Warrior Spirit Guides Be Brave Ranch Advocate

Warrior Spirit Guides Be Brave Ranch Advocate

Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser

Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch Child Sexual Abuse Centre provides specialized and intensive treatment for children between the ages of 8-16.

Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch was the brainchild of Glori Meldrum, who founded the Alberta based organization in 2005. She was inspired to help all children who had been sexually abused because of her past experience as a survivor of child sexual abuse.

Innisfree area resident Donna MacDonald Saskiw is a survivor of sexual abuse and has been a strong advocate for the charitable organization for the past two years.

“Two years ago my second oldest brother (Hal MacDonald) turned 60 and he did a fundraiser. 60X60@60. He’s a black belt in jujutsu and an instructor so he did a fundraiser and he raised over $70,000 for the Be Brave Ranch and I came forward to the media with my story. He did it in my honour and for all the little warriors.

Be Brave Ranch advocate Donna MacDonald-Saskiw.

(Donna MacDonald Saskiw/Submitted Photo)

So, through this I met Glori Meldrum, the founder, who is also a survivor. We became friends. She’s the sister that I never had. She is my shepherd and I am her lamb.”

Donna says, “I wouldn’t have done this without my husband Darrell.” Her children have also played a key role during her journey.

She calls herself a “blessed survivor” because she received support from her mother and father, four brothers, as well as Margo McFarlene, Bryon Butt, and Heather Hill, who were all instrumental in her survival before she met her husband at the age of 19.

“Some children don’t get this support. They are raped by their father or brother. They are not believed. Some of these children are disowned by their families. It’s an epidemic. But no one wants to talk about it. Nobody stands up for our children and I am just done with it. I need to be their voice.

This is helping me heal, but I’m doing it for all the kids who don’t have a voice. They need to have a voice. These kids need to know that they matter. And this ranch, it provides healing for them…With early intervention they’ll become productive citizens. They won’t grow up with PTSD, (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) anxiety, depression, eating disorders, alcoholism, drug abuse, OCD, (Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour).”

Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch Founder Glori Meldrum, Hal MacDonald, and Donna MacDonald-Saskiw.

(Donna MacDonald Saskiw/Submitted Photo)

She went on to say, “One in three girls and one in six boys are abused with 95 percent of the time that being by a trusted person. There’s a huge stigma that comes with this. Huge. And it’s time to lift the rug. And it’s gone up 250 percent with Covid because the children are stuck at home with their abusers.

“We need to have our governments step in and give funding. At least for beds.” Donna says Be Brave Ranch does not receive any government funding. It costs $4.2 million annually to operate the facility. It costs $25,000 per child for one year’s worth of therapy. Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch is currently hosting an online auction which has more than 75 items up for bid until 3 pm on May 6. Donna says, “Every donation, no matter how big or small, it all helps the children.

Last year I did a bottle drive and I was able to donate over $6,000. And that’s not just me that’s community. I mean I was walking up and down the ditches picking bottles, but I had an enormous amount of people donating bottles. So, it continued. People were still sending me money and this year I came up with the idea to take the bottle money and donate it back to small businesses. Because of Covid they’re struggling.” She said residents and businesses in the communities of Vegreville, Innisfree, Mannville, Vermilion, Viking, and Irma have rallied behind her and donated to the cause.”