Boo! The UCC Tackles Spooky Season Service
The season of ghosts and ghouls has come and gone, but the memories are here to stay! During the month of October the Utah Cowgirl Collective Ambassadors found “scary” good ways to serve.
Between helping with a special reverse trunk or treat, volunteering at a Southern Utah heritage festival and donating food to families in need, check out where the cowgirl’s Justin Boots are taking them so they can lend a hand.
Mascot Miracles Trunk or Treat
After having so much fun this spring helping with the Mascot Miracles Stick Horse Rodeo, the UCC Ambassadors jumped at the chance to support this organization and its heroes once again.
The annual Mascot Miracles Trunk or Treat is a reverse trunk or treat that allows children with unique needs to safely participate in this holiday tradition. Unlike a regular trunk or treat where the vehicles are stationary, the reverse trunk or treat is a parade of vehicles that brings the Halloween fun and goodies to the trick or treaters.
With pumpkins and hay bales donated by Rockin E Cross Country Store in Woods Cross, a western saddle and a few Halloween decorations, the UCC cowgirls put their creativity to work to decorate a truck in spook-tacular western fashion.
Then we lined up with other great businesses and organizations and paraded through crowds of princesses, super heroes, ninjas and zombies. The UCC cowgirls passed out candy to more than 600 Mascot Miracles families and children and we were greeted by enthusiastic smiles and appreciation.
Helping the Mascot Miracles children enjoy a holiday tradition was a bright spot in our Halloween season. We are grateful for the chance to support this organization and bring opportunities and joy to these special heroes.
Cedar City Livestock Heritage Festival
As cowgirls, we recognize the values and heritage that make the western lifestyle great. The Cedar City Livestock Heritage Festival is a special celebration that recognizes these important agriculture and western values and on October 25 - 26, several of the UCC cowgirls volunteered their time to help with special heritage celebrations.
This annual event is a salute to western heritage and invites the community to learn about and experience aspects of western culture. Activities include: horse and tractor pulls, stock dog trials, dutch oven cooking and cowboy poetry contests, ranch rodeos and the notable western heritage and sheep parade down Cedar City’s main street featuring tractors, sheep camps and a flock of local sheep.
Our UCC ambassadors excitedly took part in the festivities by volunteering at the Junior Ranch Rodeo on Friday where we helped time, announce and score the young ranchers who competed. After the kids’ competition concluded, we rolled up our sleeves and helped the committee get ready for the Saturday Ranch Rodeo by sorting and numbering cattle.
The next morning, we helped set-up for the ranch rodeo events by placing flags, taking entries, timing and helping post the team draws for each competition. Spectators flocked to the stands and milled around the heritage festival activities and the ambassadors were able to tell the crowd about the Utah Cowgirl Collective and what makes western heritage so important to us.
We are grateful for the committees and volunteers who welcomed the UCC ambassadors. Thank you for celebrating the western lifestyle and all those who live it.
Special Delivery: Livestock Purchase and Donation
During the Utah State Fair in September, the Utah Cowgirl Collective and Utah Days of ‘47 Rodeo attended the Junior Livestock Show Sale where children sell their animals to raise money for future goals. The UCC and Days of ‘47 wanted to purchase a couple of the show animals to support the young livestock showers and to donate the meat from those livestock purchases.
We bid on and purchased a pig that Ms. Delci Davis brought to the show. She received money that she can use for future livestock projects and the meat from her pig was donated to families in need.
Ms. Delci Davis and her show pig at the Utah State Fair in Salt Lake City
After the pig was processed, we made special deliveries to each of the families and to the new Teen Living Center in Layton Utah. The Teen Living Center is a facility that offers housing to unsheltered teens. The facility is equipped with private rooms, bathrooms, laundry and communal areas and a fully functioning kitchen.
As part of the Teen Center’s mission, the youth who stay there will learn valuable life skills including cooking their own meals. The pig that was donated will not only provide meals for these teens but will allow them to learn valuable life lessons.
It is so rewarding to support not only the young livestock show exhibitors like Delci, but also the families and Teen Facility. We are grateful for the support of our Trail Boss and UCC Director, Dee Dee Hill and of course the Utah Days of ‘47 Rodeo who made these purchases and donations possible.
Feeding Families
Helping feed families has been a major theme for the UCC Ambassadors. Along with donating meat to families in need, many of the UCC Ambassadors have also found time in their busy schedules to help out at their local Food Banks.
Madi and Bailey met up to help serve food at the Women’s Resource Center in Salt Lake City, Jaid helped out at the Utah Food Bank and Madi teamed up with Community Action Services and the Utah Valley University Pre-PA club in Provo to organize and sort canned goods for the coming holiday season.
Gearing up for the Golden Circle
With the spooky season behind, the UCC cowgirls are looking forward to the holidays with family and to the greatest ten days in rodeo: the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. The Utah Days of ‘47 Rodeo is a member of the Golden Circle of Champions that honors children battling cancer during a special Golden Circle Banquet during the NFR and the UCC Ambassadors are gearing up to help out.
Stay tuned to meet our brave Golden Circle representative and to see all our road trip adventures! Follow the Utah Cowgirl Collective on Instagram and Facebook to stay connected.