NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA (352today.com) – Wayne Witczak had a rewarding career in healthcare, starting his professional journey at the Shriners Hospitals for Children’s International Headquarters in Tampa. He spent 19 successful years in hospital operations with the Shriners, learning the best practices of the charitable mission.
“I wanted to take everything that I learned from the best because they were considered the best,” Witczak said. “I started a little ‘side hustle;’ a consulting group to help smaller nonprofits sustain themselves.”
Life intervenes
Just as Witczak was gradually settling into his new role, his wife got sick. The circumstances demanded a return to a steady employment, one with the benefits of health insurance.
“I stumbled onto the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches (FSYR),” Witczak continued. “And they wanted me as much as I wanted them.”
Eleven years later, Witczak proudly serves as the Director of Development for the organization.
The story of the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches
The ranch was started after an incident in the mid to late ’50s involving two juveniles – a boy and a girl – who Witczak says had Marion County connections. They stole a car and were on their way to Texas.
Two Florida sheriffs went to Texas to bring them back. Witczak says the long drive provided the sheriffs time to think about the need for an alternative, something to keep wayward boys out of prison. They envisioned a program modeled after Boys Town.
Witczak says the men approached the Florida Sheriffs Association and raised funds to kickstart the program which began in 1957.
Fast forward to now, the FSYR are celebrating 66 years of caring for not only boys but girls, siblings, students, families – a circle of care that includes:
- three residential care campuses
- Live Oak
- Safety Harbor
- Bartow
- three summer camps
- Pierson
- Inglis/Yankeetown
- Hilliard
- training center
Investing in the Future
“On any given night we can have 132 kids in the program and the youngest that I’ve seen in my 11 years has been five years old.”
Witczak says that child was removed from their home for their safety because of “very bad things” that were being done to them.
Typically, residents of the youth ranches are between 8 and 18 years old. According to Witczak, they even have a transition program for young adults who have aged out of the youth program. “We will graduate them on campus into an independent living situation because they are adults.” Witczak says a life coach lives on campus and serves as a mentor.
A four-pronged approach: work, study, play, pray
Witczak says that FSYR follow four fundamental pillars: work, study, play, and pray. Their primary mission is to transform children in the program to be employable so that they can become independent, responsible, productive adults rather than incarcerated inmates.
Safety, security, shelter, and sustenance is their foundation and education is their priority.
Witczak says that they firmly believe in every child’s potential, which has driven them to achieve a 100% high school graduation rate for the past four years. FSYR has its own school on the Live Oak campus which Witczak says increases the kids’ academic success.
Balancing work and play
Every resident in the program holds a “job.”
“Now, it’s not minimum wage, you know, because we are caring for them and giving them everything they need, but we teach them financial responsibility,” he said. “We teach them how to manage their money. They all have a savings account. They all leave the ranch with money in their pocket.”
Ethan is resident of the FSYR and works at their thrift store. He is also a budding DJ who loves to entertain at all the ranch’s parties. Witczak says Ethan purchased all his own DJ equipment with the money he earned at the thrift store. He also bought his first car with what he saved.
|LISTEN: The story behind the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches
Even the youngest learns the value of hard work. Witczak says a five-year-old is on “cottage crew” which means they have to keep their room tidy and presentable for guests touring the facility.
“Cottage parents” provide structure and supervision – just like in a family.
“The moms and pops, they are employees and that’s their title, by the way – mom and pop,” said Witczak. “It’s not shift work. They don’t work eight hours and then off.”
Moms and pops oversee each cottage for 14 days, and then they’re off for a week. They rotate with other cottage parents so that there is round-the-clock support for the kids.
|TRENDING: Marion County’s MASTERCHEF JUNIOR contestant survives a sizzling semi-final
Witczak recalls the impact of a couple who retired after 24 years as cottage parents. The long-time cottage mom told him that she gets more phone calls and messages on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day than she ever could have imagined from all the kids that she’s helped raise over the years.
“What you have to realize, the kids that we deal with have been thrown into traumatic situations where they have to grow up really fast,” Witczak explained. “Their childhoods have been lost. So, when we get them, we have to teach them how to be a kid.”
That’s why they also take the kids on trips to the beach, the races in Daytona, as well as other social and recreational venues where they can experience new things and create positive memories.
Focus on faith
Faith is an integral part of the program’s structure. Witczak says they start each day with a daily devotional, an activity that taps into their spirituality.
Students are required to attend religious services weekly. On campus, they hold services at a non-denominational All Faiths Chapel and provide access to other houses of worship so residents can practice their chosen faith.
The power of small contributions
The program relies heavily on donations and Witczak says their donors are pretty special. One particular donor named Willy left an indelible impression on him.
Witczak says he noticed donations in small increments over the course of more than a decade. “It was a penny, five cents, 25 cents, and it was going on for over 10 years. He gave, like, 286 times, but he’s only given a total of $3. So, I needed to know this guy.”
It took a little digging, but Witczak tracked Willy down in Dunnellon and called him to thank him for his contributions.
“He goes, ‘Mr. Wayne, I have a change dish at the front door, and every day I dump my change from my pockets into the change dish,’” said Witczak.
Willy went on to tell Witczak that whenever he thinks about FSYR, he just grabs the spare change and sends it. He told Witczak that he does what he can for FSYR because he realizes how he could have benefitted from it when he was a kid.
It’s stories like that and the children whose lives they transform that drives Witczak to do his best daily.
How you can help
If you’d like help advance the mission of the FSYR, donate online here, or you can call 386-688-0054.
The FSYR is also actively trying to fill positions for the summer camps. In the 352, the closest camp is the Caruth Camp in Inglis.
“If you have college-age students – 18 or older – that are off for summer break that want to make a little money and build their resume, we have a tremendous number of summer camp positions for counselors at three summer camp locations,” Witczak said. “We really need those kinds of people to help mold the minds of these youngsters.”
