The M-Bar-C Ranch is located on Whidbey Island just outside of Freeland.  Situated on 50 acres of rolling pasture land the facilities provide both activity and at the same time a peaceful respite for those who visit.

The Ranch conducts a Ranch Experience Program for children who have a variety of special needs – physical, mental, emotional and/or financial.  Children visiting the ranch have the opportunity to be the “most kid they can be” for the time they are here.  There are no expectations set for them other than safe behavior standards.  There are no limits to what they can try to do – within this safety net.  They can ride horses, be pretend cowboys or Indians, run or walk or roll pretty much any place they want.  They can meet our volunteers and staff who strive to maintain a “cowboy” appearance for the kids.  They can participate in a wide variety of craft projects.  Our on site people have not only special training to work with these children but also the “heart” to give that extra smile. All this is free to participating children and their caregivers.

At any time there are between three and six paid full or part time staff people on site but the core and “heart” of the ranch is the volunteer base.  More than 50 volunteers of all ages and abilities make the Ranch Experience Program possible.  While owned and operated by The Forgotten Children’s Fund it would be fiscally impossible to operate a program of this size without the best group of volunteers on earth!

The Ranch was purchased in the mid ‘70’s by a group of Seattle area families for the purpose of allowing their children to experience recreation opportunities outside the city.  The ranch served them well until mid 1980 when the kids grew up and their interests changed.  The owners of the ranch, some of whom were the founders of The Forgotten Children’s Fund, realized that the ranch could serve some of the same children that other FCF programs served.  Contact was made with various groups of handicapped and ill children and their families.  The program grew as further contact was made with groups such as The Ronald McDonald House, special education facilities, Northwest Burn Foundation, Ryther Child Center and others working with special needs kids. This was the seed that has sprouted into The Ranch Experience Program.

The Ranch hosted over 1600 children in 2007 and looks forward to the 2008 season which began in February and will again give children of all abilities the chance to “just be a kid for a day”.