If you have been watching chuckwagon racing over the past few years, or maybe over this past week during the Calgary Stampede, you may have seen one of the drivers wearing some unique pink sunglasses.
Chanse Vigen, who has been known as the Rangeland Derby Rockstar, ended up winning the Rangeland Derby on Sunday night for the first time in his career. Chanse and his wife Brie are also involved in a fundraising effort that helps those in need. Brie shares all about their movement, “I’m Your Huckleberry”. “Chanse was coined the ‘Rangeland Derby Rockstar’ by Les McIntyre, quite a few years ago, because he always raced in wild sunglasses. When we started dating, I found these really cool pink sunglasses, that were called the Epic Dreamer, and Chanse is the ultimate epic dreamer. He ended up really liking them and became known for wearing pink sunglasses. I always wanted to figure something out I could do to give back. I feel like with the popularity of these sunglasses, we could sell them and raise quite a bit of money.” Brie and Chanse came up with the “I’m Your Huckleberry” grant where the proceeds from the sale of the sunglasses goes to a family that applies and is down on their luck. Their first year, they were able to raise $50,000 just through the sale of the sunglasses.
How this ties to Drumheller is that Jamie Worman has been friends with Chanse Vigen for years. Knowing what Chanse and Brie were doing, he wanted to be involved. “I’ve always been active in the community and supporting people that need a hand up. Chanse has always been that guy that has always gone above and beyond for a lot of people. Besides the ‘I’m Your Huckleberry’ fundraising project he got going, every race he is at he is giving back to the food banks. It coincides with my moral compass and the things I like to do. Helping people out when you have the ability to do so is something, that I think, needs to be more prominent in small communities. If I have an avenue to help, I absolutely will. Chanse and Brie give back so much, it is nice to be able to support them too.”
Worman has said that he will be willing to get the “I’m Your Huckleberry” logo tattooed if certain parameters are met. “Brie and I discussed that, with Talon Berlando, (who also helps out the Vigens during Stampede), about getting their logo tattooed on me. I just did a fundraiser for STARS with Geoff Bourie and getting a STARS tattoo. They found out about that and thought it would be a cool way to bring some more attention to this. Basically, from now until the end of the chuckwagon season, if we can raise $10,000, then I am going to get the logo tattooed on my leg by a good friend of mine, Will Woods.”
Last year, the fundraising effort was able to raise $50,000 which was split between two needy families that applied, one in Chanse’s hometown of Grande Prairie, and one in Drayton Valley. Brie and Chanse delivered the funds in person to both the recipients last Thanksgiving.
To help support Jamie, Brie, and Chanse in this fundraising effort, visit the I’m Your Huckleberry website. You will also find there on how you can nominate a family to be a recipient of the fundraising efforts. Worman is also looking at selling the pink sunglasses locally and will let us know if that comes to a reality.
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