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About Us

History

History

Proudly Serving Our Community

Ramey-Estep Homes grew from the legacies of two very special people, Ms. Gertrude Ramey and Mr. Hack Estep.

In 1951, a young man named Bill came to the Boyd County jail asking for a warm place to stay for the night.  Mr. Estep was the Boyd County Jailer at that time and invited Bill to come in and get warm.  From that encounter, Mr. Estep set into motion the creation of the Boyd County Boys Farm that was formed in 1954.  In 1957, the location of the Farm was moved to the current location of the residential program on Pigeon Roost Rd, in Rush, KY.  In 1958, the first seven boys moved into the Boyd County Boys Farm.  Following Mr. Estep’s death, the Board of Directors for the Farm voted to change the name of the Farm in tribute to Mr. Estep, and the Hack Estep Home for Boys was born.  Mr. Estep dedicated 23 years of his life to caring for children.  

In 1944, Gertrude Ramey operated a boarding house in Catlettsburg across from the courthouse.  A judge came to her one day and asked her to keep a couple of children that had nowhere to go.  Miss Ramey moved them in and as the boarders moved out, she moved more children in, and an orphanage was formed.  In 1950, Miss Ramey moved the orphanage to a larger home on Winchester Avenue in Ashland and in 1960, Miss Ramey moved into the final location that would become “The Ramey Home”.  This location was on Bob McCullough Drive and was formerly the Boyd County Poor House.  In 1989, The Ramey Home transitioned from an orphanage to a residential treatment facility for young men.  Miss Ramey dedicated her life to serving the over 5,000 children who needed her care. 

In 1992, the Hack Estep Home for Boys was still providing a safe haven for young men while The Ramey Home was providing residential treatment for young men.  The two Boards of Directors came together to merge the two facilities and their resources to continue the legacy begun by Hack Estep and Gertrude Ramey. On September 2, 1992, Ramey-Estep Homes was formed to create one mission – to care for children.

In September of 1994, the Hack Estep Home had a devastating fire which completely destroyed the 10-bedroom brick and block home that had been built entirely with volunteer labor.  Thankfully, there were no youth or employees in the home at the time and no one was injured.  With the Hack Estep facility destroyed, the Board of Directors were able to move the youth into the Diedrich 4-H campus in Rush while the rebuilding began.  In September of 1995, three new cottages that could house up to 72 youth were completed on the grounds of the old Hack Estep Home.

Many advances, changes, and growth have occurred through the years:

  • In 1997, Victory Hall, a multi-purpose building which is home to the Ramey-Estep High School, was completed on the Rush Campus.
  • In 1998, Ramey-Estep opened their first Foster Home to provide step-down services to the residential youth.
  • In 2000, Ramey-Estep collaborated with the Boyd County School System to open an alternative education program, Boyd County Central.  This program is in addition to our on-campus high school which is also administered through the Boyd County School System. 
  • In 2000, Ramey-Estep also began to focus on assisting the local area in preventing out-of-home placements.  Ramey-Estep operated six programs between 2000-2006 to achieve this goal:
    • Court Diversion Program
    • Boyd County Truancy Prevention
    • Greenup County Truancy Prevention
    • Family Preservation for the FIVCO area
    • Community Service Program
    • Title II Alternative to Secure Detention
  • In July of 2000, the Administration Building was completed on the Rush Campus. 
  • In July of 2000, the residential treatment program on the Rush campus expanded to include young ladies.
  • In October of 2003, with The Ramey Home in Ashland being in extensive need of repair, the youth from that home were moved to the Rush Campus into the newly constructed cottages. 
  • In April of 2005, the Ramey Center opened on the Rush Campus.  This facility houses the Dining Hall & Training Facility.  In addition to food services, the facility houses an area for Medical Services, a Training Lab, an Auditorium, a Barber Shop, a Laundry Room, and a Recreation Area.
  • In 2014, Ramey-Estep opened an Outpatient Behavioral Health Program, Re-group.  This program’s mission is to offer opportunities for healing and powerful change in order to restore families and encourage success for today’s youth.
  • In 2019, while the growth in our Re-group program continued, two additional offices for these outpatient services were opened in Grayson & Erlanger, Kentucky. 
  • In August of 2020, Ramey-Estep expanded residential programming to adult women with a specialization in Substance Use Disorder Treatment.
  • In September of 2022, Ramey-Estep expanded Residential Substance Use Disorder Treatment programming to include men.

While growth continues in many program areas at Ramey-Estep, the legacies that created a safe haven for children continue to drive our mission and practice in caring for our community and those in it.

Leadership & Board of Directors

Leadership & Board of Directors

Leadership Team

Ginny Anderson,
Chief Executive Officer

Tish Evans,
Chief Operating Officer

Kelli McCormick,
Chief Treatment Officer

Mandy Wheeler,
Chief Human Resources Officer

Jenna Hill,
Chief Compliance Officer

Natalie Erlenwein,
Chief Financial Officer

Board of Directors
Executive Committee

 

Sharon Haines,
President

Connie Johnson,
Vice President

Immediate Past President

Mark Baldock,
Treasurer

Barbara McClanahan,
Secretary

Board Members

 

Leif Clarke

Dr. Douglas Cole

Dr. Josh Gross

Howard Harrison

Jon Jarrell

Andrew Jones

Autumn McFann

Norma Meek

Brian Morrison

David Mussetter

Thomas W. Wright

Ramey-Estep is well established and known nationally. We are a proven success story.

Mission & Vision

Mission & Vision

Services for a better future

To provide opportunities for youth to become productive responsible adults.

Outpatient Services

A comprehensive outpatient therapy program specializing in substance abuse and behavioral health care. Re-group provides services in the environment most conducive to our clients’ needs.

Addiction Services

To offer hope and opportunities for healing and recovery in order for clients and families to reach their fullest potential.