Happy Trails Leading to a Brighter Tomorrow
Film legends Roy Rogers and Dale Evans dedicated themselves to the improvement of the lives of abused children. Named after the couple's signature sign-off tune, the Happy Trails Children's Foundation in Apple Valley, CA, carries on their important work.
With nearly one in 10 children nationwide experiencing child abuse and the number of such cases on the rise, Happy Trails helps child victims of crimes ranging from severe physical, mental and sexual abuse to kidnapping and neglect. The Cooper Home, a project of Happy Trails, provides urgent services to respond to this unfortunate epidemic in our society.
In partnership with Trinity Services, Happy Trails provides beds for 44 young male victims of child abuse, ranging in age from 10 to 16. Child Protective Services remove these boys from their abusive homes throughout Southern California, and the courts subsequently send them to Happy Trails. These boys then participate in both group and individual therapy, in a program that lasts an average of 12-18 months. Each boy has his own prescribed course of therapy and must meet agreed-upon goals along the way.
When a boy graduates, his case worker and Happy Trails staff work together to determine the ideal placement for him. He could return home, go into a foster care situation, live with other family members or transfer to another group home until he turns 18.
Happy Trails receives public and financial support from organizations across the country and all over the world, including the Rancho Motor Company of Southern CA, a family-owned and operated business that has served the automotive needs of its High Desert clients since 1971. Rancho Motor Company provides huge inventories of both new and used Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles. They have locations in Hesperia and Victorville, CA, and have the only dealership-owned collision center and auto-body repair shop.
The foundation also receives contributions from members of the Single Action Shooting Society and others in the firearms industry, and receives a large amount of public support through fans of Roger Rogers and Dale Evans.
A large portion of Happy Trail's revenue comes from opportunity drawings and from auctions. The foundation sends out a newsletter to its donors, listing fundraisers it holds throughout the year. The Breakfast Club and the Friends of Happy Trails Banquet have proven hugely successful in raising needed funds and providing great entertainment at the same time.
Known as "The Singing Cowboy" and married to singer Evans for nearly 51 years, Rogers had a successful career in television, radio and film for several decades. He passed away in 1998, at the age of 86. Evans, his long-time sidekick both in marriage and entertainment, died a few years later, in 2001, of congestive heart failure, at the age of 88. The couple moved to Apple Valley in 1965, and there opened the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum, which has since closed. They adopted three children, one of whom had been severely abused at his former home in Kentucky, and the couple fostered a teenaged girl from Scotland. They had a biological child of their own, though she died at two years old from complications of Down Syndrome.
Both a paid and volunteer staff run Happy Trails, and it has non-profit, tax-exempt status under the Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All donations to the foundation receive a full tax deduction. The foundation's website lists eight different ways of giving to the organization, which include paying by credit card and receiving air miles. One could also donate personal property, such as jewelry, art or stamps. Learn more about the Happy Trails Foundation at www.happytrails.org.