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Longshadows Ranch is grateful to share that we have received a second-year $15,000 Carolyn Watson grant through the Oklahoma City Community Foundation to support the continued growth of our Grow Oklahoma! program.
Grow Oklahoma! is a hands-on educational program designed to help youth and young adults build practical skills in agriculture, food production, Cherokee lifeways, entrepreneurship, leadership, and community service. Through this program, participants have the opportunity to learn by doing, gaining real-world experience that connects them to the land, their community, and the knowledge needed to provide for themselves and others.
At Longshadows Ranch, we believe that food knowledge is life knowledge. Many of the skills that were once passed down through families and communities have become less common in modern life. Grow Oklahoma! helps restore and share that knowledge by teaching young people how food is grown, how animals are cared for, how resources are stewarded, and how practical skills can support both personal independence and community resilience.
The second year of funding will allow Longshadows Ranch to continue offering meaningful educational experiences that connect youth with sustainable agriculture, Cherokee cultural traditions, food systems, and service-based leadership. The support will also help strengthen the program’s ability to reach more participants and provide the supplies, structure, and hands-on learning opportunities needed for a successful second year.
“We are deeply grateful for this continued support,” said Dr. Eli Camp. “The Carolyn Watson grant helps us create opportunities for young people to learn practical skills, connect with Cherokee traditions, explore agriculture and entrepreneurship, and grow in confidence as future leaders. This investment supports not only the work happening at Longshadows Ranch today, but the knowledge and resilience these young people will carry forward into their families and communities.”
Longshadows Ranch extends sincere thanks to the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and the Carolyn Watson grant for investing in rural youth development, Native-led education, and practical community-based learning. Click the logo below to learn more about OCCF.
Through Grow Oklahoma! Longshadows Ranch will continue working to grow food, grow skills, grow leadership, and grow wisdom for the next generation.
