August 2009:
Cowboys Helping Kids is months away from being re-released on CyberSpace. (You may even be able to go to it today and take a sneak peak, if not keep checking back. We will publish the day that it is back on the web and running.)
Re-released?
What do we mean by that?
To understand this entire situation, you’d have to go back to 16 November 2004. That was the date that the website
Cowboys Helping Kids.com was first published.
A self proclaimed Cowboy, named Richard Fipps (whom we do not know personally, ‘nor are we associated with in anyway), who claimed to be a cowboy celebrity, came up with a cross country trail-ride, in the name of Helping Kids, and battered women.
“If you ask Richard Fipps how he makes a living, he'll tell you that he "messes with horses," his understated way of describing his duties as a cowboy,” Las Vegas Sun also stated "his goal is to bring public awareness that there are kids in our own country going hungry," into a second occupation:
Cowboys Helping Kids, which puts emphasis on needy children in the United States.”
"Back in the '50s, if somebody's kids down the road were going hungry, and they knew it, somebody would go down there and bring them canned food or groceries to help them." Richard Fipps.
What a great concept
! This is the typical type of Organization that our Ranch would help sponsor, and support.
It wasn’t until a neighbor of Richard Fipps noticed that his website stated he was in Montana, when they were looking at him in his front yard, yelling at another neighbor, when the story or the twisted tail started to unravel.
We believe that
the Long Riders guild explained Richard Fipps in the most unique way, “According to various accounts provided to the press, Fipps claimed to be descended from a ranching family, to have owned a 2,700 acre plantation, to have ridden bulls, tamed horses, run a western wear store and had his name enshrined in the “Cowboy Walk of Fame.” Then there is the other, until now, hidden side of the man in question. This man has been connected to the crimes of armed burglary, grand theft auto, domestic abuse and horse theft.” A great ‘could have been’ Organization was being undermined by a scheister.
Another description came from Jo Hargrave, a blonde Oklahoma woman, whom originally supported Fipps, she now describes him as “a habitual liar, a rounder and a schemer.” Hargrave is a lifelong horse woman, a disc jockey hosting her own “Keepin’ It Cowboy” radio show.
Also a Las Vegas radio personality from KNPR.org PLASKON asked about his brining awareness to battered woman found out: “While Fipps says that's his calling, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department records show Fipps was arrested on December 12th for battery and domestic violence. Fipps says that telling people he is on a charity ride for Battered women when he really isn't doesn't harm anyone,” also stating “The FBI is looking into the matter.”
Other related information on Richard Fipps:
(DELTA) – Millard County Deputies and UHP Troopers apprehended a suspected fuel thief after a chase on Highway 50 near Delta on Saturday. According to a sheriff’s report, shortly after 10pm, dispatch received a call from a Delta area resident and business owner who stated he saw a man stealing fuel from his diesel tractor truck parked at his business. The caller said that while attempting to call 911, a scuffle ensued with the man after which he fled in a white 2007 Dodge Ram 350 dual-wheeled pickup and headed east on Highway 50 from Delta. The caller said he was almost run over by the man as he fled the area and followed him while calling police. UHP and the deputies were able to stop 40-year old, Richard Fipps of Las Vegas, in the McCornick area of Millard County. He was arrested and booked into the Millard County Jail on charges of aggravated assault, theft and criminal trespass. The truck was seized as evidence after an extra fuel tank, fuel pump and hose were located in the truck bed. The investigation is continuing.
So why would you think that you could change the negative stigma surrounding this website?
This could become a great Organization. The fact that one person has placed a negative stigma around it, doesn’t stop the fact that other Country and Western Personalities in our Community can’t change it.
It was in 2006 that we at The Thomas Ranch found this while researching a horseback trail ride from Detroit to our Ranch. What kind of troubles that we can identify. It was to become Russell’s Retirement Ride. Then when he found
Cowboys Helping Kids he decided this was so wrong, and on so many level’s, and that so many people got scheisted on this scheme that something needed to be done.
Anyone who has read, or lived the Cowboy’s Western Lifestyle knows that Cowboys will always try to right a wrong. This is one of the biggest Off-Ranch Undertaking that we will ever be involved in.
11 Jan 2006
Cowboys Helping Kids a Volunteer kids western fundraising Charity, which was represented as an almost mentor/Big Brother style, Rodeo Associated, Donating Aid and Contributions to children across the United States, horseback, was pulled from the Internet.
In cooperation between
Cowboy Crew and our Ranch
The Thomas Ranch it was decided that we can correct this malice. So on 31-Dec-07 it was decided to re-register
Cowboys Helping Kids.
Can we overcome the negative stigma, the undermining actions of Richard Fipps? Can we actually make a difference to the Children along the way? We believe that we can. We believe with our combined efforts and the support of the entire western community that we can overcome any obstacle and make this an instrumental organization. That other’s will mimic and try to duplicate.
Until next month America thanks for stopping bye and Keep your Boots in the Stirrups.
The Thomas Ranch
JUNE 2009:
Finally with a new computer and all (well, most) of the programs re-installed we were finally able to update
”The Thomas Ranch”.
This is also the first time the world was able to see the new
UdderNews© logo. To answer the never ending question about when will the site be up and running to capacity? (We’re talking about UdderNews©) it may be another two more weeks until it’s fully up and running. The layout is complete the design is complete and the compiled new is ready, it’s just putting it all together… So we hope that you can wait us out just a little longer.
Also we partnered up with
WalleyeWoman©. This website even though it is just starting out is designed to create a place for women to learn how to fish, from other women.
We know it has been awhile since we have updated and just wanted to give you a quick overview of the fact that we are back and we have been updating this website behind the scene. We have created several other sections that we feel is relevant to the Ranching Lifestyle. So if you notice that some days some of our links aren’t hitting the correct pages or end up hitting a blank wall it’s due to the intensive updating that will be happening.
Two minor adjustments that we made on our first update was the embedding our
Ranch Guestbook and the Ranch’s
Cowboy Forum. The overwhelming response that we received was that most people would not want to sign the guestbook or talk on the forum… But, most of you that have been following this website know, I don’t follow the normal pattern of what people always do. I believe that there are others out there in the world who have the same passion and drive that we do. We feel that as a group we can make this website even better by sharing with each other and with the world what we already know. So we hope that each of you take the time and join us in the forum or at least sign the guestbook. Thanks…
Until next month America thanks for stopping bye and Keep your Boots in the Stirrups.
The Thomas Ranch
MAY 2009:
The
Desert Cowboys have returned from Afghanistan after 15 long months. They had an awesome welcome home ceremony and we are so happy that 100% of the Soldiers returned home, safe and sound.
Congratulations to Bo and Bridget, our twins, they both graduated High School this month… It was a proud time for us as parents. Where does the time go? Look forward to a page being written on this event in our
Holiday Page, in the
Special Events page.
Back in December 2003 we started this website with a couple of pages and with some tiny children. Now 6 years later they are all grown up and graduated. Kids today want to grow up so fast and become adults. Don’t they know that there is no turning back? We can try to act like a kid every-now-and-then, but there is now way to turn the clock back. Once you start working and move out you have to work every day of your life. There is no way to avoid this.
We want to wish a Happy Anniversary to Casey and Russell Anderson. It was a special event for them. There haven’t been too many Anniversaries together, so when he made it home for this one they both took it as a great thing. We hope there are many, many more in the future.
Until next month America thanks for stopping bye and Keep your Boots in the Stirrups.
The Thomas Ranch
