Imus Ranch - History

History

Imus, who was raised on an Arizona ranch as a youngster, became interested in helping children stricken with cancer after he participated in a New York radio telethon in 1988, raising money for a charity assisting such children. After his marriage to Deirdre Coleman in 1994, the couple decided to build a western ranch where cancer-stricken children could regain their self-esteem, by engaging in authentic ranch work. Deirdre Imus said in an American Profile magazine interview: "After working with these kids, we noticed a common theme: they had cancer but they were like normal kids, except they lost their self-esteem. We found no one was actually restoring their self-esteem or dignity."

Initially, the Imuses used more than $1 million of their money to purchase 810 acres (3.3 km2) for the ranch in 1998. The ranch cost almost $25 million to construct, raised through a public foundation they established. The ranch now costs $1.8 million annually to operate.