Success in Denver is defined more by how much you give back than by the amount you earn. Our community is brimming with individuals and organizations committed to making our city, state and the world a better place. Throughout the decades, in the face of economic ebbs and flows, few events have stood the test of time, proven more valuable and garnered more enthusiasm than the Denver Rustlers. Rooted in our Western history, the Rustlers draws people from every corner of state to the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo.

The Denver Rustlers launched three decade ago when an exceptional economic dip threatened to end the Junior Livestock Sale at the Colorado State Fair. The sale marks a significant milestone for 4-H kids and the Future Farmers of America, as they learn the details and value of the rural economy, crucial ranching and business skills. Beyond these lessons, earnings from the livestock sale benefit the children, helping to fund their college educations. Thirty-two years ago, former state legislator and Pueblo native, Tom Farley, alongside Tim Schultz – president of the Boetcher Foundation who was the Colorado Agriculture Commissioner at that time – sought to preserve the passing of traditions to the next generation of Colorado. They approached Dick and Eddie Robinson, the brothers behind Robinson Dairy, and Larry Mizel, CEO of MDC Holdings and one of the state’s most prominent philanthropists, asking for support. Together, they formed the first Rustlers posse, and headed to Pueblo to buy some cattle.

“We knew the Junior Livestock Show was in trouble,” Schultz recently told me when I asked about the history of the Rustlers “I hadn’t been in Colorado long at that point. But we started working with Larry [Mizel] and the others to preserve this tradition and people became passionate about it. It began to build on itself.” The Rustlers annual program got off the ground with a handful of key individuals collectively committed to helping future farmers and ranchers achieve their ambitions. Thirty years later,  thousands of people have been positively impacted and millions of dollars have been raised by the Rustlers efforts.

One person who played a particularly consequential role in the sustained success of the Rustlers is Frances Koncilja. For nearly two decades the Pueblo native worked alongside Mizel and Schultz to produce the event and bring hundreds of Rustlers to Pueblo each summer. She volunteered her time and opened her heart to making the program a success. This year, Gov. John Hickenlooper asked her to serve on the Public Utilities Commission. In accepting the new role, she stepped down from Rustlers leadership and with the opening, I was given the honor of succeeding her. Frances left big boots, a rose-embroidered shirt and a powerful legacy to fulfill.

This year, nearly 300 people have agreed to travel to Pueblo for the State Fair, bringing with them more $100,000 in funds to purchase cattle and poultry from the Junior Livestock Show. Among them are local leaders in business, nonprofits and government – together they are the 2016 Denver Rustlers.

I first took the ride south to Pueblo some two decades ago and recall being so moved and was immediately bonded to the community and cause. I couldn’t be more proud to be a member of this special group, raising nearly $3 million dollars over the last three decades. I look forward each year to joining friends and colleagues on this modern-day cattle drive that tips a hat to Colorado’s past while investing in our future The money raised goes directly to young farmers and ranchers who show cattle and livestock at the Colorado State Fair. Their hard work ultimately means that they earn the opportunity to go to college.