Coyote Hill is a professional home of love for abused and neglected children; and also for children whose families just need a chance to regroup and get a fresh start. We provide licensed counseling and professional social work services.
We provide the child with a safe and healthy place to grow, to learn, to laugh, to love; and to understand what it means to have a life that is full and complete. Come and see for yourself why Coyote Hill is called... "a place to be a child."  First Day of Spring Activities
I love to hear the laughter of a child any time, but I especially love to hear the laughter of a child outside in the great outdoors, and enjoying all the mysteries and wonder of this most awesome world in which we live. I also happen to believe that God takes special delight in children enjoying the majestic playground of outdoors. I'm convinced that there are certain trees created especially for children to climb. :-)
Another activity that will rapidly increase as the warmer weather increases is that of fishing. It is definitely a favorite activity on The Hill. It is a wonderful time of bonding and relationship building, and when a child or youth pulls in a fish, the wide eyed smiles are etched in my memory forever. As the Spring and Summer progress, we'll have lots more stories of all the outside activities that take place ... pretty much on a daily basis. It's all part of why Coyote Hill is known as A Place to Be a Child. Posted on March 24th, 2008 | Permalink | Rss Feed Small Engine We needed a small gas engine with a side shaft. I knew where one was, with a non-functioning pump bolted on the side of it, and with a 2" hose attached, stretched about 30 feet out into a muddy pond. Ah ... the challenge was set. This is the kind of thing Saturday afternoons and inquisitive young minds were made for. We got the engine, bolted on non-functioning water pump, and 30 feet of 2" hose/pipe out of the pond and up on semi-dry land. Now comes the fun part ... heading back to the shop, getting out some tools, and taking something apart that we don't have to actually put back together again. :-) It doesn't get any better than that.
We took off one thing ... and then another ... and then there was this other thingie ... and then one girl went to get a hammer ... and then we thought maybe it was made to be impossible ... and then another adult who happened to be present said we needed a special tool ... and then FINALLY ... yes finally ... well ... it's still attached. At least until that other adult can work on it with that "special tool." Maybe we just needed a bigger hammer. Coyote Hill Lesson of the Day: Posted on March 9th, 2008 | Permalink | Rss Feed Kids and Cows and Calves
Some of the kids wanted a closer look, but big cows can be quite intimidating. Also, as you might imagine, the feedlot is a little muddy this time of year. So we hitched the wagon to the tractor, hopped on and went to feed and check for new calves. It was the perfect solution for those who wanted a closer look without so much ... adventure. :-) One of the older boys (who was wearing his mud boots) and who has taken a great interest in the many While we were riding around the cows and calves on the wagon, I explained to them how to tell if a cow was soon to give birth, and what was a good sign a particular cow already had a calf standing nearby. They were quite interested in knowing all of that. And before we left, I asked them to pick out their favorite calf so far. Most of the kids chose a particular coloring as their favorite. We have red ones and gray ones and black ones and tan ones and some that appear to have all those colors mixed together. But one boy chose his favorite for a different reason. When I asked him why he chose the calf he did as his favorite one of all, he said "Because it's the biggest, and none of the others are gonna mess with it." I asked him about the color, and he said it didn't matter about the color ... it only matters about the size. This boy has obviously already learned some hard lessons in a short amount of time. And, they can be lessons that are all too true ... certainly for him. Size matters ... power matters ... money matters, and other things more valuable matter less ... at least in his life experience thus far. I guess that's been my experience too. Maybe at Coyote Hill, this boy and others like him can learn the things that matter most are not who has the most money, the most stuff, the most influence, the most power ... those are the things most talked about and that many chase after, but they aren't the things that matter in the end. They are actually a distraction and can do much more harm than good. Maybe at Coyote Hill, this boy and others like him can learn the things that matter most are being full of compassion for others in need, showing mercy upon those who have wronged them, giving grace to others who are different, remembering that the widow who gave out of her poverty gave more than all, and that being small in stature places no limitations whatsoever on having a big heart. larry Posted on March 9th, 2008 | Permalink | Rss Feed Life Lessons From Roller Skating Kids at Coyote Hill spend time on wheels. This last Saturday one of our homes took the kiddo's in for an afternoon of roller skating. Kids on wheels ... what a combination. :-) Do you remember the first time you ever tried to roller skate? If you were a young child, you were probably excited beyond all belief and scared to death at the same time. The idea of having a bunch of little wheels strapped to your feet is one no kid can resist, regardless of the bumps, bruises and the claw marks left in the walls, along with all the blood, sweat and tears sacrificed on the rink floor. It's just one of those things you have to try. As I thought about the kids roller skating (as well as the last time I tried it), it also occurred to me that roller skating can also represent some valuable life lessons.
