.

This past Monday, Chris received a special package.  It contained two American Flags, both of which had been officially flown by Stephanie’s aircraft.  Certificates with the signatures of all the crew members were also included.

One of the flags was donated and dedicated to Rainbow Acres.  The information provided with the flag reads: “Be it known by all this flag was flown in the face of the enemy, and bears witness in the removal of terrorist forces threatening the freedom of the United Stars of America. It was flown into combat with great honor and pride aboard an EC -130H Compass Call, Aircraft #73-1583, Operation Enduring Freedom in Honor of Rainbow Acres, December 15, 2009. This aircraft is carrying out the Global War on Terrorism.”

Stephanie is stationed at Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson and hopes to be able to come in person soon to present this flag in person to the Ranchers.  It is wonderful that the Ranchers were able to brighten the lives of the men and women serving abroad in the military.  Their infectious good spirit is not contained to the Rainbow Acres Ranch!

Last Thursday, members of the Rainbow Acres staff had the privilege to attend a motivational speakers seminar.  The illustrious speakers included leaders like recently-retired quarterback Kurt Warner, former First Lady Laura Bush, General Colin Powell, former New York governor Rudy Giuliani, businessman Steve Forbes, motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, and more!  Although they spoke individually, the speakers collectively brought with them a message to pursue excellence in all that you do.  It was a day of privilege and inspiration as employees were able to share the room with such special people.  Staff came back motivated to continue to strive for excellence for the Ranchers at Rainbow Acres.