'Blue Jeans, Boots & Bulls' fundraiser supports KCH’s smallest patients
LEXINGTON, KY. (April 25, 2024) – Slip on those Wranglers and dust off your boots – it’s time for the second annual Blue Jeans, Boots & Bulls Derby Eve Party, a fundraiser to support the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Kentucky Children’s Hospital (KCH).
Hosted by the Barn Door Grill and Bluegrass Stockyards, this event features dinner, live music by Paul Childers and a silent auction. KCH is one of three benefiting charities – a place near and dear to event founder Darren Ripley’s heart.
His twins Maddy and Christina were born at 26 weeks and spent more than three months in the NICU. Now 30, Maddy works alongside her dad in the hospitality industry. Christina works for a fashion designer in New York City.
“These organizations are vital to the care of some of the things that matter most to us in Central Kentucky, both children and the horse,” said Ripley. “I am forever grateful for KCH. I have a daily reminder of the greatness of UK HealthCare with my two amazing daughters.”
Jim Akers is the chief operating officer of The Bluegrass Stockyards. His grandson TJ, now age 3, spent the first 280 days of his life in the NICU.
“TJ is truly a blessing for our entire family,” said Akers. “The fact that he is with us and thriving is a direct result of the miracles that are performed daily in the NICU at Kentucky Children’s Hospital.”
The party will be held 5:30-11:30 p.m. Friday, May 3, at the Barn Door Grill at the Bluegrass Stockyards, located at 4561 Iron Works Pike in Lexington. Tickets start at $100 and are available online and at the door.
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center and Kentucky’s top hospital ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.