When Mark Gross moved from San Francisco to a ten acre ranch in Central Oregon, he took with him all the enthusiasm needed to start a new life and none of the skills. “First thing I think - chainsaw!” explained Gross. “And of course, I figure I’ll watch a video on YouTube to learn how to use it. Turns out YouTube video + chainsaw = hospital visit.”
Gross ran an ad on Craigslist, “Idiot Needs to Learn How to Use a Chainsaw,” and Kaleb Watson couldn’t resist replying. “It actually was kind of cool. I thought here’s a guy willing to learn.” Watson is a veteran of the Marines where he served as a pistol instructor after being injured in active duty.
After learning the basics, it occurred to Gross that there are many people like him in rural areas now. “There’s a great migration from cities to the country, and these newcomers need to build skills to manage their land responsibly.”
Gross, an award-winning former high school teacher, realized that encouraging relationships between newcomers and locals would strengthen his community. “If you get people together to learn and accomplish things, that’s the basis for building authentic relationships across social, cultural and political divides. You can build bridges while mending fences.”
Gross launched School of Ranch (www.schoolofranch.org) from his ranch in Terrebonne, OR, this spring. Today School of Ranch has over 115 members, has held seven successful workshops including its first paid workshop series on welding - Practical Welding for Ranch and Farm, led by none other than Kaleb Watson. “There are many military veterans in rural areas who have tremendous skills that are undervalued,” said Gross. “I thought everyone knew this stuff,” said Watson.
Gross realized that School of Ranch was a way to do more than inspire responsible land use and strengthen communities, that it could open pathways to economic and social opportunities for veterans and others who need a hand up. “We are working with local veteran’s groups to offer training and workshop development at no charge, and then pay them between $60 and $120 an hour to run those workshops.”
School of Ranch operates as a .org under a fiscal sponsorship with Players Philanthropy Fund, a 501c3 corporation. Gross’s objective is to make School of Ranch successful in Central Oregon and then to scale it to other rural markets. “It’s amazing to be able to connect the dots between environmental responsibility, community development, and support of our vets,” said Gross. “Good thing I decided to do more than watch that video!”
Media Contact
Company Name: School of Ranch
Contact Person: Mark Gross
Email: Send Email
Phone: 650-224-6750
State: Oregon
Country: United States
Website: www.schoolofranch.org
