The Pendleton Round-Up is not just a rodeo, it’s also a major fundraising event and the time some local businesses make half of their revenue for the entire year.
In fact, the Round-Up has an economic impact of about $50 million annually every September.
So, when the rodeo couldn’t be held in 2020, Happy Canyon President Tanner Hawkins and Pendleton Round-Up President Randy Bracher knew something had to be done. In Hawkins’ words, they surrounded themselves with people smarter than themselves, put together a committee, and the Let ‘Er Buck Cares Fund was born.
“It was just on notepads, how we were going to support the community, how we are going to break down the tiers,” Bracher said.
The rodeo gave fans the option to roll their 2020 tickets into 2021 or take the value and donate it to the newly formed fund. They also partnered with Pendleton Whiskey, who donated $1 for every person that used #LetErBuckChallenge on social media. Pendleton Whiskey ended up donating $150,000 and the fund was able to raise close to $1 million overall.
“Very proud of our community, very proud of our volunteers, our ticketholders, our sponsors,” Bracher said. “There were so many community members that stepped up, I’m just so thankful.”
This #PositiveTimesMoment was brought to you by American Hat Co.