Volunteers Give Tulsa-Area Boys Ranch Extreme Makeover

Craig Day, News On 6

TULSA COUNTY -- Quite an act of kindness and quite a makeover is taking place in one part of Green Country. It's a positive impact that will be making a difference for years to come.

It's happening just off 171st street, down a gravel road in a rural area near Mounds. There's a boys ranch you may not know about, a place where they work to make a difference in young lives.

"Our focus is to get young men ready for independent living," said Brian Miller, with Bethesda Boys Ranch.

One of those young men at Bethesda Boys Ranch is Kris Bridges, who, like most, was encouraged to come here by a judge.

"I was going down the wrong path, selling drugs, smoking weed and all that," Bridges said.

For young men who might not need jail time, but do need some guidance, that's where Bethesda Boy's Ranch can help.

"If you want your life to change, they can help you," Bridges said.

Right now there's a lot going on at Bethesda, thanks to the kindness of volunteers from First Grace, the Landing and Oak Grove Community Churches. They're giving the cottages where the young men live a makeover.

"You can go on missions all over the world, we support missions all over the world, but this is our first endeavor to support missions here locally," said Marty Dunaway, a volunteer.

From new kitchen appliances and counter tops to 3,900 square feet of new tile.

"Started from zero from the floor up," Dunaway said.

A little TLC here and a lot of sweat equity there.

"It's looking way better to me," Bridges said.

"This will be like a brand new house to them," Dunaway said.

They're making a difference.

"Good folks and they live in the community and they want to help the community and that's kind of the way it's supposed to be I think," Miller said.

The makeover will enable Bethesda to take in more young men to a much better environment, improving the chances of changing lives for the better.

"Just makes me want to help others," Bridges said.

Volunteers hope what they're doing also encourages other churches to do mission work here in their own community.