Rescued Hearts Ranch Mission
To empower youth by providing hands-on experiences through community care-farming.
Our Approach
Rescued Hearts Ranch is committed to improving the lives of children, adolescents, and adults through Animal and Farm-Based activities, also known as care-farming.
What is care-farming?
Care-farming promotes mental and physical health by combining the care of animals and the natural world with the care of people. The care-farm approach is simple, safe and focuses on three restorative areas of support:
What are the outcomes and benefits to participating in care-farming?
Is care-farming based in science?
Yes! Care-farming, as a whole and in its individual components, has been shown to help many vulnerable population groups. Many countries in Europe utilize care-farming as a humanistic approach to human suffering in vulnerable groups with profoundly positive outcomes that reduce harm and help people improve their emotional balance.
Where are we located?
We are located in Gardnerville, Nevada.
What is care-farming?
Care-farming promotes mental and physical health by combining the care of animals and the natural world with the care of people. The care-farm approach is simple, safe and focuses on three restorative areas of support:
- Care-farming, which includes offerings such as gardening and horticulture, animal interaction, animal caregiving, outdoor recreation;
- Contemplative practices which include emotion identification, mindfulness and journaling;
- Physical well-being which includes physical activity and education on healthy eating and sleeping habits.
What are the outcomes and benefits to participating in care-farming?
- Development of social skills
- Increased self-esteem
- Healthy coping methods
- Connect with others
- Gain a sense of purpose
- Learn vocational skills
Is care-farming based in science?
Yes! Care-farming, as a whole and in its individual components, has been shown to help many vulnerable population groups. Many countries in Europe utilize care-farming as a humanistic approach to human suffering in vulnerable groups with profoundly positive outcomes that reduce harm and help people improve their emotional balance.
Where are we located?
We are located in Gardnerville, Nevada.
Meet our Team
Maggie LevinFounder & President
Maggie was born on a large cattle ranch in Colorado and grew up on a tree and cattle farm in Louisiana. She was active in 4-H and FFA, showed cows and judged livestock, and was very involved in the agriculture industry in high school. After graduating from Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA in 2008 with a degree in Love and Relationship Psychology and Jewish Studies, she returned to Colorado and worked as an assistant at an Environmental, Water, and Ag Law Firm. In 2016 she established a successful mortgage brokerage, Mortgages by Maggie, in Nevada and is thrilled at achieving her dream of the beginnings of Rescued Hearts Ranch that will be a beacon of wellness and enrichment for the community for years to come. |
Amanda PriceCo-Founder, Director of Operations
Amanda’s background stems from her education and training as an Industrial Engineer. After more than 7 years of professional experience in the manufacturing and product development industries where she provided professional product development and rollout consultation, as well as project management services, she transitioned to opening her own boutique Travel Advisory business and continues to provide technology and sales solutions consulting services to small businesses. As someone who has personally benefited from nonprofit therapy programs throughout her teens and young adult life she passionately wants to remove the stigma of mental health care, especially for teens where early detection and treatment is critical to their lifelong mental health success. |
Lauren AshleyExecutive Director of Grants and Community Involvement
Lauren was born and raised in Florida before coming to Nevada in 2012. She and her family spent several summers in Wyoming experiencing in the lambing seasons and caring for the ranch. In her academic years, Lauren studied at the University of Central Florida where she graduated with a bachelors of science in interpersonal communication. Moving to Carson City in 2012 and then to Gardnerville in 2017, Lauren found her niche working with the children and volunteers at the ranch and bringing her past adventures into a new light. Lauren is a mother to three boys including twins. Her children love to participate in all the activities at the ranch and help the new participants feel welcomed throughout each new session. |
Sandy Dobronte
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Ana PedrojettiBoard Member, Child Welfare Social Worker, B.S. Psychology
Ana is a Child Welfare Social Worker. She has 10 years of experience working with children, families and individuals as an agent of support and guidance. Her professional life includes a commitment to serving the needs of children and families as a Child Welfare Social Worker. Ana’s background is in Child Welfare investigations of child abuse and neglect. Ana assesses the safety and risk of children and is able to identify the appropriate services needed for the child to thrive. Through her work in the community, Ana nurtures key relationships that allow such collaborative work to be accomplished. Ana is originally from Peru, she has made the Carson Valley her home for the last 15 years. Ana is committed to her community and the safety and welfare of children in our community. |