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Ropin' Dreams honors 9-year-old

Odessa American - 1/10/2020

Jan. 9--About a week ago, 9-year-old Tatum Parker found out she was going shopping at Boot Barn.

Her parents, Nikki Parker and Gray Parker, admitted their daughter, who was born with spina bifida from L5 to S1 and cerebral palsy, was eager for Thursday's shopping spree.

"She was asking several times a day over the last week (if today was the day)" Gray Parker said with a smile. "She was super excited about it."

Ropin' Dreams, a nonprofit children's foundation based out of San Antonio, sponsored the shopping spree as Tatum Parker was this year's SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo honoree.

Parker also met a couple of new friends -- Miss Rodeo SandHills Baylee Jankowski and Miss Rodeo SandHills Teen Aubrie Fields -- who helped the 9-year-old pick out her new shirt, jacket, boots, cowboy hat, jeans, belt and scarf (aka wild rag).

"It was really a neat experience," Nikki Parker said after the shopping spree. "She ultimately wants to be (a rodeo queen). She just doesn't have the physical capabilities to do all of what they do."

Dub McClister and Cindy McClister, the husband and wife co-founders of Ropin' Dreams, were also on hand to help the Parker family.

"We do this to get that family to forget about doctors, to forget about needles, all that stuff and let that family have a memory of being a family for at least one day or a few hours," Dub McClister said. "They can make memories that Father Time can't take away."

Cindy McClister detailed that Ropin' Dreams is 100 percent volunteer based. She said Ropin' Dreams is similar to Make-A-Wish as her and her husband's nonprofit organization has helped more than 1,000 families in 18 states during the last 18 years.

Ropin' Dreams will hold its own Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo from May 8 to May 9 in Pleasanton. Dub McClister said the nonprofit survives solely on donations.

The SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo will honor Tatum Parker during Thursday's performance.

Jimmy Lindsey, vice president of youth events for the SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo, said he had heard about Tatum Parker's condition when he purchased jelly from her mother. Lindsey said he's excited to honor the 9-year-old during Thursday night's rodeo performance.

"There will be some other sponsors and other vendors that are going to bring her T-shirts and caps," Lindsey said. "We are going to shower her with love all day long."

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