Making a Difference, One Ride At A Time

Making a Difference, One Rodeo, One Child at a Time!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Operation Colorado Wildfire Aid

This week has been a bit of a whirlwind!  We returned from visiting my sister on Tuesday.  Wednesday I returned to my office and back to the grind.  Because I hadn't been on Facebook that often while away, nor watching the news, I was sort of out of the loop on the extreme devestation happening out West.  However, once I popped back on Facebook I started seeing the images!  They horrified me!  Especially the images of horses walking along the streets as people herded them away from the fires.  I saw posts and news articles about the extreme need of help out there for all of these equine victims. 
Highway 87 outside Roundup, MT - Photo taken by Dahl Higgins


Within me, I knew I had to try to help!  Dreaming of Three HAD to help!  TEAM DO3 had to help!  I couldn't even imagine my Sis or my kids ponies being one of these animals trying to get to safety from those fires!  My first thought was to create a T-shirt to sell!  So, of course, I called my buddy at Dog Pound Printing, Rick, and asked "How quick can you get me a shirt made?"  He was ready to jump on it, and even teamed up with me to get these shirts cheaper so that we'd have more money to donate from the profits!  My head spinned all night, as I searched around trying to figure out exactly what I'd want on the shirts.  I finally came up with an image, shot it to Rick, he put it all together, and they turned out exactly how I wanted them!!! 


I contacted one of the facilities out in Colorado Springs-Norris Penrose Event Center, and got all the information I needed in order to make a contribution in the form of funds!  As that is the number one thing they needed, was money!  Second thing they needed--HAY!

So, I thought about it a bit.posted that I wanted to figure a way to get some hay donations to them--  then seemingly in sync, a Team DO3 member, Kylie Wells sent me a note telling me that she would be willing to drive out there, if we could find a trailer and get some sponsored money for fuel.  So, I went to work.  Trying to figure out how to do this.  Trying to find a trailer to borrow, a location for drop off, etc.  However, there seemed to be some snags with just taking a flatbed trailer with a load of hay across states lines-weight issues, agriculture-all kinda of things I had no clue about!  I went to my good friend, Karrin, at Forever Safe Farms, who owns a trucking company, RF Campf Transport.  Within moments of telling her our plan, she was on board to donate one of her van trailer trucks to take the load out to Colorado!

All seemed to be falling in place!  We got the truck now-check!  We got the donation spot, which will be this weekend at Simmons Equestrian Center, in Negley Ohio at their Firecracker Classic-check.  Now all we need are tons of people donating 2-3 bales of hay each to fill this semi!  We figure about 500-700 bales, depending on size of bales and how well we stack it!     

When I left my office today, we had raised over $200 from the t-shirt sales, people donated $125 for fuel costs, and since I've returned home, I've received at least 9 more orders and several more donations for fuel!!!  It truly is amazing that when people work together to accompolish something we can make such an large impact!

I am so proud to say that Dreaming of Three and TEAM DO3 didn't hesitate to spring into action when such a National crisis was happening!  Together, with other people and companies we joined hands and figured out a way to make things happen!  We didn't sit back watching, we acted.  We were able to make an avenue for others to help out as well.   As sometimes that is all that it takes to get a community together as a whole, to help others in need-is the avenue to do so. 

Thank you to everybody that has made it possible!  Please check Dreaming of Three's Facebook page for daily updates on the success of our mission in "Operation Colorado Wildfire Aid".  We will also have some news and press coverage of all this over the next few days and through the weekends as well. Keep an eye out for us!!! 

1 comment:

  1. Could you please include Montana in your efforts and give credit to the photographer and correctly caption the picture you are using as your poster picture for this effort? I really appreciate what you are doing, but that photograph was taken by Dahl Higgins of one of the fires outside Roundup, MONTANA, NOT anywhere in Colorado. New Mexico was hit hard with fires earlier. I don't know how their situation is right now. Montana is also having a very bad, early fire season. The fires outside Roundup- the photo you are using destroyed more than 30 homes and injured and destroyed livestock. I have not heard of estimated livestock loss at this time. This little community was devastated by a terrible flood last year. The Roundup fires are only 2 of several burning in Montana. If you can't include Montana, please, at least correctly caption the picture of the horses going down the road so people are aware that Montana people are struggling, too. Thanks for your care for others! -Anne Troop, Montana Horse Trailers

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