The 2023 Wild West Brewfest was an excitement-filled weekend, and we hope you had as much fun as we did! The Rotary Club of Katy was able to raise a record-breaking amount of money for worthy causes, and it would not have been possible without the support of our brewers, volunteers, vendors, sponsors, and patrons, THANK YOU! Over 150K raised…wow!
Stop right now and put this in your phone! Next year’s event will be Saturday March 23rd 2024! It will be our biggest yet with over 100 brewers ready to go!
In 2022, we crossed over $1 million in proceeds from 10 WWBF events, and our goal is to hit the $2 million mark in the next 3 years. Every dollar of proceeds is given back to the local community, and we are grateful that this year’s 10th event was very successful yet again. We set a record for funds raised at our Live Auction, and the Dueling Pianos was super fun. If you weren’t one of the 1200 that came, make sure to join us at the Launch Party on March 22nd 2024!
The Saturday WWBF event was met with beautiful weather; our Silent Auction raised over $20k, all Activation Zones and bands were very popular and held great crowds. We had over 6000 patrons join us throughout the day to enjoy 95 brewers and over 630 beers, as well as 10 different wineries. Our VIP Hop House had amazing food and drinks, and our Reserved Craft Room featured delicious, rare beers. If you haven’t experienced these areas within WWBF, we encourage you to purchase those tickets next year. We would also like to recognize
our 2023 WWBF winners again. Our top food vendor winner was American Federal Grill, and True Anomaly took home the big trophy this year for best beer. Congratulations!
We would like to thank the almost 300 volunteers, as well as our fellow Katy Rotarians that came to support our efforts. Without you this event would not be possible.
Below you will find a list of our first round of deployment of funding from the WWBF event. As is widely known, no one takes any fee to run this event. We give away everything we make so that we can positively impact as many as possible. We Rotarians are passionate about what we do and the “why” we do it and know that we are always grateful for the support we receive.Arc of Katy – $5000
The Arc of Katy provides individuals with intellectual and development disabilities a sense of pride and accomplishment as well as social experiences that these individuals may not receive. They provide outings, social events, promote physical fitness and good health and engagement with the community. (thearcofkaty.org)
Boy Scouts of America – $1500
The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. (scouting.org)
Christ Clinic – $5000 in addition to district HOC grant of $7500
Christ Clinic is a local 501(c)3 non-profit clinic that can provide the uninsured, underinsured and their families with access to primary care and mental health counseling that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to access and/or afford. (christclinickaty.org)
Elijah Rising – $2500
Sponsor their gala which supports the fight against sex trafficking. Elijah Rising was founded in 2012 as a prayer gathering that focused on ending sex trafficking in Houston. Across Houston women and girls were being sold for sex, but there was little outcry, so Elijah Rising began hosting Van Tours and showing the public that sex trafficking is happening across our city. (elijahrising.org)
Hope Impacts – $2500
Hope Impacts connect those experiencing homelessness with organizations that provide safe housing, showers, meals, food pantries, medical services, dental services, etc. By providing a safe environment, intentional community partnerships, a vast referral and resource system, meeting basic essential needs, providing connection and ongoing relationship building opportunities to walk the journey of life together, they have been honored and privileged to help over 180 people get off the streets in the Katy Community since 2016 when they began operating full time. (hopeimpacts.org)
Hospital La Vega – $1500
This reading program is initially targeting 100 children ages 3-5 in the Tuskegee/Mason County area. It has been developed by the 1973 graduates from Tuskegee University. They will be holding one ReadtoME activity each week with HeadStart, Pre-K schools and Day Care Nurseries. Books will be available for the children and a record keeping system is in place for them to win awards for time spent reading or being read to. There is also a YouTube site for the children to connect to and have books read to them. This increases the reach in a big way. Grant will be used to purchase books for the program in September of this year.
KCM – $1000
Alleviating poverty, preventing homelessness and evictions via our Social Services Department Providing crisis intervention and counseling for victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse via our Crisis Center. Providing basic necessities like clothing, furniture, and household items through vouchers via our Resale Stores. (ktcm.org)
Read to me – $ 500 This reading program is initially targeting 100 children ages 3-5 in the Tuskegee/Mason County area. It has been developed by the 1973 graduates from Tuskegee University. They will be holding one ReadtoME activity each week with HeadStart, Pre-K schools and Day Care Nurseries. Books will be available for the children and a record keeping system is in place for them to win awards for time spent reading or being read to. There is also a YouTube site for the children to connect to and have books read to them. This increases the reach in a big way. Grant will be used to purchase books for the program in September of this year. (readtomeintl.org)
YMCA SAW water safety program – $5000
SAW is composed of eight 30-minute sessions to reduce the risk of drowning by giving children confidence in and around water. The program is geared for unintended entries into the water and safety. Our goal is that if a child falls in, they can swim, float swim, tread, and exit the water. The levels build on skill sequences to enable a child to help save themselves or tread/float long enough for help to arrive. They teach this at apartment complexes in Katy (fcymca.org)
As you can see, we have been busy! There will be much more to come as we move through the balance of 2023, and as always, we will keep you posted on our charitable contributions!
Again, we could not do this without you! We appreciate your support, friendship, and trust in us to “do the right thing” as always.
Cheers to you and your team, more to come!
The Entire WWBF Team and The Rotary Club of Katy!