Imus Ranch
The Imus Ranch was a working cattle ranch of nearly located in Ribera, New Mexico, southeast
of Santa Fe. Between 1998-2014, it was the site of a non-profit charitable program for seriously ill children, founded by long-time radio personality Don Imus and his wife, Deirdre. The charitable organization sought to ensure the continuity of the lives of children afflicted with cancer or serious blood diseases. The charity's goal was to provide children ages 10-17 with an experience of living life on a functioning cattle ranch free of charge, to build up the child's self-confidence and sense of accomplishment, in the company of similar children facing serious illness. In later years, it also opened to siblings of SIDS victims. It was incorporated in New York State and registered as a non-profit organization under subsection 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. It closed following the 2014 season.
The former ranch property was initially offered for sale for $32 million in October 2014. Not having sold by 2017, the property was put up for auction by Thomas Industries, Inc., an industrial auction house with a specialty in the auction of printing companies. The property was listed for sale as a combined acreage of the foundation, the personal property of the Imuses, and state leased adjoining land totaling almost 3,000 acres. The deadline for auction was originally set for June 15, 2017, with a minimum bid of $5 million. The property was sold to Patrick Gottsch, owner of RFD-TV, in April 2018 for $12.5 million. RFD-TV used the ranch as a production facility for its Western shows. The Gottsch family sold off its Western and rodeo assets to Teton Ridge Inc. in 2024, after Gottsch's death.
A portion of the historic Santa Fe Trail passes through the property.
Facilities
The ranch contained a village of eight buildings constructed to emulate an Old West town, including a general store, a "marshal's office", and a "saloon". The main ranch house is a adobe hacienda with Native American rugs and rustic chandeliers in the great room. It had five bedrooms for the ten children who attended each week in the summer, a library, and a dining hall which served only vegetarian meals. The design was largely under the direction of Deirdre Imus at a cost of construction placed at more than $25 million.There were bunk houses for doctors, other medical staff and ranch hands. The Hackensack University Medical Center provided physicians, nurses, and guidance counselors who attended the ranch sessions.
Activities
For seven days, the children were expected to perform chores and tasks as if they were cowboys, such as caring for horses, in order to gain self-esteem. The ranch operated all year but hosted children only when school was not in session, in eight one-week sessions. Nearly half the children were from minority groups; 45% were black.During a typical day, the children performed chores beginning early in the morning, such as feeding the various ranch animals, watering plants, gathering eggs, and saddling horses for a two-hour ride led by the Imuses. Recreation included swimming, board games, and pool. In a concession to the serious health needs of the campers, the ranch also had qualified personnel present to treat medical needs.
During the summer months, Imus broadcast his nationally syndicated radio program, Imus in the Morning, from a studio at the ranch. Occasionally, children attending the ranch appeared on the program along with his wife, Deirdre, and son, Wyatt.
History
Imus, who was raised on an Arizona ranch, became interested in helping children stricken with cancer after he participated in a New York radio telethon in 1988, raising money for a charity assisting such children. After his marriage to Deirdre Coleman in 1994, the couple decided to build a western ranch where cancer-stricken children could regain their self-esteem by engaging in authentic ranch work.Deirdre Imus said in an American Profile magazine interview, "After working with these kids, we noticed a common theme: they had cancer but they were like normal kids, except they lost their self-esteem. We found no one was actually restoring their self-esteem or dignity."
Initially, the Imuses used more than $1 million of their money to purchase for the ranch in 1998. The ranch cost almost $25 million to construct, raised through a public foundation they established. The ranch cost $1.8 million annually to operate.