No bull: It's a ride for charity

Border Patrol officer participates in fundraiser

The Daily Inter Lake

It's been 27 years since former Texas ranch hand Robert Harris has ridden a rodeo bull.

On Aug. 26, Harris - now head of the U.S. Border Patrol officers in Northwestern Montana - will find out whether he still can ride a bucking bull at the Lincoln County Fair at the fairgrounds in Eureka.

Harris, chief patrol agent for the agency's Spokane Sector, will ride a bull for a charity fundraiser during a break in the rodeo's bull-riding competition.

The donations will go to the Big Brothers and Big Sisters organizations, to the area's Head Start program, and to Faith In Action, which does volunteer work for senior citizens.

Harris and the Eureka station's chief agent, Stan Krause, participate in the Big Brothers program.

The patrol's Eureka station is trying to raise $20,000 for those charities, using Harris' bull-riding as a draw.

People can pledge money in a lump amount or on a scale related to how many seconds that Harris can stay on a bull.

Oddsmakers don't favor Harris.

The Eureka station has raised at least $10,000 in pledges if Harris just rides a bull, and $300 in pledges based on how many seconds he can ride.

Donors can call the patrol's Eureka station at 296-2938, or mail checks to the station's address at P.O. Box 909, Eureka, MT 59917. Checks should be made out to "Eight Seconds For Charity."

The patrol will also have a recruiting booth at the fair.

The Border Patrol's Spokane Sector covers 308 miles of the U.S.-Canadian border from the Cascade Mountains to the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park. The sector has seven stations, including those at Eureka and Whitefish.

The patrol is trying to increase its outreach with the public, since border security has become a greater issue in recent years.

That includes getting people to work closer with the patrol, Harris said.

"If they see something, we want them to call us," Harris said.