A dream has become reality. The second children’s residence has opened at Leakey, the Cailloux Homestead, a 4,200 square foot lodge designed to house 8 to 12 boys. The Big Springs Ranch for Children is now a village.

Ken Cailloux and his wife Sandy, who visited the Big Springs Ranch in the fall of 1999, offered on-the-spot financial assistance to begin a new phase for the year 2000, including building a second children’s residence. Ken and his family matched a challenge grant from the Meadows Foundation for the new residence, and Campaign 2000 was underway, calling for the launch of 14 new projects by the end of the year (10-year development plan brochure available upon request).

A slowdown in the timetable for completing the Cailloux Homestead for boys at Big Springs Ranch near Leakey didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of houseparents Bobby and Joy McGraw, or of the boys going with them to their new home on the Frio. All through November, as two flashfloods and near constant rains continued to prevent the completion of construction, they packed boxes, continued their work in school on the Ingram campus, and waited on news.

By the weekend before Thanksgiving, the last of their things were organized for the fifty-mile trip. And the word came. They could move in. Without hesitation, they loaded up and headed West on the day before Thanksgiving, with last-minute electrical and plumbing work at Cailloux still going on. By the end of the day on Wednesday, everything was working, and all had a room in their beautiful new home.

Says Bobby, "We’ve looked forward to this for a long time, and we are all eager to nestle in. It’s a beautiful place to bring children, and we are especially grateful to the Cailloux family and the Meadows Foundation for making it possible."