At Coyote Hill we are all about opportunity. Regarding the character quality of being one who perseveres, we do what we can ... encouraging, teaching, supporting, empowering, and all those kinds of things. But in the end, the youth has to do the persevering. We can't crawl inside them and do it for them. But opportunity is different, in that Coyote Hill does provide that. All the potential and ability to persevere in the world will do one little good if they never have the opportunity to excel at that which they were made and meant to do. Contrary to what some might say, perseverance doesn't create opportunity, it capitalizes on it. Furthermore, perseverance smothered by a lack of opportunity atrophies into apathy, and eventually all trace of it is lost. One of the most important things we offer at Coyote Hill is the opportunity.
Yes, opportunity is one of the main things that makes all the difference in the world in peoples lives. And at Coyote Hill, it is something we offer to the children and youth in our care. Just another reason why Coyote Hill is known as ... A Place to Be a Child. Larry McDaniel, Posted on March 3rd, 2008 | Permalink | Rss Feed Winters Are Busy Too As you might expect, during the warmer months of the year, (especially summer), Coyote Hill is crawling with activity. But there are plenty of things happening in the winter months as well. For example, figuring out why a particular stretch of electric fence is no longer shocking anything that touches it. I've often suspected the cows take turns each day checking to make sure the electric fence is still working, because it sure doesn't seem to take them very long to discover if it isn't. Or, maybe it's just that we have a couple of cows with a really bad memory. :-) Speaking of cows, feeding hay out of the barn is a regular chore of course. Pictured here are a couple of young men pulling the wrapping off before the bale is moved out to the bale ring. And of course, what would a winter be without firing up those chainsaws and cutting some wood. Pictured here is a young man learning how to check the spark plug, and here another young man learns the importance of keeping the air filter clean. And then off we go to deal with some trees that have died recently near one of the homes. We cut the tops up for firewood to keep at the Coyote Hill Camping Lake, and we save the logs for a primitive log cabin we plan to build someday. That will be a fun project, indeed. Anyway, cutting the trees calls for plenty of help, and the kids don't seem to mind. On this particular day we decided to cut three trees, and then all go enjoy some spicy tea, compliments of Angel at the Hubbell Home. The kids pitched in to help drag off all the brush, and also to stack all the wood. Later, when sipping on our warm spicy tea, we talked about how good it felt to finish a job, do it well, and then sit back to enjoy the company of friends and family. It's all just part of Coyote Hill truly being ... A Place to Be a Child. Larry McDaniel,Executive Director Posted on February 28th, 2008 | Permalink | Rss Feed Responsibility Trumps Blizzard
It was bitter cold, and the wind was whipping snow so fast and hard it would sting your face. One was careful never to look into the wind. Even the horses would turn their heads and shield their face from the constant pelting of hardened snowflakes. We all knew (horses and cattle included) that it wouldn't last, but we also knew there were some things that wouldn't wait ... namely, food and water.
Horses are fun when you get to ride them, and cattle are interesting when they are lounging in green pastures with baby calves playing alongside. But on one of the coldest days of the year and with blizzard winds harshly blowing, the youth at Coyote Hill learn that what is sometimes fun may require significant responsibility when it isn't so convenient. You wouldn't believe how many kiddo's I run into who seem surprised that livestock would still like to eat and have water to drink, even on cold days when humans don't want to go outside. But today I want
to brag on a couple of youth who have earned their stripes in my book.
The first is Sierra. A few months ago she told me that she really
wanted to help care for the horses. We talked about how that would look
... did she consider that horses have to be fed and watered every day,
seven days a week? Did she consider that horses eat on nice sunny days,
but also when the wind is blowing and the snow is flying? Did she
realize the incredible responsibility that caring for these animals
truly is? Larry McDaniel, Executive Director Posted on February 27th, 2008 | Permalink | Rss Feed All of the News |
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