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Crawlin’ To A Cure

Cindy Ramunno
cramunno@eaglevalleyenterprise.com
Crawlin' to a Cure
Special to the Enterprise |

e motions run high during a chat with Vikki Hobbs about Crawlin’ To A Cure.

There’s nothing like watching a friend battle cancer to bring home the disease’s impacts on families and communities.

At a recent Gypsum Town Council meeting, Hobbs broke down in tears when addressing council members about Crawlin’ To A Cure and the Keepin’ Em Real Scholarship Fund. The Crawlin’ event — now in its fourth consecutive year — is taking place at the Eagle County Fairgrounds this Saturday, Aug. 2, with the gates opening at 4 p.m.



Based on their love of off-roading and a desire to help Team Keepin’ em Real, the event was founded by the Hobbs family. Crawlin’ To A Cure is a non-profit that uses off-road 4X4 vehicles to raise money for the scholarship fund, which in turn benefit kids directly impacted by cancer.

While the driving force of Crawlin’ To A Cure is the Hobbs family and Hobbs Excavating and Trucking LLC, the company noted that it takes many hands to produce the event

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“We really want to thank all the business that sponsor this event,” said Hobbs. “We couldn’t do it without them.” Hobbs Excavating will spend all day Friday building the course – hauling the boulders, timbers and large concrete pipe sections to create obstacles.

Crawlin’ To A Cure donates 100 percent of the drivers’ fees, gate admission and merchandise sales to the Keepin’ em Real Scholarship Fund. The rock race has six classes:

Stock Class – Full body vehicles with tire size up to 35 inches

Modified Class – Full body vehicles with tire size 36 to 40 inches

Unlimited Class A – Any vehicle with tires 42 inches or smaller/must run harder course

Unlimited Class B – Any vehicle with tires 43 inches or bigger/must run harder course

Boulder Bustin’ Pink Ladies Class A – Lady driver any vehicle/easy course

Boulder Bustin’ Pink Ladies Class B – Lady driver any vehicle/harder course

Cash prizes are awarded for the top three times in each class, and prizes for the fastest lap and hard luck. It costs each driver $100, and each driver gets one driver pass and one pit pass. Everyone is required to wear a helmet.

Admission for spectators is $10 for everyone, and kids four and under are free. The actual race begins at 5 p.m.

Keepin’ em Real

Keepin’ em Real Scholarship Fund was founded by Tiffany Myers who was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2007 at age 36. By 2008 the cancer had spread to her bones. She is now surviving with stage 4 breast cancer, with grace and inspiration.

Team Keepin’ em Real was born when Myers, together with family and friends, walked hundreds of miles and crewed in five Susan G Komen 3Day for a Cure events. The 3 Day is an inspiring 60 mile walk that raises money and gives hope, for a future without breast cancer.

Eventually, the Keepin’ Em Real Scholarship Fund was created by the group. The goal of the fund is to help as many students as they can and a couple of 2014 graduates were the first to recieve scholarships from the fund.

Realizing a dream

“It was amazing to finally fulfill the dream of being able to hand over those checks,” said Hobbs. The fund has also helped a number of families impacted by cancer. One family was able to get loved ones home when hospice was brought in; a car was purchased for one patient to get back and forth to treatment; and a hospital bed, rent and utilities were paid for another family.

“The money goes right to the families to help where it is needed most,” said Hobbs.

Even with insurance, a cancer diagnosis is a huge financial burden on families. Typically, the entire family has to make sacrifices, and some families have lost everything. Hobbs doesn’t want to see that happen.

“Our goal is to help as many families and students as we can.”


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