Large turnout anticipated for annual St. Jude’s fundraiser
Some 200 hundred riders are expected for the annual St. Jude’s Ride for Life event to be held this weekend at the A.T. Smith Ranch, east of Butterfield.
September 8, 2021
Ezra DeVore
The 45th annual Ride for Life, a camping and horseback-riding event, will be held from September 17 - 19 at the A.T. Smith Ranch, just south of McDowell, on Farm Road 1142.
As a “Saddle up for St. Jude” event, the Ride raises money to donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Last year, the Ride raised over $18,000.
Although the ride is a fundraiser, that’s not the event’s only benefit. The scores of riders who annually attend enjoy the trip for the gorgeous scenery and the chance to relax. The beauty of the southwest Missouri Ozarks is on full display at the A.T. Smith Ranch, and people come from all over the four-state area to ride the trail, camp overnight, and enjoy the outdoors.
Dusty Long, who has not missed a Ride since he was six years old in 1991, said that, for him, “It’s super special.
“I know somebody directly that St. Jude’s has helped,” Long said, “a local young lady in the community, Blazi Lowe. She was a St. Jude’s kid, so we’ve known her family for several years. So it’s something we raise money for that we actually see the results of - and it doesn’t cost anything to their families when they get treatment. St. Jude’s is strictly paid for by donations, so when a kid gets sick, their parents don’t have to pay for it. They can focus on getting that kid healthy again. A lot of those types of non-profit organizations, their money ends up in somebody’s pocket, but this provides an actual service, this goes directly to them. As a parent, it would take away a lot if you have to worry about the bills when your child is sick.”
Long is now a part of the event’s planning committee and is devoted to keeping the tradition alive and well. According to Long, they expect around 200 people this year. The gates will open at noon on Friday, September 17, thus beginning the ride and the camping, which many families see as a yearly tradition. Friday night, the bake auction will begin at 6 p.m. Afterward, Riders can enjoy services provided by Shockwave Karaoke. Saturday morning, at 9 a.m., the 15-mile trail ride will begin its circular journey throughout the woodlands, leading back to the starting point. That night, the band Out for a Ride will entertain the Riders, and Sunday morning, cowboy church will begin at 9 a.m., followed by a shorter trail ride, leading into the awards ceremony.
To participate, a $10 donation, per person over the age of sixteen, is required, and the trail ride has a registration fee of $20.
To find further information about the Ride for Life, visit their Facebook page, Ride For Life, or contact Chris House at 417-847-7761, or Dusty Long at 417-342-1595.
Ezra DeVore
The 45th annual Ride for Life, a camping and horseback-riding event, will be held from September 17 - 19 at the A.T. Smith Ranch, just south of McDowell, on Farm Road 1142.
As a “Saddle up for St. Jude” event, the Ride raises money to donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Last year, the Ride raised over $18,000.
Although the ride is a fundraiser, that’s not the event’s only benefit. The scores of riders who annually attend enjoy the trip for the gorgeous scenery and the chance to relax. The beauty of the southwest Missouri Ozarks is on full display at the A.T. Smith Ranch, and people come from all over the four-state area to ride the trail, camp overnight, and enjoy the outdoors.
Dusty Long, who has not missed a Ride since he was six years old in 1991, said that, for him, “It’s super special.
“I know somebody directly that St. Jude’s has helped,” Long said, “a local young lady in the community, Blazi Lowe. She was a St. Jude’s kid, so we’ve known her family for several years. So it’s something we raise money for that we actually see the results of - and it doesn’t cost anything to their families when they get treatment. St. Jude’s is strictly paid for by donations, so when a kid gets sick, their parents don’t have to pay for it. They can focus on getting that kid healthy again. A lot of those types of non-profit organizations, their money ends up in somebody’s pocket, but this provides an actual service, this goes directly to them. As a parent, it would take away a lot if you have to worry about the bills when your child is sick.”
Long is now a part of the event’s planning committee and is devoted to keeping the tradition alive and well. According to Long, they expect around 200 people this year. The gates will open at noon on Friday, September 17, thus beginning the ride and the camping, which many families see as a yearly tradition. Friday night, the bake auction will begin at 6 p.m. Afterward, Riders can enjoy services provided by Shockwave Karaoke. Saturday morning, at 9 a.m., the 15-mile trail ride will begin its circular journey throughout the woodlands, leading back to the starting point. That night, the band Out for a Ride will entertain the Riders, and Sunday morning, cowboy church will begin at 9 a.m., followed by a shorter trail ride, leading into the awards ceremony.
To participate, a $10 donation, per person over the age of sixteen, is required, and the trail ride has a registration fee of $20.
To find further information about the Ride for Life, visit their Facebook page, Ride For Life, or contact Chris House at 417-847-7761, or Dusty Long at 417-342-1595.
