Our Founders

In 1972, Verne Teyler was a full-time bank officer who, along with his wife Judy, was busy raising three active children in the quiet suburbs of San Ramon, California.  One day a knock rattled their front door and resounded throughout their house, changing the course of their lives forever.

There he stood with long stringy black hair, a black leather jacket, and dirty clothes.  “I heard you might help me.”  He then explained that his name was Larry, he was sixteen, and he had been living in a tree house.  After discovering that life in a tree wasn’t as great as he’d imagined, Larry decided it was time to get serious and try to graduate high school.  Taking Larry into their home would turn out to be the first of literally thousands of children Verne and Judy Teyler have foster parented.

Out of the joy of caring for needy kids grew the vision for a ranch dedicated to caring for foster children.  Some time after caring for Larry, the Teylers located what was once a beautiful ranch in Crow Canyon, but had come to be a dilapidated commune for young people that had given up on normal societal living.  The property had been handed down from the original owner and finally ended up in the hands of descendents who cared little for what they had inherited.  The historic items the family had gathered to make it a kind of Hearst Castle, now lay in ruins.  The main 19th century home sat alone with warped floors and spray-painted walls.  But in the eyes of the Teylers, this picture of ruin was a vision of hope. 

After tremendous energy was poured in, the 90 acre ranch was transformed into a place of renewed beauty, and the foster kids began to trickle in.  That trickle turned into a downpour in 1985 when the ranch became Rancho Hosanna, home of Hosanna Boys’ Ranch, an emergency foster care shelter.  Verne left the banking industry and gave himself full-time to God’s call.  As the years went by, and having cared for countless boys, the Teylers became convinced that they were only making a dent in the lives of the thousands of girls and boys in the Bay Area who needed a loving home.  After a tremendous amount of research, planning, and hard work, Hosanna Homes, a foster home finding agency, was born late in 1989 to help meet that need.  With Verne Teyler serving as Executive Director, Hosanna Homes has since then certified hundreds of Christian parents to join in the unique ministry of welcoming children into their homes.  With the expansion of a girls’ ranch dedicated to providing care, and two houses in the building process, the potential for reaching thousands more children in the years to come is a dream that is emerging as reality. 

To hear more of the incredible stories from the album of Verne and Judy’s foster parenting memories, call 1-800-DEARKID or e-mail info@hosannahomes.org for your free copy of Judy’s booklet Reflections of a Foster Mom.

 

Stories