Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By: Donnamy Steele

The Covington County Child Advocacy Center is holding the 3rd Annual Cowboys for Kids Rodeo fundraiser during the first weekend of October.

Kellye Rodgers, Family and Victim Advocate, said this is the center’s biggest fundraiser and it has grown tremendously over the years.

“All of the proceeds that we make at the gate and with the concessions stands will go to the Child Advocacy Center,” Rodgers said. “We’ll have money raised from the kid zone and everything we make will go to the center. It’s the biggest fundraiser the center has and it’s a lot of fun for the family.”

The rodeo is a sanctioned rodeo by the Professional Cowboy Association. There will be various events for families to enjoy throughout the weekend. It will be on October 2 and 3.

There will be eight rodeo events each night, including bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, calf roping, breakaway roping, barrel racing, team roping, and bull riding. They are also going to have professional entertainment from The Rawhide and Dusty Show, which will be bringing longhorns in during the show. There will also be a kid zone set up with inflatables.

The event will take place at the Hilltop Meat Company Restaurant and Arena, which Rodgers owns with her husband Kevin.

“I haven’t been working here for longer than a year, but three years ago we had the opportunity to host a rodeo and we decided that if we wanted to do it, it would be a fundraiser,” Rodgers said. “We have a love for kids and we called Walt Merrell about the center and told him we wanted to do it all, and so we joined and it has grown over the past three years to a big event. It’s just a lot of fun and a lot of work, but we have seen such a reward.”

The CAC looks to raise the bar high for donations at this year’s fundraiser to provide extra financial support for new programs. Sponsorships and vendor spaces are still available for this event. Call the CAC for more information, or email cowboysforkidsrodeo@yahoo.com.

The CAC offers counseling for children, forensic interviews and play therapy.

“We try to help overall rather than just help with their emotional needs,” Rodgers said. “We want to help with physical needs also, so we want to raise money to help in that area as well.”

To enter the rodeo, or for more information, visit the pcarodeo.com website.

To enter the Mutton Bustin, which is an event where young cowboys and cowgirls get to ride sheep with protective gear, call 334-222-1881 on Sept. 25, between 8:30 a.m., until – noon. Entries are limited and protective gear is provided.

You can follow the Child Advocacy on Facebook for updated information.