In honor of Martin Luther King Day, NEXT Steps, a youth entrepreneur program, held a MLK day community cleanup and BBQ fundraiser at the Smith Family Ranch in Stockbridge.  

The Smith Family Ranch is a family-owned and operated entity. Centrally located in the city of Stockbridge, it’s home to a variety of furry friends that wait in excitement to be treated by the new visitors. The ranch also serves as the grounds for community events and gatherings where they are thrilled to share all the wonders mother nature has to offer. 

At their first community cleanup event at the Smith Family Ranch, Dana Jewel Harris, executive director of Next Steps Youth Entrepreneur program, said one of her mentees brought her to the ranch because she helps farmers and new beginning ranchers design their spaces and turn them into agritourism states.  

“This ranch is 42 acres, and I will be developing a supply chain management system as well, but it’ll be rooted in education and training. With agritourism, it involves education but also involves hospitality, tourism, outdoor recreation, and entertainment,” Harris said. “So, we’ve done Easter egg hunts where we get about 400 people here. We did a jazz festival last October, where we had 150 people here, so this place lends for a lot of community outreach and engagement, but it’s also an outdoor venue.” 

At the community cleanup, Harris said they are starting the beautification process. 

The entire area of the ranch is going to be beautified over the course of the year. We have petting farms, so we have a lot of field trips and we do birthday parties and family reunions,” she said. “People get to feed the animals as part of the experience, we have a seven-mile walking…