Burke Center photo

BURKE RALLY FAMILY FUN

Hello Everyone,

Well once again those folks at the Dripping Springs United Methodist Church set up another fabulous Burke Rally. August 16th marked the 2nd Annual Burke Rally. A wonderful time was had by all. It was definitely a family event. The day started with a Fun Run followed by great tastin' barbeque from Pok-e-Jo's (one of the sponsors). Great music was heard throughout the day. The musicians donated their time and talent and really kept the crowd entertained. All were all introduced by the one and only Dr. Ron White who did a great job as emcee of the event (along with his many other tasks). Those bands included: Brandon Raines, Fierce Reign, The Moon Howlers, Crossover, The Jim Halfpenny Band, and The Carport Casanovas. Today, I sing a song of praise for them (although I don't sound nearly as good as they) for sharing their extraordinary talent. There was an entire area dedicated to children's games. They enjoyed many booths which included face painting, ring toss, cotton candy, snow cones, moon walk, and a dunkin' booth. Watermelon eating contests happened throughout the day- some of which were very squarely won by several of our own boys from the Burke ranch. Many people teamed up for the Washer Tournament. Hilarious family photos were taken with family members all dressed as motorcycle people. This was actually quite funny because I saw photos of people who I know would absolutely never get on a motorcycle- and yet the photos looked so authentic. A large presence of the Dripping Springs United Methodist Church was noted. Of coarse, they were also the advertisers, planners, volunteer gatherers, and donors. Pastor David Skinner, lead pastor of the church, was even in the dunkin' booth. I think he actually hoped that people would hit the target so that he would have an excuse to cool off. Next year, I will be sure to bring more dollar bills to buy more throws, so that I can make sure that he gets to swim. The Burke boys took their task of judging the Classic Cars and Motorcycles very seriously. They chose winners in many categories. We can thank Dennis and Kathy Ingram for creating the hand- made, welded one-of-a-kind trophies that were given to the winners. Those trophies were so impressive that it made me want to go to get a classic car just so I might win one next year. Lisa Crowder made hand-made metal plaques to recognize the sponsors. At the Burke Center, we have one proudly displayed on the piano in the conference room. Many have asked how they can get one and I tell them that they just need to be a sponsor for next year's rally. Jody Strauss again designed the Burke Rally Logo for this years T-shirts and posters --luckily, I have an excuse for wearing my 1st annual and 2nd annual T-shirts almost all of the time.

Amidst all of the fun, the Burke Rally raised $19,000. I am so very proud. Every person who came out for the day contributed to the success of the event. Of coarse none of this would have happened without the dedication of the committee from which the idea was born. Three couples chaired the event: Rex and Lisa Crowder, Cody and Shelly Reeves, and Dr. Ron and Andrea White. Committee members were: Lee and Cyndi Bryant, Jack and Teresa Blakely, Dennis and Kathy Ingram, Chuck and Tracy Lemmond, and John and Jody Strauss. These folks know how to get things done. They created an awareness of our agency by the banner on 290, the 30 minutes on the radio, and the posters and cards left all over town. Please see the page showcasing the sponsors of this event. We are ever so thankful to those sponsors as well as the auction donors and all of the volunteers who helped make the day a success. At one point in the day, a young girl came to me and gave me $2 as a donation for the boys. Her mother explained that she had found it on the ground and rather than keep it --she wanted to donate. My first thought was "that's the result of a child exposed to positive role modeling". They watch everything we do from such an early age. Most of our boys have not had the benefit of being raised like this little girl. It is amazing to me that our staff can impact a genuine change in our boys in about one year. This is the stuff that hope and faith are made of....

Thanks for all that you do for our boys,

Karyn Rogers