MORE THAN A SCHOOL, WE'RE A FAMILY.
Wears Valley Ranch (in Sevierville, Tennessee) provides Christian homes, education, and counseling to children in crisis situations. Our vision is to see each child inspired to follow Christ, healed from the past, and equipped to reach their potential.
“Wears Valley Ranch has helped to meet a desperate situation. And the caring couple, Jim and Susan Wood bring Normalcy, Love, and Joy into many devastated young lives.” -Rev. Billy Graham
Wears Valley Ranch exists to provide Christian homes and Christian education for children from difficult situations. Our students are typically described as “deserving young people with a problem in the home, not of their own making.” The problems vary widely. The situation may involve a single parent who genuinely wants to care for his or her own child, but can’t because of demanding work schedules. It may involve a grandparent’s concern for a child whose parent is in trouble with drugs (most often alcohol). It may involve a case of neglect, physical abuse, or sexual abuse.
Although we accept children from across the United States, the need in east Tennessee is staggering. Every year thousands of children enter the foster care system in our region. In Knox County alone, there are dozens of medically confirmed cases of sexual abuse annually. These cases are only the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds more go unreported. The state will not remove a child from the home except in the most dire circumstances. By that time, the child has endured unspeakable trauma. Wears Valley Ranch provides an early intervention alternative, with voluntary placement and help for the child and other family members.
Nestled against the backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Wears Valley Ranch (which adjoins the park) provides an ideal environment for healthy living. Four spacious homes housing up to eight students each are situated among the trees overlooking our rolling pasture where horses graze and play.
-At Wears Valley Ranch, we believe that each child is special and is worth our love and support. That is why we provide a home environment rather than dormitories. Our girls and boys live in non-institutional homes with houseparents who are investing their lives in the lives of the children The atmosphere within each home is one of love and encouragement where each child can know the security of boundaries and the acceptance of unconditional love.
Children are accepted regardless of their race or religious background. Students do attend church with their houseparents in the community. While no child should be pressured to embrace a particular creed, we are eager for each child to know the truth that they are loved by God.