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McKinley Wilson, left, and her grandmother, Kae Pavlik at the Cattlemen’s Ball. Wilson is wearing the hat she purchased and donated to be auctioned to raise money for cancer research. The Leonard Cattle Company of Springfield, Neb., placed the winning bid of $1,750, and then returned the hat to Wilson after the auction. |
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From left: Keith Swarts, UNMC’s director of business services, and University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken have their PSAs drawn in the Eppley Cancer Screening Tent at the Cattlemen’s Ball. |
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Theresa Franco, cancer service line executive director at The Nebraska Medical Center, checks the blood pressure of a Cattlemen’s Ball attendee. |
Numerous members of the host community volunteer countless hours of time and manpower to the event in the spirit of raising money for cancer research at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center.
“The people of Nebraska have this great spirit of giving that makes the Cattlemen’s Ball an enormous success every year,” said Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center. “No words can express how grateful everyone at the cancer center is for this outstanding event that raises money for cancer research.”
This year’s ball, held June 7 at the Niewohner Cattle Company near Albion, Neb., carried on the great partnership between the Cattlemen’s Ball and the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center, which to date has raised more than $2 million for cancer research.
That spirit of giving is carried down through generations, and Kae Pavlik, a member of the Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska Advisory Board, as well as the Friends of the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center, can see that spirit in Pavlik’s 11-year-old granddaughter, McKinley Wilson.
Wilson, who will be in sixth grade at St. Wenceslaus School in Wahoo, Neb., has had asthma since the age of three.
“Really anything can set it off,” Pavlik said. “It happens so fast, and just like that, she can’t breathe.”
Living with an illness herself, coupled with her family’s involvement with the Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska, prompted Wilson to do something to help children with cancer. With $1,000 from her college fund, McKinley purchased a cowboy hat from Jackson Hole Hat Company, a custom cowboy hatter in Jackson, Wyo., that specializes in one-of-a-kind hats and western apparel.
Wilson donated the hat to the Cattlemen’s Ball auction. Leonard Cattle Company of Springfield, Neb., placed the winning bid of $1,750, and then returned the hat to Wilson after the auction.
In addition to live and silent auctions, the sellout crowd of nearly 4,000 people in attendance at this year’s ball were offered a variety of activities, including a casino, wine and cheese tasting, fashion show, working dog demonstration, quilt presentation, general store and free cancer screenings provided by the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center.
Nearly 300 people were evaluated for facial sun damage, 74 men were screened for prostate cancer through a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood test, and 200 blood pressures were checked. Volunteers also distributed information on colon cancer screening.
The day’s events culminated with a prime rib dinner and concert by Grammy Award winning country group Diamond Rio.
Next year’s Cattlemen’s Ball will be held on June 6 at the Crane Trust in Doniphan, Neb., approximately 12 miles south of Grand Island.