By Uniqua Williams
The Michelle Lynn Holsey Foundation is hosting their 12th annual Cutting Horse Competition Oct. 3 through 7 and a dinner, auction, and concert on Oct. 6 at the Brazos County Expo Complex.
Lee Holsey, president of the Michelle Lynn Holsey Foundation, started the foundation after losing his wife, Michelle, to cancer in 2006. Holsey says she had a giving spirit and always wanted to help others. Even while battling cancer herself, his wife was always trying to find ways to help the people they would meet who were struggling in the same ways she was. Her selfless heart and desire to give to others is what sparked the idea to begin the foundation.
“You sit around in waiting rooms for months and months and you get to know these people,” says Holsey. “So, when she passed, I thought, ‘Man this would be a really nice way to remember her, to help these people we met.’”
In 12 years, the Michelle Lynn Holsey Foundation has given away more than $1 million in grants and scholarships, according to Holsey. The funds aren’t used to help find a cure for cancer. The foundation’s main goal is to help people who are struggling with illnesses pay bills, buy medicine, and get to and from treatments. Many miss work when they (or a family member) are sick, and these funds help alleviate the financial burden.
“My wife and I met all these people before she passed,” Holsey says. “They were missing work because their child was sick, or their spouse was sick, and we’d hear the stories in the waiting rooms about their struggles. ... We help a lot of kids. I would say at least half of our recipients are young people battling cancer.”
This year’s operating cost is $10,000 a month and last year’s was $12,000 a month. Fundraisers like the Cutting Horse Competition help with operating costs and those in need.
“This is our main fundraiser we do each year,” says Holsey. “We raise money to help men, women, and children on their quest to battle cancer and other debilitating diseases and conditions while funding innovative research and education.”
The Cutting Horse Competition is the biggest event held by The Michelle Lynn Holsey Foundation. This is a ranch-derived sport where competitors have two and a half minutes to drive through a herd of cattle and sort them, according to Holsey.
At dinner, there will be a silent auction that consists of anything from clothing and jewelry to gift baskets and gift certificates. The live auction is comprised of several different trip packages. Country singer Jason Cassidy is the concert headliner.
Holsey says he’s expecting about 500 to 600 people to attend this year’s event, but hopes for more. He encourages everyone to come out because this doesn’t just affect a few people; it affects everyone.
“Everyone knows someone that cancer affects, so if we’re blessed enough that we’re not ill and fighting the disease, the least we can do is help others,” says Holsey. “There aren’t many people like us out there that help in monetary ways. That helps people who are struggling financially because of their illness. There are a lot of people out there looking for a cure or helping build some hospital, which are all very necessary, but I think our foundation is unique because we’re helping people on a personal level.”
Sponsorships and tickets are still available. Call the Michelle Lynn Holsey Foundation at (936) 204-4600 for more information.
