From Staff Reports
Carolyn Cravens of Poplar Bluff collected $2,525 from family and friends to earn first place and pick of the prizes offered at the 29th Annual Trail Ride to benefit Haven House. Right on her heels were Susan Lawson with $2,368 in pledges and Miranda Hall, whose donations totaled $1,900.
Cravens was all smiles as she accepted the $1,000 gift certificate from Gray Farm and Feed as her prize. Lawson walked away with a beautiful saddle from J&L Tack and Hall was delighted with her white and chocolate diamond ring from Gift Chest Jewelers. However, the biggest winner of them all was Haven House, the local battered women's shelter, which netted $19,600 at its annual fundraising event. "It was so hot, and there were so many other events being held at the same time that I was worried we might not have a big day. On the way to Ted and Cindy's (Evans, the hosts of the event) I spotted a truck and horse trailer just ahead of me and thought, "well at least someone is coming. " And they did. We had lots of riders and lots of fun," said Mary Ann Allen, the non-profit's executive director. Board member Maryrose Stricker presented Allen a commemorative plaque honoring her 30 years of exemplary directorship and dedication. The plaque was presented on behalf of the board of directors,
Iron Mountain Station entertained the crowd with bluegrass music while they enjoyed a barbecue lunch provided by long time board member Jerry Hillis and his wife, and Rhonda. Before saddling up for their guided rides in the Mark Twain National Forest, riders enjoyed a continental breakfast courtesy of the Donut House and were presented commemorative T-shirts. Stricker was instrumental in the launching of the trail ride tradition. She joined a group who called themselves the Cardiac Cowboys and met weekly to ride on different trails in the area. As she told them about her involvement in the new shelter open to women and children who had been left homeless due to domestic violence, they immediately devised a plan to help. It was 1988 when the first riders asked for pledges and took off through the woods to raise money for families in crisis. Stricker has continued her support of the mission of Haven House. She currently serves as the board's vice president and trail ride chairperson. One responsibility is the selection of the t-shirt design. "This is really a fun part of the job. Everyone looks forward to seeing the new design and many riders tell us they have a great collection of them and which ones were their favorites. It reminds us of how blessed we are to have such good friends, who return year after year and encourage others to get involved." Nancy Berry of Poplar Bluff purchased the winning chance on the much sought after Yeti cooler, and several registered riders won door prizes donated by local businesses. The cooler raffle was sponsored by Fish N Pig, Dr. Donna Almond and First Midwest Bank. New signs for the ride were donated by 4M Signs."It takes a lot of volunteers working behind the scenes to pull off a successful event. We want to publicly thank Don Yarbrough and Taylor McLane who readily agreed to serve as trailbosses. They made sure the trails were clear and led their rides safely through the National Forest," added Stricker, "and we will never forget the generosity of the Evans family who host the annual event. We know they do a lot to prepare for us and are so welcoming as we converge on them." Proceeds from the Trail ride are used to provide basic needs at the shelter, which houses an average of 24 women and children nightly. The shelter accepts families from anywhere who are in need, but the vast majority of those served come from Butler and the surrounding counties of Wayne, Carter, Ripley and Stoddard.Major sponsors of this year's fundraiser were the Missouri Foundation for Health, Minton Environmental Consultants, Modern Woodmen of America and Whitworth's Gift Chest Jewelers.