Rawhide Youth are “Backbone” for Lifest

July 3, 2006

On July 3-5, young men from Rawhide Boys Ranch volunteered to set up for Lifest Christian music festival which runs Wednesday through Sunday, July 5-9, at the Sunnyview Expo Center in Oshkosh. For the past six years, the young men have assisted with preparations for the event. Among their efforts are cleaning the grounds, setting up chairs, and assisting in setting up the scaffolding for the main stage where popular Christian musicians will perform over the weekend.

John Dougherty, Lifest Event Production Coordinator, stated “Over the last few years young men from Rawhide have been the backbone of our setup team for the Power of One and Lifest. Without them we truly wouldn’t be able to put on the event. They do the tough work that everyone doesn’t get to see.”

The mission of Lifest is to be a youth-driven, family-friendly event to build bridges with Christians and churches by presenting the gospel through entertainment, diversity of the arts, training, and discipleship. The event is organized through Life Promotions of Appleton and attracts tens of thousands of individuals from throughout the Midwest.

Dan Birr, Rawhide’s Director of Education commented, “What’s really unique this year is a combination of Rawhide students working alongside students from the Oshkosh correctional facilities. The students from the correctional facility are challenging the Rawhide students to take advantage of the exceptional services they are receiving at Rawhide Boys Ranch.”

Located outside of New London, Wisconsin, Rawhide Boys Ranch emphasizes a faith-based traditional family environment and serves at-risk and court-referred young men. Their mission is to inspire and equip at-risk teenage boys to become responsible young men through family-centered care, treatment, and education. Rawhide is largely supported by donations of cars, boats, campers, and financial gifts. Learn more about Rawhide by calling (920) 982-6100 or visiting the website at www.rawhide.org.