2009 PRCA LAUGHLIN EXTREME BULLS FUNDRAISER LAUGHLIN – A tall banner of a little girl with sparkling blue eyes doing a silly dance welcomed spectators to the Xtreme Bulls, April 4-5 at the Laughlin Events Park. Randy Corley looked at the picture and knew it was not going to be an easy day at the microphone. “I’m not so sure I can do this,” said the 10-time PRCA announcer of the year, pulling his hanky out of his pocket. As well as announcing the two-day Laughlin Xtreme Bulls, it was Corley’s job to explain the Tough Enough to Fly Pink fundraiser. What Corley got in exchange, was a lesson in toughness from 7-year-old Lauren Terry. When Lauren was 4, she began her fight with leukemia. Eighteen months ago, after enduring more than a year of chemotherapy, Lauren and her family celebrated the cancer’s remission. This year, Lauren had begun dance lessons, had just gotten caught up on her school work and her bouncy blonde curls were finally grown out again. With the help of her parents, Kristen and Paul Terry, Lauren also got busy, working to inspire others with similar struggles. “She raised $380,000 for Ronald McDonald house as Jewel of the Nile, raised $16,000 for Make-a-Wish Foundation, attended dance 3-days a week, attended school full time, and was last year’s co-chairman of Relay for Life,” her father said.   Lauren was also the youngest person to ever win a Community Achievement Award, winning Laughlin’s Humanitarian of the Year award in 2008. In celebration of their blessing, Lauren’s father Paul, who is a master chef, helped with the 2008 Tough Enough to Wear Pink fundraiser in Laughlin, by fixing dinner for 40 bull riders and their guests. But now, for the second time in her seven short years of life, Lauren is fighting leukemia. She is dealing with the side-effects of chemotherapy with an upbeat attitude, and most definitely on her own terms, Paul said. “She doesn’t allow anyone to cry in her room. Her spirits are great,” he said. “She is the toughest kid I’ve ever met. She handles it better than any adult I’ve ever seen.” This go-round, instead of her trademark pink bandana, Lauren told her parents she will wear wigs of different colors, hopefully even a Hannah Montana wig. Her illness kept Lauren from attending Laughlin Xtreme Bulls 2009, but she wasn’t forgotten. Each bull rider wore a pink sticker on his vest, imprinted with Lauren’s initials, “L.T.” “What we wanted to do at Laughlin Xtreme Bulls was help alleviate the worry of the medical and travel expenses, so that this family can put their effort and attention into helping Lauren get better,” said Roy Honeycutt, co-producer of the Laughlin Xtreme Bulls. To raise funds, pieces of pink paper were sold for $1. Purchasers were encouraged to engineer the paper into an airplane. During intermission, spectators attempted to throw their paper airplanes into a barrel, in the back of a Dodge truck. “To add to the excitement, we tied the contest to a bounty bull ride. The winner of the airplane throwing contest had the opportunity to receive $500, if the next bull out was ridden,” Honeycutt said. “As it turned out, everybody went home a winner,” he added. Jesse Bail rode the bounty bull (Savage) on Sunday, for the benefit of Bonnie Koning, the bull riding fan from New Hazelton, B.C., who threw her plane into the barrel. Koning, who is a 14-yer cancer survivor, donated the five one-hundred dollar bills back to Lauren’s family. “At that point, it just got crazy, people were shouting and cheering and just started bringing in more money,” Honeycutt said. “They were giving fives and twenties and several hundred dollar bills. One of the rodeo workers donated back his entire weekend’s paycheck.” In all, $5,107 was raised for the Terry family.   For several years the recipient of the Tough Enough To Wear Pink campaign at Laughlin Xtreme Bulls has been We Care Cancer Support. Lauren is a member of this grass roots group, which provides wigs, prostheses and support meetings to those fighting cancer. “We decided this community had big enough hearts to support both causes. We Care sold pink shirts, so everyone in attendance could wear pink and join the fight against breast cancer. “But we were pretty sure the bull riding fans would also be willing to buy an airplane and let the Terry family know that while they are going through a tough time, there are a lot of Tough Enough people backing them up,” Honeycutt  said. “Yes, so we can help financially, but just as importantly, so Lauren and her family could see the great number of people that are caring, and praying for them. “Raising $5,000 was great,” he added. “But way more importantly, I saw 8,400 people all praying for one little girl. And that’s why we rodeo.”