Roundup River Ranch Raises $2.4 Million and Counting During Record-Breaking A Grateful Weekend
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Roundup River Ranch Raises $2.4 Million and Counting During Record-Breaking A Grateful Weekend
20th anniversary fundraising events unite Vail Valley community to help provide free camp experiences for children with life-altering diagnoses
GYPSUM, Colo. (Aug. 24, 2026) – Roundup River Ranch raised $2.4 million and counting during its 2026 A Grateful Weekend, marking a record-breaking fundraising milestone as the nonprofit celebrates 20 years of providing free, medically-supported camp experiences for children with life-altering diagnoses and their families.
The two signature events, The Bullseye Roundup on Aug. 13 at Lazy J Ranch in Wolcott and A Grateful Harvest on Aug. 15 at Roundup River Ranch in Gypsum, brought together donors, volunteers, families, medical professionals, and longtime champions of the organization. Funds raised will directly benefit programs that give children facing cancer, blood disorders, organ transplants, kidney disease, and other serious medical conditions opportunities to embrace joy, foster independence, create connection, and build hope.
“Bringing in $2.4 million in our 20th anniversary year speaks volumes about how much this community stands behind our campers and their families,” said Sarah Johnson, president and CEO of Roundup River Ranch. “Over the past twenty years, this community has poured its time, skills, resources, and heart into making these experiences a reality. This achievement sets us up with real momentum to serve even more children, grow our programs further, and begin a new chapter for Roundup River Ranch.”
A Grateful Weekend began with the fourth annual The Bullseye Roundup, a Western-inspired evening featuring an archery competition, ranch activities, live auction and camper call paddle raise. A highlight of the evening was hearing from camper alum Everett, who shared how Roundup River Ranch gave him a place to belong, build confidence, and discover greater independence. The event raised more than $400,000 and counting.
Two days later, a sold-out crowd of 265 guests gathered under the roof of Trent’s Cookhouse for A Grateful Harvest, raising $2.07 million and counting. Marking the most successful A Grateful Harvest in the organization’s history. The evening featured camper stories and performances, a multi-course dinner prepared by Vail Valley chefs Brian Ackerman, Chris Schmidt, Paul Anders and Anthony Mazza, a live auction and the signature camper call paddle raise.
The 20th anniversary celebration also honored the people and partnerships that have helped shape Roundup River Ranch. At A Grateful Harvest, Ruth Johnson, founding president and CEO and current president emeritus, received the 2026 Paul Newman Legacy Award in recognition of her vision, leadership, and lasting contributions over the past two decades. Clea Newman-Soderlund, daughter of Paul Newman, attended to personally present the award named in her father’s honor. Alpine Bank was also recognized as the 2026 Community Champion for its longstanding partnership and commitment to the organization.
The weekend’s success was made possible by event sponsors, donors, volunteers, committee members, local businesses, and partners whose contributions help ensure Roundup River Ranch programs remain free for children and families.
As Roundup River Ranch looks beyond its milestone year, the organization is focused on expanding access to The Power of Camp and creating more opportunities for children and families navigating life-altering diagnoses. To make a difference by donating, volunteering at an upcoming fall Family Camp, or learning more about Roundup River Ranch, visit RoundupRiverRanch.org.
About Roundup River Ranch
Roundup River Ranch offers children with life-altering diagnoses, and their families, opportunities to embrace joy, create connection, foster independence and build hope through free, medically-supported camp programs. Roundup River Ranch has created a space where illness and medical complexities take a backseat through both ordinary and extraordinary childhood experiences like boating, archery, ziplining, horse-back riding, and more. 2026 marks Roundup River Ranch’s 20th anniversary, providing nearly 40,000 camper experiences since it opened through a wide range of programs for children battling cancer, blood disorders, organ transplants and other life-altering diagnoses. Located along the Colorado River near Gypsum, Colorado, Roundup River Ranch is proud to be a member of SeriousFun Children’s Network, a growing global community of innovative camps and programs that provide life-changing support to children with serious illnesses and their families founded by Paul Newman. For more information about Roundup River Ranch, visit RoundupRiverRanch.org or call 970-524-2267.
About SeriousFun Network
SeriousFun Children’s Network is a global community of 30 camps and programs serving children with serious illnesses and their families, always free of charge. Following the founding of The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp by Paul Newman in 1988, he and other like-hearted individuals opened similar camps around the world, ultimately joining together to form SeriousFun Children’s Network. Thanks to a shared vision and collective contributions, the Network has evolved to become the leader in the field of medical specialty camps, delivering more than 2.2 million life-changing experiences to children and families from more than 50 countries. Each member camp is an independent, not-for-profit organization dependent upon private funding to serve all children at no cost to their families. To learn more about SeriousFun, visit www.seriousfun.org.
