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Boots, Buckles & Pearls: San Angelo goes all out for a good cause

This Friday San Angelo will be slipping on their boots, cinching on their jeans, and flashing those pearls. The annual fundraiser for Sonrisas Trails kicks off with a presentation of the Urban Cowboy Reunion. Our Brenda Matute shows us what makes this organization so special.

SAN ANGELO, TX — "We’ve got mickey Gilley and Johnny Lee coming into town,” said Mary Coffee, public relations director for Sonrisas Trails. “It’s the urban cowboy reunion so those of us that were children of the 80's, this is our heyday.”

Sonrisas trails offers therapeutic horseback riding to children and adults with special needs.

"We’ve been here 34 years and we've watched these kids in our program grow into adulthood," said Coffee.

And this Friday kicks off its largest fundraising event.

"This has turned out to be quite the event," said Coffey.

She says that in the 3 years she's been with Sonrisas she's seen a great deal of growth in the horseback riders it serves.

"To watch a child go from being nonverbal and just riddled with anxiety to the point that they can’t even really function, to getting on a 1200 pound horse and saying ‘walk on’, I mean children will sometimes speak their first words horseback,” said Coffey. “I’ve seen miracles happen in that arena.”

But the trails wouldn't be possible without the help of West Texas.

"The families right behind us and we're very very blessed and we certainly don’t take it for granted," said Coffee.

Boots, Buckles & Pearls hosted 864 people in 2017 raising nearly $40,000, this year Coffey says that attendance number has nearly doubled to 1500 people.

"They want to make a difference and they feel proud and connected to what they're doing, that’s when really good things happen," said Coffey.

She says administrative cost add up to less than 9 percent of Sonrisas’ budget, allowing the other 91 percent of money raised to fund the caring of the horses and the education of each rider.

"It’s just amazing to see that kind of growth and that kind of response to this therapy,” said Coffey.

This is the third year Sonrisas trails hosts this fundraiser, and judging by its growth in popularity Coffey says it hopefully won't be the last.

"It’s not a job it’s a calling and it’s a blessing to everyone that really walks on the place,” said Coffey.

For more information visit: http://www.sonrisasriding.org/

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