Goal! UCC Ambassadors Score with Service Opportunities
September was a month of service for the Utah Cowgirl Collective Ambassadors. Serving in the community is important to each of the cowgirls and this last month we pulled on our Wranglers and stepped up to help.
Between fun at the Utah State Fair, teaching community members about the western lifestyle and helping children in need, take a look at all the great service opportunities the UCC Ambassadors have jumped on.
Utah State Fair: Barnyard & Special Friends Day
Whether it is trying fun fair foods, showing livestock or just exploring the many exhibits, the Utah State Fair holds many great memories for the UCC Ambassadors and this year we had the chance to help in many different ways.
Special Friends Day
The Utah State Fair is for everyone and on Wednesday, September 11, Madison and I had the chance to help a special segment of the Utah community enjoy the fair’s festivities. Special Friends day is a program that invites individuals with special care and health needs to explore the Utah State Fair and take part in all that the celebration offers.
Madison and I had the honor of welcoming these special guests to the park and providing them with wristbands for carnival rides and activities especially tailored to those with unique needs. There were lots of hugs, photo ops and smiling faces as we gave these special friends the VIP treatment.
Barnyard Friends
Helping at the state fair was a UCC team effort. On Friday, September 13 Paige, Bailey and Jaid volunteered their time at the Barnyard Friends exhibit inside the fair. Barnyard Friends is a fun and educational area where Utah community members and visitors can see different types of animals and learn about agriculture and animal husbandry.
What can be better than teaching children and their parents about animals? Getting to show off a cute pony while you do so! The UCC Ambassadors had a fantastic time sharing their knowledge and engaging with visitors.
Thank you to the Utah State Fair committee and volunteers who make this event possible. It was uplifting to see the joy that the fair brings to everyone!
Courage Reins Community Festival
On September 14, the UCC Ambassadors assisted with the Courage Reins Community Festival in Highland, Utah. Courage Reins is an equine therapy center that offers mental health aid, rehabilitation and special therapy with the help of horses.
Each year Courage Reins hosts a Community Festival where they invite community members to the facility for a fun day of carnival activities, pony rides and more. During this festival, Courage Reins raises money for their therapy and rehabilitation programs.
The UCC Ambassadors had our own special area where we oversaw dummy roping and stick horse barrel racing activities. Throughout the festival we taught kids about rodeo and Madison and her trusty horse, True, performed riding demonstrations where they taught the community spectators about basic horsemanship.
As part of the festival fun, we also oversaw a stick horse barrel racing tournament. The UCC Ambassadors coached participants on how to execute a flawless barrel pattern and then we judged the races until a winner was crowned.
We are grateful for the help that Courage Reins provides to those with special mental and physical challenges and glad we could help with their Community Festival!
Ethan’s Super Angels Soccer Tournament
After wrapping things up at the Courage Reins Community Festival, we slipped off our Justin boots and laced up our tennis shoes to support Steel Robinson at the annual Ethan’s Super Angels Soccer Tournament.
Ethan’s Super Angels is an organization that helps coordinate fundraisers and activities to support children battling cancer. This annual soccer tournament is held at the Real Salt Lake Practice Facility in Herriman, Utah and every entry and donation at the event goes to the special super angels and their family.
The tournament welcomed teams in all different age divisions and skill levels and yes, the UCC cowgirls did what any good cowboy does, we saddled up.
The ambassadors entered and competed in the adult casual division of the tournament. Bailey, the UCC’s secret soccer weapon, showed off her skills from playing in high school with her fellow cowgirls backing her up. We ended with a record of 2-2 but we felt like the biggest winners of the day because we were able to support a child as strong as Steel.
In between games, the cowgirls helped by running score cards from the 14 playing fields to the event coordinators table and helping direct teams to the correct field. After the games wrapped up we helped the committee gather up the portable nets and field markers.
The Ethan’s Super Angels committee are great examples of selfless service and we are grateful to them for letting us help and participate in this event. We are honored to support this event and proud to say we are Team Steel. #StrongLikeSteel
Shriners Walk for Love
On September 21, I had the chance to support an organization that is very near to my heart. Shriners Hospitals for Children is a leader in pediatric care that offers free and affordable medical treatment for children and I was pleased to assist with the annual Shriners Walk for Love at the Utah Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City.
For nearly a decade, I received personal medical treatment at Shriners Hospital in Salt Lake City and feel especially blessed to return and give back to this organization. On September 20, I returned to the hospital where I had many visits and helped put together and pass out packets to walk participants.
Then, on September 21, I made my way to the Utah Hogle Zoo where I helped cheer on attendees and volunteers as they made their walk on the wild side to support Shriners children. Each walk participant received a shirt with their registration and on walk day, a steady stream of bright blue flowed through the zoo, but mingled in the crowd were eye-catching spots of orange that signaled a Shriner’s patient was coming.
It was incredible to see the determination of these current and former patients as they completed the mile-long walk, many with specialized medical technologies from Shriners making it possible. I was honored to don my own orange shirt on walk day and many current Shriners kids would ask if I was a patient like them and with a proud smile on my face I would tell them I am.
I am grateful for the Shriners Children's Hospital and for the personal help I received there. Helping out with this event felt like a full-circle moment to be able to give back to an organization that gave so much to me. I’m proud to be a cowgirl and I’m proud to be a Shriners Children’s kid.
Once a Shriners kid, always a Shriners kid.
What’s Next?
In the coming months, many of our cowgirls are gearing up for fall roundups. Between school, helping out on family ranches and doing good in the community, the UCC Ambassadors will stay busy!
Checkout the UCC schedule and follow the Utah Cowgirl Collective on Instagram and Facebook to stay involved in our UCC journey.