The Adult & Teen Challenge annual Ball Drop will be held today at noon at Faith Home Ranch, 6643 Faith Home Road, in Ceres.

The ball drop serves as the organization’s primary fundraising event. Personal golf balls can be purchased for $25 each. All the golf balls are then loaded into a helicopter and dropped from high above a target. The 13 balls that are closest to the large will win a prize — 10 $100 Amazon gift cards, two $500 gift cards and one $1,000 gift card will be awarded.

Balls can be purchased at today’s event.

Free tacos and free Starbucks coffee will be available for those in attendance. 

The helicopter will land at approximately 12:30 p.m. and then drop the balls at 12:45.

Adult & Teen Challenge is a faith-faith-based program that helps males overcome addictions of all kinds. It’s a year-long program that has a 70 percent success rate, according to Brad Hansen, a volunteer with the ATC program.

“Nationally, those that finish the year-long program, 70 percent never return to their addictions. They also get a job within the first year,” said Hansen. “If they do leave the program before the end of the year, they have start over. But very few do walk. And then they’re new people. It’s amazing.”

Adult & Teen Challenge offers various services through its Strong Hands program, from helping people move furniture to yard work to painting.

“This program is really the best kept secret in this community,” said Lance Amarante, who was in the program from February 2017 to February 2018 and now serves as the ranch/enterprise supervisor for the 35-acre facility. “God kept me here after I completed the program. And when you have a purpose in God’s will, it’s a lot different than just collecting a paycheck.”

ATC charges $18 per hour, per man (two-man minimum) for most jobs.