Imagine a fundraiser that also doubles as a road trip! Have travel + raise funds is the name of the game for the Buffalo Run Adventure Challenge which sounds like a whole lot of fun.
Started by 2 friends (Cody Cox and Steve Schooley) looking to do something fun, the event takes participants from Buffalo, TX to the Grand Canyon, AZ. It started out as a fun event but after months of planning and lots of interest they decided to do it for a cause.
The cause they chose was Camp Able which will receive all proceeds raised from the event!
The Buffalo Run has turned into an event that has over 20 teams and 1,000 people taking part and kicks off on June 4, 2021! You can follow all the fun on their Facebook page or Instagram.
The Buffalo Run Adventure Challenge Details
The event starts with your team registering and finding a car to run cross country with. Make it to the Grand Canyon and back in the best time with your beater car and your team can be the winner!
But, the trick is the car cannot cost more than $500! I took a peek at the FB page and the cars are AWESOME – the creativity is amazing.
While each team is on the road there will be a bunch of fun activities to do along the way including:
- Take a picture or video with your team and car at the famous corner sung by the Eagles in Winslow, AZ
- Fire off some aerial fireworks with a stranger and be sure to take a video
- Take a ride on a stick horse in Gallup, NM and video it
- Find some road-kill and take a photo or video of your team performing a funeral and burial
- Obtain a donation from someone in another state for Camp Able
- Grab 5 Allsup’s Burrito or Chimichanga wrappers and hand those in at the finish line
- Take a photo at the TeePees Wigwam Motel
- Visit Billy the Kid’s grave and grab a picture
- Take a video or photo of your team at the South Rim Visitor’s center point of turnaround
- There will also be one random bonus challenge that each team will pull out of a hat at the start of the event.
Some of the teams taking part include:
- Jive Turkeys
- Twin it to Win It
- Golden Boys
- Mapquest Marauders
- The Merc
- Beemer Boyz
- Bad Decisions
The real fun for me with this event is the uniqueness of the cars that are participating! Check out the video with some of the cars that will be competing:
https://www.facebook.com/Maverick5081/videos/10224561417078575
The Facebook group is active and what an incredible show of teamwork and camaraderie in helping the nonprofit! The participants are just having a ton of fun in there. I kind of wish I was in TX so I can take part!
Each team can get sponsors and support and you can see some of the cars have a ton of stickers or sponsor names written right on them. So cool!
The Prizes
The team that returns first will receive a piston trophy!
The next 4 teams to return will receive a a belt buckle, after all it is a TX event!
Raising Funds
So, how exactly is the Buffalo Run raising funds for Camp Able you ask?
- Sponsorships which range from $500 – $7,500 or you can work with them on a custom sponsorship
- $300 entry fee – with $200 going to Camp Able and $100 to the winners pot
- Donations – you can donate via the Buffalo Run and all donations go to Camp Able
Become A Sponsor
If you are a business or person who wants to get involved and become a sponsor – then head on over the the website and let them know!
Some of their current sponsors include Lone Star Dry Goods, Sugar’s Smokehouse, 4E Custom Exteriors and Bucketheads.
Below is a sample of just one of the cars that will be hitting the road for the event! Pretty cool right?
About Camp Able Equine Therapy & Horse Rescue
Located in Buffalo Gap, TX – Camp Able is a nonprofit organization established in 2014 that offers equine therapy to people with special needs. It is also a horse rescue offering unwanted or neglected horses a place to stay with love and care and the ability to be adopted into a home.
Equine Therapy
The equine therapy helps those with special needs improve their levels of confidence and ability to be self-sufficient. Camp Able has a mission to create healthy and independent living through a skills based training and horse therapy program.
Part of their therapy includes landscaped riding trails to provide riders what is considered a real Texas style riding experience. These trails feature sensory stations along the way for children so they can have a more educational experience. A fenced riding area is also available for those with more severe needs and may not be able to handle a trail ride.
About two-thirds of the participants are children with the rest being military veterans. Some of the special needs they work with includes Down Syndrome, autism, Cerebral Palsy, post-traumatic stress disorder and more.
The camp has over 83 acres of farmland and has plans to build a new covered riding arena (which they plan to use money raised from the Buffalo Run for) and add grazing pastures in the future.
Horse Sanctuary
Being one of only 13 horse sanctuaries in the state of Texas, there is definitely a need for Camp Able to help the unwanted and abandoned horses. Once horses arrive they are tested for the ability to be used for therapeutic riding and if they cannot be they will either be adopted into a home or cared for at the camp for the remainder of their lives.
Over half of the horses at Camp Able are used for the riding therapy.
If you are interested in helping them continue the work they do, you can make a donation here.
They are also always looking for volunteers so if you want to love on some horses and cannot have one of your own – reach out to day and get started!
While planning an event of this magnitude may seem overwhelming, the rewards can be so well worth it. From the sense of community to the amount raised, it can pay off for a nonprofit to take the chance! But you can also run something like this on a much smaller scale.
- Prepare a local scavenger hunt with businesses in your community.
- Ask participants to dress up – or do a “theme” for the hunt
- Have a starting point and turn it into an after hunt even featuring activities and vendors
- Prizes from businesses can be donated
- Entry fee from participants can be split for donations and grand prize
Thank outside the box and be creative – but most importantly, make it fun!
Have you run something similar? Please share your inspiring fundraiser!
