Strut your stuff on turkey day

When it comes to Thanksgiving Day, iconic imagery typically includes turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams and pumpkin pie. One way to work up a large appetite for such a large spread is to run a 5K.

Specifically the Ribbons of Hope Turkey Trot.

The Ribbons of Hope, which has given nearly $200,000 in grants to Carbon County residents fighting cancer, first began as an idea in 2012. According to Bank of Commerce President Copper France, who helped found RIbbons of Hope with other local business owners, the idea came about when talking about donation solicitations they received for statewide and regional cancer organizations.

“Certainly we were all more than happy to help because those are all good organizations. About that timeframe I had two employees that were going through cancer treatments,” said France, who now serves as RIbbons of Hope board president. “There was no assistance for those folks. What we came to realize is that everyone, at that point in time, had to travel at least 100 miles to get any kind of oncology services.”

Ribbons of Hope was modeled after a similar program in Sweetwater County, Cowboys Against Cancer which was founded in 1994. From the very beginning, the founders of Ribbons of Hope wanted the grant application process to be as simple as possible.

“We didn’t want it to be cumbersome to the person that’s fighting the fight. We made the application process very simple. To qualify, they have to be a Carbon County resident at least six months prior to application and they have to be formally diagnosed and battling cancer,” said France. “We just ask for a brief letter from their oncologist stating that they’re being treated for cancer. It doesn’t have to disclose any more than that. We set that grant amount each year. Right now it’s at $1,000.”

That money, said France, doesn’t have any strings attached. It can be used for anything that will help someone in their fight against cancer, whether that’s gas to travel to their oncology appointment, rent or any other financial needs.

“We don’t really care,” said France. “That’s not really our concern. Our concern is that it just eases that burden.”

Though the idea began in 2012, it wasn’t until a year-and-a-half later, in 2014, that the new organization was recognized as a 501(c)(3) by the Internal Revenue Service. Once that happened, however, it was off to the races.

The first 5K fundraiser was a color dash, which involves dousing runners in a different color after each kilometer completed.

“It was fun and we did that for several years,” said France. “Then, the novelty of that kind of wore off because there were other organizations in Carbon County that started doing color runs as well.”

Ribbons of Hope switched gears, changing from the color run to a different race which attracted a slightly different crowd.

“We tried the Fiesta 5K where we would serve margaritas along the route and then we partnered up with Mike’s Big City and they brought a taco bar,” said France. “One of the challenges with that one was we tried to hold it early in June before too much summer activity got kicked off. It seemed like every time we held it, it was cold and it just wasn’t warm enough.”

Then the pandemic stopped the world and Ribbons of Hope had to find alternatives for fundraising. Corporate sponsors, such as the Sinclair Oil Company (now HF Sinclair), combined with carryover funds from previous fundraisers allowed the non-profit organization to continue helping Carbon County residents fight cancer. As France put, “cancer didn’t stop.”

So far this year, Ribbons of Hope has given out $37,000 in grants showing a definite need for the organization. Previous fundraising efforts, however, have garnered only $26,000 meaning the demand for the grant money is outpacing the fundraising. After a two year hiatus, the organization decided it was time to resume their 5K runs.

“We’ve seen some success in some other communities where they do a turkey trot in the morning and then the families all get together and hang out in the afternoon,” said France. “That’s really the driver behind the turkey trot this year.”

While the Fiesta 5K had a taco bar and margaritas, France said the turkey trot won’t have cold turkey sandwiches or gravy boats involved with the run. What will happen this year is a smaller race for children and a survivors walk for Carbon County cancer survivors. Even though the organization is based in Rawlins, France stressed that Ribbons of Hope was intended to be a county-wide organization from the very beginning.

Of the 209 grant applications since 2014, a total of $191,435.79 has been awarded throughout the county. Rawlins received 57 percent of those grants, Saratoga received 27 percent, 11 percent were awarded to residents in Hanna, Elk Mountain and Medicine Bow, and 4 percent were awarded to LIttle Snake River Valley residents. None of this, France said, would be possible without their sponsors.

“Ribbons of Hope would not be possible if it weren’t for the generosity of the businesses in Carbon County,” said France. “If you take a step back and you really see how much businesses and individuals give, that’s when you really start to see and get Carbon County.”

The 5K Turkey Trot will begin at 9 a.m. on November 24 at Rawlins High School. For more information on the 5K Turkey Trot, or to apply for a grant to help with cancer treatment, visit http://www.ribbonsofhope.org.