What We Did
Early in the 21st century, a small town, Sheridan, in Northern Wyoming decides it must change how it cares for its elders and its frail. More retirees are arriving; more people with disabilities and frailties need home care. What might they do? In 2004, community leaders see a glimpse of what their town’s future could become. They watch a video that depicts the very first Green House Project model built for elders in Tupelo, Mississippi. Though the challenge of creating these new homes without outside institutional support is daunting, the community forms a task force and they proceed together to develop their vision. Just as they begin to raise the millions of dollars they will need for the project, the economic crisis hits and severely threatens what they might accomplish. Still, in spite of odds, they persist.
Homes on the Range “The New Pioneers” is a poignant two-hour documentary story about how Sheridan learns how to work together to fulfill a dream and achieve a common goal that will serve their community for generations. MPC’s Senior Editor/Writer/Producer, Beverly Baroff, who has edited, written, and produced all major MPC projects since our inception, has already pared cameraman Dale Bell’s 10-year digital material down from 80 hours to 4. Beverly will craft a feature length documentary film for theatrical release several months from now, before the film is broadcast nationally on PBS stations, with WYO PBS acting as our Presenting Station.
Producer and Director, Dale Bell, has a unique connection to the community and Green House Project in Sheridan. As a young man in 1955 and 1956, Dale rode the rails and hitchhiked across the country to work for two summers in Wyoming. He found a home in the Zane Grey country of Sheridan, working on ranches and many other projects. While there, Dale developed a love and respect for the people he met and worked with, and who took him in as he was bouncing around from job to job, trying to find a home. Sheridan had always held a special place in his heart, and when he returned in 2004 after finishing filming the revolutionary Green Houses in Tupelo, Mississippi, he knew instantly of a way he could give back to the community that had given him so much as a young man. Dale shared the short video of Tupelo with the community of Sheridan, challenging them to change the face of elder care. He then committed to document on film the process of “community building” so that their success could help motivate other communities to do the same…and the Homes on the Range project was born.
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