Cherokee Boys ranch hopes to rescue young lives

WALESKA - Lloyd Zook wants to give young boys who may be headed down the wrong path a chance to turn their lives around at the Goshen Valley Boys Ranch. <br> <br> The first of four planned houses was recently completed at the ranch, which sits on 400 acres in northwest Cherokee County. Each will house five boys and their supervisors. Boys who live at the ranch will go to school and be responsible for household chores, such as caring for the ranch&#39;s animals. <br> <br> Zook, who has raised 26 foster children, said the facility is needed in the community. <br> <br> ``We hope to make a positive change in every boy that comes through here, so that when that youngster grows up and starts his own family, he will be an asset to the community rather than a liability,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> The ranch will accept boys ages 7 to 15 and will care for them until they turn 18. It will be open to boys from around the country. A public tour is set for Saturday. <br> <br> The Department of Family and Children Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice and parents will be able to place children at the ranch, Zook said. <br> <br> The state will give the ranch $33-a-day per child. Community donations will be relied on for the rest of the cost. <br> <br> ``We hope that it will turn out to be a good facility that we will be able to utilize,&#39;&#39; said James Jasper, county supervisor of investigations at the Department of Family and Children Services. <br> <br> The ranch was made possible through the help of Atlanta businessman John Blend, who donated his land and $500,000 to build the first house. Blend worked for a boys home during college in Pennsylvania. <br> <br> ``I feel like if you&#39;ve been fortunate in your own life, then you need to give something back,&#39;&#39; he said. ``I became fortunate in business and saw my chance to make it happen.&#34;

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