For supporters of Dream Catchers, it’s time to don a pair of cowboy boots and swing into action. The nonprofit organization, which offers therapeutic horse-riding services to children and adults with special needs, is bringing back its rodeo-themed Cowboys Uncorked fundraiser for a sixth year Nov. 12 at Williamsburg Winery.
“It’s not just about fundraising,” said Terry Jacoby, Dream Catchers’ developmental director. “It provides the opportunity for us to share our mission.”
Those services include riding lessons, psychotherapy, speech therapy and more for those with diagnoses such as autism, cerebral palsy and ADHD, among others. Volunteers serve more than 17,000 hours a year in support of such endeavors.
“It’s very inspiring to us because the Williamsburg community is a very benevolent community,” Jacoby said.
Cowboys Uncorked serves as one of the organization’s biggest events of the year, selling out annually since its inception and bringing in more money each year.
“We wanted to do something that was along the lines of a western theme,” Jacoby said. “We just decided that it would be really fun.”
The event includes country line dancing, games and a gunslinger competition to find the quickest draw in Williamsburg.
The fundraiser also generates buzz with local luminary “arrestees,” whose mock bail donations further support the cause. This year’s cast includes restaurateur Adam Steeley, NBA retiree Larry Robinson, William and Mary Police Lt. Don Butler and team members from the Virginia Beer Company.
“It’s a very high-energy event,” Jacoby said. “There’s great joy at our center and we want to share that joy.”
Want to go?
Cowboys Uncorked rides 6-9 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Williamsburg Winery, 5800 Wessex Hundred. Tickets are $75, available online at dreamcatchers.org/fundraisers or by calling 566-1775. Tickets are expected to sell out in advance.
