Purpose in the Pavilion
September 10, 2024
By Joseph Hopper
How do you raise half-a-million dollars for charity? It takes a lot of people and plenty of hard work. 4-H’ers. Star athletes. The governor. Picture-perfect steers. They all meet in the show ring, raising money for a good cause. You’ve never seen a livestock show like this.
Photo credit: Joseph Hopper
If you’re a basketball fan, you’ve likely seen Iowa State University phenom Audi Crooks racking up points and making big plays on Hilton Coliseum’s court in front of roaring crowds. If you were at the Iowa State Fair this year, you might have also seen her in a different competition: clad in scarlet Jordans, helping a young exhibitor show a steer inside the packed livestock pavilion. The Cyclone basketball star is just one of many lending their talents to help make the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show, one of Iowa’s most famous fundraisers, a success this year.
Photo credit: Iowa Cattlemen's Association
The Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show began in 1983, thought up between then Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. When organizing the inaugural Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show, Branstad requested that the designated charity be the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Iowa. This relationship has continued for 41 years.
“The Iowa Cattlemen's Association and the Iowa Beef Industry Council organize the show from the Iowa Cattle Industry Headquarters in Ames, where we work collectively to represent Iowa beef producers,” says Casey Anderson, director of industry relations at the Iowa Beef Industry Council. “Each organization has its role in serving Iowa beef producers. Staff from these organizations do the behind-the-scenes planning. Still, the sponsors, youth exhibitors and celebrities play a substantial role in raising awareness for the cause and fundraising, which is the event's ultimate goal.” beef producers. Staff from these organizations do the behind-the-scenes planning. Still, the sponsors, youth exhibitors and celebrities play a substantial role in raising awareness for the cause and fundraising, which is the event's ultimate goal.”
Photo credit: Joseph Hopper
The Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show is a major team effort for all involved. The fundraising begins with 25 sponsors, who recruit their youth exhibitors and celebrities to represent their steer. Being a part of the show is a big honor and a big responsibility.
Christy Hibbs farms with her husband, Jeff, near Albion in Marshall County. The two are known for the cattle and crops they raise and their dedication to mentoring 4-H’ers.
Marshall County farmer Christy Hibbs and her husband Jeff have seen two 4-H’ers through the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show: their daughter Hannah in 2009 and close family-friend Logan Kelley in 2010.
Pictured: Christy Hibbs (front row, first from the left), Logan Kelley (front row, third from the right), former University of Iowa basketball player Adam Haluska (back row, second from the right), and steer McBeefy pose for a photograph with Hibbs and Kelley family members during the 2010 Iowa Governor's Charity Steer Show.
Photo credit: Kristy Kelley
“It's a huge commitment because those steers come into the fairgrounds on Wednesday before the fair starts on Thursday,” Christy Hibbs says. “They’re on display Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the show, there’s the auction, and then those steers go, but it’s a tremendous time commitment at the fair because most likely those same kiddos are going to be showing another steer at the 4-H show and those steers come on Sunday. So, they’ve already been there through blood, sweat and tears on Wednesday through Saturday, and they must be pretty every day for the crowd.”
Now in its 42nd year, the annual charity event has raised more than $5 million for RMHC of Iowa, which, through its three Iowa chapters in Des Moines, Iowa City and Siouxland, has provided a “home away from home” for 55,000 families with a seriously ill or hospitalized child. Time is also donated to the RMHC– the show’s youth exhibitors spend a day volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House Charities, helping to make life easier for the many families who will stay there.
Photo credit: Joseph Hopper
“If you’ve never been, you don’t understand,” Christy Hibbs says. “When you have a baby, you read all the books, and you think you have it; it’s like you’re going to go on a trip and you’re going to Spain. You learn Spanish, you learn all about the country, you’ve memorized the country's geography, and you’re so excited. But now you’ve landed in France. You don’t know French, you don’t know anything about the country, the culture, or geography, but you’re going to have to function because you’re in France. It’s the same if you have a child, whether born with troubles or facing an entirely different path with this child.”
“The RMH facilities provide individual rooms, meal service, financial assistance (gas cards, gift cards to necessities) to help remove the financial burden while providing a place for families to stay together while they are away from home,” says Anderson. “All proceeds from our event help power these initiatives. They service families from all 99 Iowa counties, all 50 U.S. states and more than 60 foreign countries. The breadth and impact of the RMH Charities and the influence of our kids fundraising truly is immeasurable.”
Photo credit: Iowa Cattlemen's Association
When the first Saturday of the Iowa State Fair rolls around and the show starts, the 25 steers, their youth and celebrity exhibitors compete in the show ring for four possible titles. The titles are Judge’s Grand Champion, Grand Champion Showman, Community Hero and People’s Choice. Throughout the show, judges are watching to make their selections – the crowd is watching too, ultimately being the deciding factor in who wins the People’s Choice award. The Community Hero is decided by the youth exhibitor who collects the most non-monetary donations (like pop tabs and non-perishable food) and drives the most awareness for the event.
Once the judging and showmanship at the pavilion are complete, the exhibitors and the steers head to the Cattle Barn’s Penningroth Media Center for the auction, where buyers do the last bit of fundraising, calling bids as the auctioneer shouts out his cadence. For this year’s Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show, a record $568,000 was raised for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa.
Photo credit: Iowa Cattlemen's Association
“These steers sell anywhere from $3,000 to more than $50,000 depending on circumstance,” Anderson says. “The youth exhibitors also work with their sponsors to raise local support funds. It is common for the kids to add these ‘local support’ dollars on top of the auction price for a cumulative sale price. The event has continued to set new auction records for several years. In 2023, we raised $501,000, the first time we had broken $500,000. This year, we raised $568,000, which was also incredible!”
With the show and auction complete and the funds tallied, it’s only a matter of time until planning for the next show begins all over again.
“It’s a great experience; these kids make these connections with their celebrity and can say they were part of that and helped to raise these funds; they were part of something bigger than themselves,” Christy Hibbs says. “They have an opportunity to meet a ton of people and visit with many who may have no idea about animal agriculture and the work it takes. In the cattle industry, being asked to participate is a tremendous honor. There are a lot of kids that would jump at the chance to do it. It’s a wonderful opportunity.”
Photo credit: Iowa Cattlemen's Association