ST. PARIS — Operation Rebirth is a Christian boarding school situated on 17 acres in the St. Paris area, assisting boys up to 18 years of age who are having problems adjusting to school, home and community life. The staff and volunteers provide academics, real life experiences and work to strengthen and restore family relationships through the application of God’s Word.
“Our motto is ‘It’s better to build boys, than to mend men,’” said Dr. Sam Ronicker, who, along with his wife Teresa, is an executive director of Operation Rebirth. “Our program helps boys develop personal and vocational skills and gets their family involved in counseling to work through issues that may be disrupting the relationship.”
The boarding school offers a 24-hour, year round Christian educational environment, consisting of the Alpha-Omega curriculum administered by a full-time teacher; a program of farm and animal management; supervised dorm life built around a warm home environment where Christian principles are taught through Bible study, responsibility and relationships. The school is recognized by the state of Ohio, but accepts no public funding.
Match Day gifts will enable Operation Rebirth to build a shelter house on-site to eliminate a $1,200 a year expense to rent tents for their annual Day on the Farm and other community events.
“Gifts from individuals, businesses and churches and income from limited tuition keeps us afloat,” added Teresa Ronicker. “Adding a shelter house will lessen expenses on those special days and give us some covered outdoor space that our boys can use on a regular basis. It will give us more options for our boys.”
To support the Operation Rebirth on Match Day, gifts must be made payable to the Community Foundation of Shelby County with: Match/OR noted on the memo or in an accompanying note or form. Details and forms are available at the Community Foundation website at www.commfoun.com or a Operation Rebirth. Gifts must be received on or before Nov. 28 to be eligible for up to $5,000 in matching money.
