Our Founder

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'In 1974 disaster struck our family with the nervous breakdown of our beautiful 18 year old daughter, Pamela. I resigned from my job and for three years tied to help her as a companion while she stumbled through daily living. I soon realized that a parent cannot supply the need for youthful companionship and a fulfilling life for our disabled loved ones. I went back to university, and took a degree in Social Work at age 50. I was therefore able to research the best advice from the leading experts in the world on the College staff, the Latham Foundation in the U.S.A., L'Arche in Franch, all supplied models of group living on a farm caring for animals and farm produce. Since many ex-mental patients cannot concentrate for more than a paragraph in reading, and television confuses them, they are happier in a quiet country atmosphere where even the lowest functioning can gather the chicken's eggs. Others can spin and weave the wool from the sheep, and make placemats, scarves, etc. under supervision.

I wrote to over 40 hospitals and received their statistics on the number of clients they could send to us. The need was enormous as there were very few homes in Canada at that time, and most of them made the clients leave from 8 am - 4 pm daily. The clients sat on curbstones or in coffee houses all day as a result. There were no homes for psychiatric patients with in-house programs, so Peace Ranch was first.

The politicians all backed our request for funding, although the final decision rested with the civil service. We won that group's sympathy too, and with the lobbying support of the Friends of Schizophrenics (S.S.O.), the Brampton Chapter was awarded the funding for Peace Ranch in 1987. Our first clients came from the back wards of the psychiatric hospitals, and were considered hopeless at that time. Today many of them are living in the communities of their birth, and some still attend the Day Programs at Peace Ranch. It took one-third of my life to realize this dream, but is was well worth it.'

Diana Fishleigh-Eaton, M.S.W.

February 15, 2007

Mrs. Diana Eaton

Our Beginnings

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Peace Ranch began as a Group Home in 1990 providing a home for 10 people in a rural setting. Mrs. Diana Eaton and concerned families from the Brampton Chapter of Friends of Schizophrenics began this vital program. It took many years of dedication to turn Peace Ranch into a reality.

Ministry of Health provides our funding. We are a charitable organization (#12680 6710 RR 0001) and appreciate donations from supporters.

A mother's love & determination created Peace Ranch

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This site designed by Tony DeLiberato