DALLAS – In the last month, the rodeo community has come together strongly for J.R. Vezain and his wife, Shelby.

Now Pete Carr Pro Rodeo and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association are calling on rodeo committees across the country to give to the Vezains. The PRCA has created a link to giving so committees and individuals can support the six-time National Finals Rodeo bareback riding qualifier.

“If every PRCA committee, most in which J.R. has competed over the years, could look into their hearts and give a couple hundred bucks, that would be a wonderful start toward his hospital bills and a new path for the Vezains,” Carr said.

Vezain was injured in late September when a horse reared and fell backwards on top of him at a rodeo in southeast Texas. He suffered spinal fractures and has suffered from a lack of mobility issues from the waist down. He was undergoing therapy at the TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston and has seen progress in the weeks since his surgery. He is now transferring to a rehab hospital in Salt Lake City and hopes to walk again.

A number of benefits have popped up since Vezain was injured to help offset medical costs, and there is a call for more to happen. Pete Carr, owner of Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, has been working with the PRCA to develop another fundraising opportunity for PRCA committees.

“Because rodeo is a big family, we wanted to reach out to all of our family members, including the 700-plus committees that produce rodeos every year,” Carr said. “We wanted to provide an outlet for those committees to donate as much as they can or as much as they wish to benefit J.R. and his family.”

Carr and his team will produce a benefit rodeo for the Vezains at the Stampede at the Ike rodeo, scheduled for Jan. 11-12 at West Monroe, La.

“As a stock contractor, committeeman and contestant, I understand what can happen in the rodeo arena,” Carr said. “This hit me pretty hard, so I want to do as much as we possibly can to help J.R. He’s got a long road ahead of him, and he’s going to need all the help he can get.”

PRCA CEO George Taylor echoed those sentiments.

“The rodeo community is a tight-knit group that takes care of its own,” Taylor said. “The PRCA appreciates the initiative of Pete Carr Pro Rodeo to reach out to the committees and the community within rodeo in hopes of doing what we know they are capable of to help care for J.R.”

This is an opportunity for anyone who is interested to donate to get on board and help Vezain and his family as he moves forward in his rehabilitation can do so by clicking on this link.