Strut Your Stuff-ing

“We thought, let’s try a Turkey Trot. Something on Thanksgiving Day to give thanks to the fact that we have the opportunity to help people and provide assistance to some folks.”

For the past 10 years, the Carbon County Cancer Fund—operating under Ribbons of Hope—has provided grants to county residents who are undergoing cancer treatments. Over the years, according to Treasurer Copper France, the county-wide organization has looked for different ways to help raise funds. Those fundraisers have changed over the past decade, from the color run to the Fiesta 5K and, finally, to the Turkey Trot.

This year, another change.

“Historically, we’ve just had the Turkey Trot in Rawlins. We’d start at the high school [and] we had a 5K route built out,” said France. “This year, we’re excited to announce that we actually have a group of folks in Saratoga who are also going to establish a route so people in the Valley have somewhere to go.”

Expanding into the Valley can only serve as proof that the Turkey Trot has gained in popularity, which is a benefit to the Carbon County Cancer Fund. If that wasn’t enough, one only needs to look at the increase in grant amounts from 2014 to 2024. According to France, the initial grants were $600 and were increased to $1,000 where they sat for several years.

“This last year, we increased our grants to $1,200 because we had enough money to do that,” said France.

Over the past 10 years, the Carbon County Cancer Fund has also found that there is a great need for their support throughout the county.

“Our first grants went out in 2014. In the last 10 years, we’ve given away 289 grants totalling $275,235.79,” said France. “So far, this year, we’ve given away 30 grants. We usually do five or six a month, so we anticipate we will end the year [giving out] around 40 or 45 grants.”

Of those grants, 160 have been given to cancer patients in Rawlins and Sinclair, 85 in the Platte Valley, 32 in the Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow area and 12 in the Little Snake River Valley.

“All of the businesses that were on the original founding committee were from Rawlins but everybody felt like this should not be a Rawlins thing, this should be a Carbon County thing,” said France. “The official name of our organization is the Carbon County Cancer Fund. The intent is to be a Carbon County deal. We have helped individuals from every municipality in the county.”

According to France, the concept of the Carbon County Cancer Fund began around 2011 or 2012. France, who is also the president and CEO of the Bank of Commerce, said he had a few employees who were battling cancer around that time.

“At the bank, we had always donated to the American Cancer Society, the Children’s Cancer Society [and] the Breast Cancer Society,” said France. “While these folks were going through those cancer treatments, there was no assistance available and they had to travel consistently for their radiation or chemo.”

France, along with some other business leaders in Rawlins, discussed their options and ultimately decided to form the Carbon County Cancer Fund. Rather than reinventing the wheel, they modeled the organization after the Cowboys Against Cancer organization in Sweetwater County. The idea, from the very beginning, was to fundraise for grants to help with travel or other needs while undergoing cancer treatment.

“That’s how it started and then the application process for getting a 501c when you’re dealing with the IRS is very laborious. It took us about a year to get that finalized. Once we did that, we didn’t do a whole lot the first couple years as far as fundraising. We were just trying to get our feet under us and figure out what we had,” said France. “We set it up where if somebody was battling cancer, people could donate and specifically give it to them and still use it as a tax write off through the 501©(3).”

From its humble beginnings, the Carbon County Cancer Fund is now able to make larger donations to cancer patients with help from donors and those who participate in the Turkey Trot. Last year, 220 people participated in the Thanksgiving Day 5K and the cancer fund raised $50,000. Nearly all of that goes right back into the grants awarded each year.

“We try to make the entry fees cover any expenses [of the 5K] which, really, aren’t much. We use those to pay for any expenses,” said France. “There are no employee expenses, everything is voluntary right down to the stamps and envelopes. Volunteers just buy stamps and envelopes.”

Those who have benefited from the grants given by the Carbon County Cancer Fund are grateful, said France. The fund routinely receives thank you notes which are shared with the committee. Others try to give back to the fund.

“We had one [person] from Encampment that we helped out and two years ago he went on a mission to raise a bunch of money himself for the organization and he showed up with an envelope of donations and cash,” said France.

That donation, said France, was close to $3,000.

France said while the Carbon County Cancer Fund appreciates the gratitude from those who have been helped, the real thanks goes to those who support the fund.

“Without their [businesses] support, we wouldn’t be able to help these folks out,” said France. “We’re just the vehicle, they’re the real means behind this.”

The Ribbons of Hope Turkey Trot will take place on November 28 with registration beginning at 7:30 a.m., a Lil’ Turkey 200 meter sprint and survivor lap will be held at 8:45 a.m and the 5K will begin at 9 a.m. In Rawlins, the Turkey Trot will begin at the Rawlins High School and in Saratoga it will begin at the Saratoga Hot Pools.

Grants Given by Community

Rawlins/Sinclair: 160

Platte Valley: 85

Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow: 32

Little Snake River Valley: 12