Hank Parker visits Girls Ranch at Camp Hill for 50th anniversary

The Boys and Girls ranches of Alabama celebrated its 50th anniversary with nationally recognized fisherman Hank Parker.

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MONTGOMERY, Ala  (AlabamaNews.Net) —Wednesday, the Boys and Girls Ranches of Alabama celebrated its 50th anniversary. For five decades, the ranches have welcomed the abandoned and neglected children of Alabama and provided them a home.

“I can’t make it go away. What happened to them happened to them. What we do is we teach them how to live with that how to cope with that and how to become productive everyday average people,” said Nick Rauccio the CEO of Alabama’s youth ranches.

Rauccio and other directors brought nationally recognized pro bass angler, Hank Parker, to join in on the festivities. Parker’s childhood was much like the kids at the ranch.

“My whole childhood was rocky. My father was a drunk. My mother was hooked on prescription drugs,” Parker said.  “I really had no structure in my life. It’s really hard for a person to relate how hard that can be and how chaotic that can be in your life if you’ve never been there, but I’ve been there. I know how they feel.”

Parker sympathized so much that his emotions got the best of him.

“I wasn’t at all expecting to have the emotional reaction that I had, but when I saw this beautiful facility and I saw these beautiful girls and looked them in the face, I thought man this is a great place to be raised. This is a great place to live.”