Wild West Brewfest and the Katy Rotary giving back over $80,000 in 2015!

The Wild West Brewfest crossed the 6000-guest mark for 2015 as compared to 3314 in 2014; in addition it netted over $113,000.  Being one of the only events in Houston staffed by 100% volunteers and with no management fee extracted out of the funds, it is clear they are passionate about what they do,
 
Loesch indicated that thanks to the generous support of their sponsors and the tireless efforts of the Rotary Club of Katy; below are some of the projects that they will fund/support:
 
Fine Arts - $10,000 –giving young students the opportunity to participate in band or orchestra and should not be excluded due to economic reasons.  If the student has a desire/passion and displays the strong desire to study and excel we want to support these young Texan’s.  This is our 4th year doing this and to date have given over $22,000 to this program
 
FFA (Future Farmers of America) - $16,000 - If a child wants to participate in raising a project they should not be excluded for economic reasons.  In addition a portion of this money will go towards the “Barn Sale” – where the students do not make the auction and, unfortunately, get minimal dollars for their animals, it is our objective to help change the “minimal dollar” component to this to help offset the cost of raising the project.  It should also be noted that the Wild West Brewfest and the Katy Rotary Club donates (over 2 tons in 2015) the meat to local food pantries when they acquire the animals from the students.
 
Casa de Esperanza and The Rainbow Room - $7,000 – these organizations main objective is to assist young children who are in need due to domestic family issues.   Children that are seeking help and shelter from issues that you and I cannot even image.  These are great organizations staffed by volunteers.  We encourage you to view their web page
 
The Shaw Center - $5,000 –provides KISD students the ability to explore and invent.   The center provides young students the opportunity to collaborate with mentors and professionals to gain experience in the areas of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics.  This will give many students the ability to participate whereas they would have not otherwise had this opportunity.
 
Future Business Leaders Conference - $2000 – program that will offer students the opportunity to attend a conference and listen to people (streamed at one location in each large city) such as Payton Manning, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and many more.  This program is designed to give all students what it takes to be successful in this world like you have been.  “We are excited to offer this to students that show a desire to attend but cannot due to their own economic reasons” said Loesch.
 
Katy Special Rodeo - $2000 – assisting and providing this event to the special needs children in and around the Katy area.  Loesch said, “they will have the opportunity to ride a horse, camel, have their face painted, interact with clowns, participate in a petting zoo and have a terrific BBQ lunch – its really a great program”
 
Read, Deed and Run - $2000 - Students entering grades 3-5 will commit to a 26-week program, where the student will read 26 books, perform 26 good deeds in the community, and run a total of 26.2 miles.  This is an extra fee ($30) for these kids, and as you could imagine, there are many kids that cannot participate, we (with your help) are here to change this.
 
Children of the Dump  - Nicaragua - $3000 – this is a wonderful program that assists young people of Nicaragua to learn how to support their families.   Loesch indicated that unfortunately this is a very poor country (population is 5.3 million and 4 million people live on less than $1 a day), there is one doctor for every 2,700 people, and only 50% of the people have access to the most basic of medical supplies.,  We have teamed up with other Rotary Clubs in and around Houston to help support this worthy cause. 
 
Disaster Relief - $3000 – The WWBF and our club have carved out these funds to assist in emergency relief for our community and way beyond.  Our mission is to help those are in need (like Sandy Hook Elementary, Fires in Bastrop and like the explosion in the town of West a few years ago).  Funds will be deployed as needed.
 
Paint USA - $1000 – what better way to teach elementary students geography than to paint a large map of the United States on their basketball court!  This is an ongoing project to help all elementary schools in Katy and West Houston learn the importance of knowing your Country. 
 
Toy Drive - $2000 –“We are working with the elementary schools to identify families in need that without your help, they would not have a Christmas” said Loesch.  This is a great ongoing program that touches the lives of many children.  Items asked for are not only toys but also the basic essentials that you and I take for granted such as shoes, coats, and shirts.
 
“We are already planning on WWBF 2016 right here in Katy”, said Loesch.  “We are proud to put on this magnificent event, and 2016 will not disappoint.”  “Like us on our Facebook page for further updates.”