The Owyhee County Rodeo Board’s commitment to fighting cancer goes beyond wearing pick shirts once a year.

While board members will wear pink again this year at the county rodeo, they’ve also backed up that show with a donation of $2,000 to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center earlier this year.

St. Al’s is a major sponsor of the rodeo.

“They’re sponsoring the rodeo again this year, and we hope that with the money they make they can put it back into the county,” rodeo board advertising secretary Keri Garrett said.

The $2,000 donation — enough to provide about 10 mammograms for women in need — was raised during last year’s “Kick Cancer” night at the rodeo. Rodeo fans are urged to wear pink and support the “Ridin’ to Kick Cancer” effort during the Thursday, Aug. 12, performance this year.

“As a board, it means a lot for us to be able to help those who can’t afford it,” board president Chris Landa said. “To be able to make a difference, that’s why we’re down there.”

The hope is to hand a larger check to St. Al’s staff than the one Landa and Garrett presented St. Al’s staff members Anna Bossard and Trinidad Parsons during the mobile mammography unit’s stop at the Terry Reilly Health Services Clinic in Marsing on June 15.

“It means a lot of women will get mammograms who can’t afford them,” St. Al’s Anna Bossard said after accepting the check with fellow mammographer Trinidad Parsons.

“It means we’ll save lives,” said Parsons, who is a cancer survivor.

The rodeo board raised funds in conjunction with last year’s Kick Cancer program during the Owyhee County Fair and Rodeo. Car magnets and bracelets were sold to promote breast cancer awareness, and rodeo queens collected cash donations in the grandstands during the Thursday night show last year.

According to St. Al’s, mammograms cost about $200 each.

The St. Al’s mobile mammography unit will return to Owyhee County next month. Fifteen appointments must be scheduled to assure the visit.

• Sept. 3 — Marsing Terry Reilly clinic; call 896-4159 for an appointment.

• Sept. 30 — Owyhee County El-Ada Community Action Partnership office, Homedale; call 337-4812 for an appointment.