Eagle Scout Brandon Bulmer, Castle Pines Troop 316    

Brandon Bulmer stands with his Eagle Scout project, one of two therapy boards for Praying Hands Ranch.

  
by Elizabeth Wood West; photos provided by Bulmer family

It is beautifully ironic that a healthy seventeen-year-old young man would come to understand the value of meeting great challenges with small steps by designing and building therapy boards for the physically and mentally challenged. Eagle Scout Brandon Bulmer recently presented his Eagle project to Praying Hands Ranch in Parker, a non-profit 501(c)(3) Christian organization founded in 1987 by Carl and Shirley Hanson.

The Ranch is dedicated to meeting the needs of children, adults, troubled youth, and disabled veterans by providing “hippotherapy,” (translation = treatment with the help of the horse). Hippotherapy is administered by licensed physical, occupational, and speech therapists to clients with Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Autism, Downs Syndrome, Hydrocephalic, Multiple Sclerosis, traumatic brain injuries, emotional disabilities, multiple handicaps, and stroke victims.

Working with one of the ranch’s occupational therapists, Bulmer created a horse-high easel with two occupational/physical therapy boards for the Ranch’s clients to use while riding. One board has holes for riders to toss balls through and hooks to place rings on. The other board mimics a mailbox for riders to open and place objects in. These simple tasks can be tremendously challenging yet very beneficial to their clients.

Bulmer worked on the project for about one year, spending 211 hours on research, planning, and construction until it was delivered to the Ranch. Bulmer said, “The most challenging part of the project was discovering that after creating and building the structure, we could not fit it in their storage area where they needed to keep it between therapy sessions. We had to take it home and completely re-size it,” Bulmer recalled. “The most rewarding thing was the reaction of the people [at the Ranch]. They had needed this for a very long time and were very happy to finally get it,” he said.

Bulmer earned the rank of Eagle Scout with Castle Pines Boy Scout Troop 316. “Scouting has been very rewarding to me. I have learned the pleasure of hard work, responsibility, and accomplishments. [The best part of Scouting] to me it is the accomplishment of going from tiger cub to eagle scout, a very fun journey that I have had a chance to grow and learn with along the way.”

Bulmer is a senior at Rock Canyon High School. He is working at Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch over the summer as a life-guard and camp counselor. After graduating from high school, he plans to study microbiology at CSU.

For more information about Praying Hands Ranch, visit www.prayinghandsranches.org.