New HALO fundraiser takes off this weekend in Vauxhall

Posted on July 16, 2026 by Vauxhall Advance

By Cole Parkinson
Vauxhall Advance
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Come this Saturday, a new fundraiser for HALO Air Ambulance is set for takeoff. The HALO Team Roping Jackpot goes July 18 at the Vauxhall Rodeo Grounds. On top of some great rodeo action, there will be a silent auction starting at 10:30 a.m., with the roping starting at 1 p.m. 

“My roping buddy David Fehr and I do a bit of team roping in the wintertime and travel the road. It’s just a kind of sport for guys that like to gamble money, and we were thinking, how can we make this a little more fun instead of the same old team roping jackpots that are always held in southern Alberta,” explained Josh Iwan, one of the organizers of the event. “And we were talking about a good idea, like a fundraiser. We were like, what do you think about a HALO fundraiser jackpot? We were just talking about it, and my wife was in the truck — she’s the executor — he and I are the idea guys. She kind of forced us to run with this, and it’s kind of blown up. We had a neighbour not too far, about two miles up the road from me, get airlifted by HALO, and I had a co-worker from Tabor ICI who just got airlifted. It just kind of solidifies that you never know.”

With roping starting at 1 p.m., there will be plenty of food trucks and a beer garden on the grounds to keep everyone fed and hydrated. Even better is how much good feedback the organizers have gotten about the event. So much so that it has continued to outgrow their original ideas.

“The last seven days, it’s been getting more traction online. I think that was our biggest hurdle, just trying to figure out social media. I’m a little old-school that way, and my wife suggested we make a video, and after we made that video and posted it, we’ve had people reaching out to us instead of us chasing them down for sponsorship. It’s been good. Our goal is — between silent auction, straight sponsor money, and then we’re gonna peel a little bit of money out of the jackpot as well to donate — is $30,000. We’re fairly confident after last night we sat down; I think we’re gonna hit it,” added Iwan.

The group is also donating $20 from each team’s entry fee and 50 per cent of the 50/50 draw to HALO. He also shouted out how much support local farmers are throwing their way to the event. Without the event sponsors, none of this would be able to run. With plenty of auction items ready to go, the group is excited to see everyone head down to the rodeo grounds on Saturday morning.

“We’re setting (the silent auction) up in the morning, and the Vauxhall Ag Society is doing their grand opening on their building out there, so we’re hoping people come out to check that out. They can bid on items if they want as well,” stated Iwan.

In terms of roping, they are throwing a bit of a curveball. While they will still have winners taking home some prize money, they are introducing a second round that gives some of the lower-seeded ropers a chance for some prizes.

“Our plan is at 1 p.m.; all the ropers will be there ready to go, and we’re hoping for 200 to 300 teams. That could take about three hours to run, and we changed it up compared to our normal format in Alberta. Usually, the roping is done after three rounds, and we figured we’ll pay out prize money after three rounds and then bring back the top 25 out of that and have what we call the short goal. It’s going to be for the saddle, buckles, trophy knives and some other stuff. It’s to give that guy that finished in 25th place or whatever and has no shot at money. We can give them the shot to come back and break one steer to try to win a saddle — our thought is to try to give the underdog a chance,” continued Iwan.

Once the roping is done, the day isn’t over. At 8 p.m., the Bambo Guppies will take the stage to round out the event.

“We definitely want people to come out to watch the roping, and we have food trucks coming in, and we’re going to have the Bamboo Guppies come in and play,” added Iwan.

This may be the first kick at the can, but the organizers are hoping this is going to become a yearly fundraiser. With numbers growing, they are excited about what the future could bring.

“We all said we have got to keep this going because we realistically thought if we can get $10,000 this year, we did well. And we’re going to be pushing our goal and hitting $30,000, so we can’t just stop. If we get $30,000 to $50,000 next year, we can do this every year, and that’s a pretty good fundraiser for a good cause,” said Iwan.

For more information, visit the group’s Facebook page at HALO Team Roping Jackpot.