Ball raises $488,694 for health

HASTINGS, Neb. — The final tally is in: The 2009 Cattlemen’s Ball raised $488,694.23.

Ball officials announced the total at a reception Tuesday evening in Hastings, Neb.

Nearly 90 percent of the money will go toward cancer research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Eppley Cancer Center. The remaining money will be distributed for health care and wellness programs across central Nebraska through a series of grants.

Co-chairmen Fred and Deanna Bosselman and Don and Marilyn Deitemeyer, along with Greg Robb whose family hosted the 2009 Cattlemen’s Ball near Doniphan, Neb., presented a check to Dr. Ken Cowan, director of the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center, during the reception.

Despite muddy grounds and a messy economy, more than 3,000 people gathered in Doniphan on June 6 for the fundraiser.

The Cattlemen’s Ball is hosted by a different Nebraska ranch or feedlot each year. Its mission is to raise money for cancer research while showcasing rural Nebraska and promoting beef as part of a healthful diet.

In the 11 years of the event, more than $3.7 million has been raised.