RAGASS Raises Fund for Haines Family

On Saturday Sept. 4, Ray and Annette Clarahan again mobilized the RAGASS fundraiser event as the Haines Town & Country Edition hit the roads in and around Sigourney. The event included eighty-five golfcarts and side-by-sides to raise funds for the Trisha and Mark Haines family.

On June 18, 2021, eight-year-old Evan and 11-year-old Eli Haines were severely burned in a chemical explosion on the family’s farm just west of Sigourney. After over five weeks for Evan and eight weeks for Eli, the boys have finally been released from the burn unit at the hospital and are continuing their long journey to recovery which includes weekly physical and occupational therapy.

As a takeoff of RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa), Ray Clarahan founded RAGASS, which stands for Ray’s Annual Golfcart Across Scenic Sigourney, in October of 2016 with 35 golf carts driven and ridden by family and friends. The event was a success and enjoyed by all who participated so they continued it as an annual event.

A good friend of the Clarahan’s, Mike Appleget was one of the original 2016 participants. Mike passed away the following month in November of 2016. When the Clarahans organized the 2017 RAGASS event, they dedicated the ride to Mike and offered participation for a good will offering. The ride raised $1,200 to benefit Mike’s children.

RAGASS grew to 95 golfcarts in 2018 and raised $2,500 for Keokuk County Hospice.

There were two RAGASS events in 2019, both of which were held during Sigourney’s 175th Anniversary celebration. The first was a traditional RAGASS road ride which raised $2,500 for juvenile diabetes. The next day a second RAGASS was held which included, for the first time, 18-holes of putt-putt golf located in private yards and businesses around Sigourney. The event raised $3,000 for Heather Mendenhall as she battled cancer.

Aubrey Galindo, a 10-year-old cancer patient from Keota, was the $5,500 beneficiary of the successful 2020 RAGASS event.

Mr. Clarahan enjoys awarding fun trophies (topped by the backend of a horse) for things like the Best Dressed Golf Cart, Best Dressed Team, Best Putt-Put Hole, as well as trophies to the youngest participant called the Putt-Putt Little Butt, and the oldest participant called The Old Ass trophy.

This year, 2021, once more saw two RAGASS events. The first one was held during the July Fourth celebration and raised $11,250 for Sigourney high school student Isabelle Ireland as she battles cancer.

The second 2021 RAGASS, that was held this past weekend on Saturday, raised $7,520 for the Haines family, with donations still coming in. You can also donate through Go Fund Me to help the Haines family with their continued medical expenses for Evan and Eli’s recovery, which most likely includes future surgeries and a great deal of therapy to help the boys regain range of motion and full use of their arms and hands. You can find the Go Fund Me account at www.gofundme.com by searching on “Help for the Haines Family”.