The 25th Annual DEX Imaging Ranch Roam, an Old West-themed fundraiser hosted annually by ‘Alligator” Ron and Ali Bergeron, generated $700,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County this year. Over 1,000 South Florida cowboys, cowgirls and city slickers attended the event at the Bergeron family’s Green Glades Ranch in Weston. Entertainment included a mechanical bull, casino tables, line dancing and country music performances from Shadow Creek and featured entertainer Rodney Atkins sponsored by RENTYL Resorts-The Falcone Family. Special guests included actor Cole Hauser who plays Rip Wheeler on the hit series Yellowstone, and the marine life artist and conservationist Guy Harvey.
Ranch Roam members of the celebrity Cattlemen’s and Cattlewomen’s Club, which has over 100 members commit a special donation of $5,000 annually. They were treated to a pre-event cocktail party in the Alligator Ron Saloon, a 1800’s-era replica western saloon, and they attend special events throughout the year. Some unique auction items included a turkey hunting adventure with Bergeron and Hauser, a weekend experience at the Green Glades Grand Lodge with Ron and Ali and a three-night stay in a six-bedroom home at Encore Resort offered by RENTYL Resorts.
“I want to thank everyone who came out this year to support Ranch Roam,” Bergeron says. “Folks get to be outdoors under the stars and experience a bygone era. It gives me a lot of pride to be able to share my family’s culture with the community all while raising lots of money for kids in our community.”
Ranch Roam was founded by Ron Bergeron and Rick and Rita Case in 1996 and has raised more than $12 million to support thousands of young people served annually by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. At this year’s event, Ron and Ali Bergeron received the prestigious Rick Case Pinnacle Award, the highest honor given by the organization.
“We can’t thank Ron, Ali and the entire Bergeron family enough for opening their home each year for Ranch Roam,” Matt Organ says, Co-CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. “It is one of our largest fundraisers of the year and one of the most unique and talked about events of the year.”
