Former Rawhide Ranch counselor Asaf Gefen wrote a letter updating them on how his experience at the camp influenced his career path. He is now in his second year of university studying how to work with teenagers with special needs. Asaf finds himself using the communication skills and understanding how to connect with children's feelings that he learned at Rawhide Ranch in his current work. He also utilizes animals, something else he was taught at the camp, which have proven very healing for the teenagers with disabilities. Asaf misses the people at Rawhide Ranch and especially the stock farm and his favorite goat, Heidi.

1. http://www.rawhideranch.com
A Letter from Counselor Asaf!
Posted on November 10, 2010 by admin
We just received a letter from former counselor Asaf Gefen, who came to
Rawhide Ranch all the way from Israel!
It’s already past more than three summers from my first visit as a counselor at
your most wonderful camp of Rawhide Ranch. Las week I saw some photos of
Rawhide Ranch in my album and started to think how it changed my life, so I
decided to write and let you know what happened to me because of this time
around all of the amazing people, campers, and animals at Rawhide Ranch.
I decided to connect my adult life with working with children, right now I’m in the
middle of my second year at University. My degree is about working with
teenagers with special needs (broken families, autism, disabilities, and
mental/developmental retardation). I’m also working after University hours twice
per week with this type of teenagers, and I spend the rest of my time working
with a group of 25 kids aged 8-12.
I let you know all of this because I find myself using all the tools that you gave me
while I worked with the amazing staff at Rawhide Ranch, like how to talk with
children, how to get into their heart, and how to understand what they really feel

2. http://www.rawhideranch.com
and think. In my work with the group of special needs teenagers I love to use
animals, another thing I learned at Rawhide Ranch. It’s amazing to see what the
healing powers of these animals have done for these teenagers, it’s better than
any other cure out there.
Thank you all so much, I miss you all, especially my favorite part of the ranch, the
stockfarm and my favorite goat, Heidi.
Truthful Appreciation,
Asaf Gefen