The Man Behind the Heart,
Ron Scott
Ron Scott’s idea behind the Big Hearted Cowboys event was the product of a casual evening with friends talking about bringing together business contacts and Professional Rodeo peers for a night of Stampede fun.
Ron concluded that the event would be a unique opportunity for two distinctly different communities to collaborate for the common cause of giving back to the community at large. Over 24 years later Ron has passed the reins onto his son Monte Scott and business associate Jolene Johnston to continue the efforts in giving back through this wonderful fun-filled charity event.
His Commitment to Philanthropy
Through Big Hearted Cowboys, Ron has almost single handedly raised in excess of $3,000,000 for Calgary based charities. Some of the past recipients of Ron’s generous spirit have been the Variety Club of Southern Alberta where he helped to build a park capable of meeting the needs of all children, and the Between the Friends Organization where the proceeds from the event helped to support programming for children with disabilities.
In 1998 Ron was awarded the prestigious Gold Heart Award from the Variety Club for his service to the community. He has also been previously nominated for the Generosity of Spirit Award through AFP.
The Impact
In 2003 Ron made a bold move to expand the Big Hearted Cowboys event. He changed the location to ranahans at the Stampede Park; he increased the number of tickets sold; and he increased his goal from $40,000 to $75,000. He increased his call on friends, colleagues, clients and family to donate to the children at Hull Services. Ron heard about Hull through a mutual friend, and decided that the agency’s goals and philosophy were exactly what he was looking for with his next recipient charity.
The efforts that Ron put into bringing sponsorship, auction items and ticket sales to the event not only met his goal of $75,000, but surpassed it by another $30,000. Ron’s efforts resulted in helping Hull Services purchase 6 new vans that would provide transportation to the 3500 children and families it serves on a daily basis.