Building a fence through unity
The directors of Froman Hill Boys Ranch watch the progress being made on a fence project consisting of around 2 miles of fence on Saturday, Oct. 7. The project took the collaboration of more than a dozen companies that donated time and material to the effort.
The fence surrounding the grounds of Froman Hill Boys Ranch near Dover became a reality on Saturday, Oct. 7.
With many different fencing companies spanning several counties, the project became manageable as businesses that would normally compete for jobs united because they felt called to do so for the sake of the mission of discipleship for young men.
Each company provided a display of the type of accomplishment that can come from people dedicated to working together for the common good.
“There’s 11 crews here today, another that came in yesterday and another that will come in tomorrow, and all of them were willing to donate the labor and materials to the project,” said Ivan Raber of Maple Valley Fence, which helped spearhead the event. “It’s been neat to see everyone giving so generously to a project that is well worth doing.”
In what was believed to be one of the largest gatherings of fence builders anywhere, the 11 crews got to work in the morning and attacked each of their assigned sections of what was estimated to be around 11,000 feet of fencing, close to 2 miles.
The project included pounding in hundreds of posts and stringing the wire fencing. The crews set posts, placed corner braces, sawed the fence, hung gates and placed the wiring, a job that would have taken a single company many days to complete.
However, because of the commitment to lend a hand to Froman Hills Boys Ranch and its ministry, the work was done quickly.
While many of the crews were around the Holmes and Tuscarawas area, others came from farther away, one from Butler, Ohio and two from Geauga County.
While most days see the companies competing for projects, this day saw them united in their effort.
There was a morning presentation on the day of the event where leaders spoke briefly about the process and which company would take which portion of the fence. There also was another important factor to the discussion.
“All of the competition was laid down today, and the focus was on working together as one to have a great day and to support each other for the good of the project,” Raber said.
Daniel Miller, owner of Mohican Valley Fence in Butler, said when he approached his crew about volunteering for the effort, there was no resistance.
“We had a real urge to be here helping on this worthwhile project,” Miller said. “They have a tremendous mission here, and we are honored to be part of it. This type of thing gives you a great feeling of satisfaction, even though we traveled a long way to get here.”
Each of the crews shared that sentiment.
As a reward they were treated to a lunch from Byler’s BBQ, and only when the work was done were they able to relax and share the day’s activities with one another.
Watching the beehive of activity around the grounds were three of the Froman Hill Boys Ranch directors: Jonas Beachy, Tim Kline and Robert Shetler. Melvin Yoder and Ray Yoder, the two other directors, were not present at the time, but all shared their gratitude to the crews and companies that donated and participated in the project.
“This is such an important step for us,” Beachy said.
The directors made some connections with Raber, who in turn accepted the challenge of overseeing the project. He in turn contacted the various other fencing companies, and one by one, they all committed.
“When we walked in here this morning, we were humbled by all of these people who gave their time to do the work,” Beachy said.
Kline said the directors began talking about fencing in the acreage some time ago, but the cost of such an undertaking would be quite expensive. Then they watched as each company decided to join the cause.
“For one person to supply all of this isn’t practical, but all of these guys coming together helps spread the cost around,” Kline said.
Shetler said watching these men come together with one purpose in mind was proof there are still plenty of good people in the world today who will go out of their way to help others.
“Tomorrow they’ll all be out competing for the same jobs, but today they put aside everything to help us,” Shetler said. “That’s inspiring and heartwarming.”