Wish granted for Beecher City boy at Buckin' for Heroes rodeo

Jul. 10—TEUTOPOLIS — Spectators gathered at the Teutopolis Banquet Hall Saturday night to watch bull riding and to give to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which provides life-changing experiences for children like Will Anderson, of Beecher City, who had his wish to visit Hawaii granted in front of a packed crowd of supporters during the sixth Buckin' for Heroes rodeo.

Five-year-old Will Anderson and his younger brother, Wade, who's almost 2, were diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a lung disease, when they were born. Mother Ally Anderson said Will has been "the best big brother" helping Wade through his treatment while he is still undergoing his own.

"They do all their therapy together," Ally said. "He's so brave, and he tells him how to do everything. He's a special kid."

Ally Anderson said she grew up around rodeos but getting to see Will experience one for himself, despite his illness, made this rodeo one to remember.

"This was unbelievable," she said. "It was more than you could ever imagine."

Will Anderson admitted he was surprised when it was announced his family would be receiving a trip to Hawaii. Ally said he enjoyed having his moment in the spotlight Saturday.

"What they do for these kids is just unbelievable," Ally said. "He loved every minute of that."

Ally admitted she never anticipated just how far organizers would go to make their family's night as memorable as possible.

"I think most kids usually get something at their house, not a rodeo and a firetruck and all the Disney characters," she said. "It was more than we could ever ask for."

For Ally Anderson, the best part of the evening was when Will delivered the opening prayer to kick off the rodeo, something she was surprised to see.

"My husband's the one that took him up there," Ally said.

Will Anderson even took part in the rodeo himself, giving an impressive, fearless performance during the mutton busting portion of the evening.

Will said his favorite part of the night was when a firetruck arrived at the rodeo carrying some of his favorite Disney characters.

"I liked Mickey Mouse and Donald (Duck)," Will said.

He said he's also excited to go to Hawaii with his family, particularly "going and playing in the sand" and playing with his toy monster trucks.

"He wants to be with family, and he wants to be on the beach," Ally Anderson said.

Ally said although Will might look and act like a healthy kid most of the time, his treatment is constant and can be quite grueling, which made her all the more happy to see him with a smile on his face all night Saturday.

"He takes like 32 pills a day, and then he does therapy for an hour a day," she said. "Just to be able to see him do something that is meaningful to him, it means so much because I see him go through so much."

"It's just touching," she added.

The event's organizer, Beth Funneman, said she was "thrilled with the turnout," especially since it's the first time the Buckin' for Heroes rodeo has been held in Teutopolis. Prior to this year, the event took place at the Effingham County Fairgrounds in Altamont.

"It's been a good event," Funneman said. "And I didn't know what to expect moving venues, but I think overall it went very very well."

Funneman said she and other organizers had been working tirelessly over the past few days to prepare for the event.

"We spent the last three days up here, about 12-hour days," she said.

For Funneman, doing this work every year is more than worth it to see families from the community gather for a good time.

"I Just enjoy seeing the families having fun," she said. "It's a family event. I've heard nothing but positive feedback."

Proceeds from the event will go toward Effingham DAV, Effingham VFW, the Teutopolis American Legion and Make-A-Wish Illinois.

Nick Taylor can be reached at nick.taylor@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300132.