The men of BearDance saw a record year for their event. (Leo Cusimano/Dallas Voice)
TBRU, BearDance hand out $140K to beneficiaries
TAMMYE NASH | Managing Editor
nash@dallasvoice.com
Organizers with the 2022 Texas Bear Round-Up and with BearDance 2022 gathered Saturday, June 25, for the annual Dallas Bears awards dinner and to present donations to the groups’ 2022 beneficiaries. This year, TBRU and BearDance joined resources to present a total of $140,000 to the Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund, Cathedral of Hope Benevolence Programs and AIN (Access and Information Network).
Outgoing Dallas Bears President Wayne Davis said this year saw the largest number of attendees in TBRU history, which resulted in the organization’s largest-ever amount in donations to beneficiaries. BearDance, which is organized by a separate group but held each year in conjunction with TBRU, also saw a record number of attendees and a record donation amount.
Dallas Bears celebrated a successful year with their awards banquet.
“We didn’t know if we would even meet the minimums we needed [in terms of attendance and registration], but we ended up having to get an overflow hotel,” Davis said. “We had 1,931 people registered for TBRU, and [VisitDallas] tells us there was an equal number of people, or larger number, who came to town for the event but didn’t actually register.
“TBRU is still the largest Bear event of its kind in North America,” Davis said.
This year’s TBRU was the first full event since 2019. In March 2020, the event had to be shut down on its first day as officials locally and around the nation imposed quarantines to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Davis has served on the board of Dallas Bears, which organizes and hosts TBRU, for 21 years, and has been president of the board for most of that time. He noted that he went through a protracted battle with cancer in 2019 and had intended to retire from the board in 2020. The COVID pandemic, however forced a change of plans, and he remained as president through the organization’s 2022 fiscal year, which ended Thursday, June 30.
But the Bears aren’t through with Davis yet: “I had expected that when I retired as president, I would be retiring as an active leader in Dallas Bears and TBRU,” he said. “But because of some other issues, I was asked to stay on the board as treasurer.”
Davis said he had “planned to retire from the presidency a long time ago, but the need just kept coming up, and I stayed on. Plus, I wanted to stay busy. My motto is, ‘I rest, I rust.’
“But it’s time for me to step down now,” he continued. “Being president is not a glamorous position. It is a lot of work, because TBRU is such a huge event. But I loved doing it.
“But now, honestly, it is time for new leadership with new thoughts,” Davis said. “I have been doing this a long time now, and I am tired.”
GDMAF was one of three beneficiaries for TBRU and BearDance 2023.(Leo Cusimano/Dallas Voice)
New leadership
Randy Flores, who has been Dallas Bears’ vice president, is stepping up into the office of president, effective today (Friday, July 1). He said he is looking forward to a successful and exciting year in 2022-23.
“Overall, my biggest goal is to continue the success of the Dallas Bears and Texas Bear Round-Up,” Flores said this week. “This past event, TBRU 26, was our most well-attended in our history, and I’d like to capitalize on that to continue to grow.
“Luckily Wayne [Davis] has provided years of excellent leadership as a template for me to use, and I don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” he continued. “I hope to increase our presence in the Dallas area by bringing back our local charity fundraisers that have been on hold since the COVID shutdown of 2020.”
Flores also said folks should start getting ready for “an exciting TBRU” in 2023.
“The theme for 2023, ‘7 Deadly Sins,’ is something that I actually advocated for because I think it gives people several avenues to express themselves,” Flores said. “What I’ve always said about TBRU is that it’s an event that you can show up to alone and leave with some of the best friends you’ll ever make.
“Wayne and the past presidents of the Dallas Bears have worked tirelessly to create an event based around body positivity, inclusion and diversity, and I hope to continue to build upon those tenants,” he added.
Dallas Bears officers for 2022-23, in addition to Flores as president and Davis as treasurer, are:
Vice President Dr. Clay Cessna, Secretary Kevin Steele, Assistant Treasurer Patrick Sweeney, Social Director James Davenport, Membership Care Director Terry Hoffman and Charitable Events Director Dillon Addison.
