Helping Kids Reach New Heights

The trail ride will be followed by a smoked pork dinner, with side dishes courtesy of Reser’s Fine Foods, door prize drawings, a silent auction and a spirited live auction featuring items including (but not limited to) spurs with hand-tooled spur straps; tooled-leather boot jack; Amish made head-stalls and breast collars; Professional Choice saddle pad; Classic Equine saddle pad; western art; 3D Purse; Ariat, Tony Lama, Justin, Muck and Old West boots; Wild Rags by Laurie; Wall Jackets; Carpenter Farm Supply saddle racks;  Kansas Horse Council liability sign & membership; an autographed Trevor Brazil poster and tee shirt; and a spot for two riders on the Purina/Better Horses Network Fall Dream Ride in the Flint Hills!  Be sure to come ride with us this year as this fundraiser will go to an every other year format and will be held next in 2013.

Riders are welcome to spend the week-end at Eisenhower State Park and come to a pre-ride dinner and concert.  A hamburger and hot dog dinner will be held Saturday evening, Sept 3rd at 6 pm at Ike’s Shelter House (while supplies last), followed by a concert by Rusty Rierson and August Marie Ponte.  Free will donations will be accepted.  Please bring your own lawn chair.       

The featured guest of this ride is Robin Stoddard, founder of Wright Flight, Inc. (www.WrightFlight.org).  This program is celebrating its 25^th Anniversary this year.  Wright Flight, Inc. is named after the Wright brothers. Its mission is to use the inherent motivational power of aviation as a stimulus for students to set and achieve higher goals in their educational and personal development. We teach students, grades 6-12, that through commitment and hard work they can achieve the highest goals, including the opportunity to pilot a light aircraft.

Wright Flight, Inc. stresses the importance of education by requiring each student to sign a contract before beginning the program. This contract requires the students to set an individual self improvement goal, in addition to staying in school, off drugs, and out of gangs. If this requirement is not met, even though the student passes the Wright Flight "History of Flight" test, the child is not allowed to participate in the graduation.  Once that requirement is met, then the student may experience the graduation thrill of a hands-on flight in a small aircraft as a co-pilot.

The goal for this trail ride is to help raise money to offset the fuel costs accumulated by the pilots volunteering their aircraft, time and money for these flights.  Each year, volunteer pilots fly between 125 and 150 students from participating schools.  100% of all donations raised at the event go directly to the Kansas/Missouri Wright Flight Chapter.  This event is sponsored by Heritage Tractor, Eisenhower State Park, Better Horses Network, Purina, Reser’s Fine Foods, Foodcomm International, Fairview Mills/J6Enterprises, TFM Communications, Redi-Refrigeration, McDonalds of Lawrence, Frito-Lay and Roy Frey Western.  Additional support from individuals and corporations would be greatly appreciated and welcomed. 

The Wright Flight Program is a non-profit organization. Dewayne Burgess, a retired Air Force fighter pilot, and owner of Roy Frey Western in Topeka, KS, founded the original Kansas Chapter in 1992.  He later encouraged friends in Missouri to establish a chapter and currently serves as President of the recently combined Kansas/Missouri Chapter.

Registration at the Day Camp Parking Area, Eisenhower State Park begins at 9:00 am on Sunday, September 4, 2011.  Donuts will be provided by Redi-Refrigeration and orange juice by McDonald’s of Lawrence.  Cindy Branham will give a trail riding safety talk prior to the start of the ride.  Ride is from 11 am to 1 pm and will be divided into three groups.  Dinner and silent and live auction is immediately following the ride.  Cost is $35 for ride and dinner; $15 for dinner and auction.  New this year is a “Family Pricing Special” - $35 for the first two members, $10 apiece for each additional member.  (Family of 5 would pay $100).  Must be living in the same household to qualify.  Ride is limited to first 100 riders.  Camping reservations can be made through Eisenhower State Park at 785-528-4102.  This event will be held rain or shine. 

For more information or to register for the trail ride, contact Dewayne or Jo Turner Burgess at 785-232-0579 (info@royfreywestern.com) or Bob and Brandi Lewis at 785-256-4404 (trailhorses@hotmail.com attn: WFTR).  Registrations will also be taken the morning of the ride.  Come ride with us.