WOODFORD COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Versailles cattle farmer Greg Dotson wanted to close out 2020 on a positive note, so he did. "I thought, what do I have that I could raise some money with and do some good?" said Dotson.
He didn't have to look far. The answer was on his Woodford County farm. Dotson decided to sell five-dollar raffle tickets for a chance to win a quarter beef. He says all the money would go to the winner's charity of choice.
"I was originally thinking if I could get $800 to $1,000, it would be pretty neat to gather up over a week's period."
His idea took off like cattle coming for feeding time, saying, "The first person sent $50, and after that, the flood gates opened up."
Dotson announced the winners on Facebook live, announcing Dale and Kelly Brown of Stamping Ground. Their charity of choice? Cowboy Up for a Cure, run by Rebecca Shryock of Versailles after her son, Drew, was diagnosed with t-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2012. He underwent 39 months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. At fourteen years old, he is doing great now.
Shryock was beside herself when Dotson handed her the $10,000 check. Her organization focuses on pediatric cancer. It helps parents with expenses when their children have extended hospital stays.
She says the pandemic canceled the group's largest fundraiser in 2020, and the rodeo is canceled for next year, too. "In the past, it generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for the UK Pediatric Oncology Clinic," said Shryock.
Dotson is already planning to do another raffle next Christmas. The Browns who won the raffle also donated their quarter of beef.
