At the end of 2011, I was pumped to bring on 2012 with getting my Pro Rodeo Card, hauling down the road with some friends, earning as much as possible on that first division horse I had always dreamt about. Hitting some rodeos, hauling to jackpots, having a busy busy year of competing, earning money for the charities. Barrel Horse News even had interest in doing a story after I had won the Kick Ass Cowgirls, Cowgirl In Need Contest in October, 2011. So, I made sure I had a photo with me in a hat, which I borrowed as the one I owned was over 20 years old!
Unfortunately, BHN never did the story, as the writer who was heading it up, left the magazine. She has since started her own online magazine called Barrel Racing21, and I am happy to say she did put my story in her magazine! There were plenty of articles through 2012-Equine Journal-Horse & Rider-Fast Horse Resource-Rodeo News (2 times, plus an article on one of my Rodeo Kids, Aaron Amon)-Cowgirls in Style-Barrel Racing Report, and even an appearance on Central PA Live and a newcast at the Venango County Fairgrounds during a barrel race. So, I feel I was able to spread the word and get some aware of Dreaming of Three/Team DO3 and our efforts through all the PR I managed.
I legged Sis up early. and was ready to go by the end of March. First run out, she bled. So that seemed to set the tone for the rest of my year on her. I would say I had about three months down trying to figure out the best plan to control her bleeding. In the meantime, my husband gave up his trail mare, in order for me to purchase a back up horse, Smoke. (which I have get to sync with and shut off the clock as I do with Sis!)
As you all know, because of this setback, is why Team DO3 came into my World. I never set out to have an organization, let alone a non-profit organization. However, as the year went on, with a Team of riders, it seemed together we could do more and more to help others in need. From our first big fund raising effort, the Colorado Wildfires, with a hay drive gathering over 600 bales of hay, filling a semi and sending out to those in need in Colorado and also a tshirt sale to send to a ranch that was damaged due to the fires.
We walked in the BIG Hookstown Memorial Day Parade!
We of course also had four Rodeo Kids in 2012-Amy LeClaire, Trenton Noll, Gabby Polizzi, and Aaron Amon.
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| Gabby |
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| Aaron |
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| Trenton |
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| Amy |
This program turned out to be so important to me, even more so than my competing. As, even though my plans of hitting rodeos with Sis crumbled, hitting rodeos to take these kids and their families turned out to be much more gratifying. It's amazing how for a big part of my life that is all that I had hoped for, to finally get a horse worthy of entering some rodeos, then, once I finally had one, and although I didn't get to many rodeos, that dream changed. Now, I'd much prefer hitting more rodeos with more families with children who are fighting or who have fought devestating diseases in order to give them a worry free evening of fun at a rodeo. Amy's Rodeo was in Denver, so I didn't compete of course. Trenton's Rodeo was in Harrisburg at the Bullmania which I was not qualified to run due to not competing over winter, Gabby's Rodeo, I competed, and Aaron's Rodeo the entry fee was a bit high for me to enter Sis who had only run one rodeo at that time. (I knew better than to throw $100 away, I preferred to use that money to give Aaron a better night at the rodeo). I have to say, I much preferred NOT competing while having a family with me. As with Gabby's rodeo, rushing around, trying to spend time with her and her family, was a bit intense, and I felt as though I didn't get to know them as well as the others. My kids and her bonded however fairly well.
The Team continued to grow throughout the year. I met so many wonderful people, so many sponsors who showed their support for the rodeo kids, for myself, for the Team, I am forever grateful.
Then, the end of August, the Northstar frenzy hit me and my family. Northstar, a horse I learned about through a friend who had intentially doused and lit on fire near Erie, PA. I wanted to do something different for him other than a tshirt sale. So, I thought I would gather a few items from the Steelers, from my boss Franco Harris, and put them up for silent auction. Little did I know, that my intended several items, would turn into about 200 items! Once I opened that door up, the donations kept rolling in. It seemed my life was overtaken by my buddy Northstar.
What I thought would have raised a couple hundred dollars, turned into over $7,000! This money was to help his vet bills. Through all the craziness, the ladies who also stepped up at the same time as DO3 to help Northstar, decided to form a non-profit organization, which is now Northstar Equine Foundation, Inc. We decided not only would we help Northstar, we would continue to help other horses and their owners who were victims of crimes such as this, or who needed help with vet care from catestrophic injuries.
In the process of the silent auction, the people who were following wanted tshirts. So, having a Team, I had asked another Team member, Sandra Whitcomb, who is an artist, to draw an image I had in my head regarding Northstar for our tshirt. She didn't hesitate, and quickly had me the art.
Once again, I never expected the response that we received from these shirts. We sold so many, that I had to ask Team DO3 members to come and help me pack them for shipping. Tycally, with the Wildfire shirts, then also the Oklahoma Drought shirts, I'd sell perhaps 100-150, with Northstar first round of shirts, we sold over 400!!! So, we had a little tshirt packing party!
It was a fun day to say the least! After all was said and done with the tshirts (3 Rounds), we raised over $8,000!
At the end of 2012, I learned from a sponsor, Heather at Island Cowgirl Jewelry of another person in need. A man named Mike Dodge who is the founder of H.O.R.S.E. rescue who was dying of lung cancer and whose dying wish was to have all his remaining horses safe. He made a promise to them all, and DO3 wanted to try to help him keep it. So, together as a Team, we decided upon a winter cap to sell to help.
Today, January 1 is the last day to order. I hope we are able to help Mike keep his Promise, even if just in a small way.
I had some flops as well throughout the year. I tried to order beach towels to sell for the hurricane equine victims (Hurricane Sandy). However, they turned out to be hand towels, not beach towels, due to the china man who thought we measured in cm. (not sure how a beach towel in his world is small enough for my 5# dog)
I thought I'd have a clinic, to help members better benefit the charities as well in 2013 with Sharon Camarillo. Perhaps it was a bad weekend, I do not know, as it was scheduled for Memorial Day weekend. However, I ended up only having one signed up come December. I know it's the winter months, and most aren't thinking about their competing yet, but with losing $300 for beach towels that turned into hand towels, thinking about having to be thousands to a clinician with only one signed up, was stressing me out. I had already spent so much money trying to make DO3 what it is now, I couldn't afford to lose several thousand more in the name of trying to raise more for the charities. Perhaps I pulled out to quickly, and should have given it more time to fill, but I didn't want to mess Sharon up either, as figure if I gave her several months to fill that weekend, she would be better off.
So, for 2013, I am hoping for more unexpected wonderful things to happen. I did not plan on the year that I had for 2012, but looking through photos for this post, thinking about all that I/we as a Team have accomplished, it turned out to be so much more amazing than I would have ever imagined!
I hope that all the Team members stay with DO3, and more continue to join in every discipline imaginable in the equine world. Together, we can certainly make a difference, one ride at a time!
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