HOUSTON – RODEOHOUSTON may be known for its concerts, carnival rides and competition in the dirt, but on Volunteer Day the spotlight turns to the people who make the entire event run.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo started with just seven volunteers back in 1932.
Today, organizers say more than 36,000 volunteers keep the rodeo moving — not just during the three-week run at NRG Park, but year-round.
For Ashley Coffie, one of those volunteers, the rodeo isn’t just an annual tradition. It’s personal.
SEE ALSO: Bring the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo home with these sips and bites
Walking through the halls of NRG Center, Coffie describes the feeling of stepping into one of the biggest rodeo events in the world.
“You walk in here and it’s just like, kind of like the Super Bowl of rodeo,” Coffie said. “I just remember how powerful it was being in the room and seeing how much money they were raising and just thinking how many children are going to be affected in giving back.”
It’s also a place that feels like home — because it helped shape her life.
Coffie says she spent much of her childhood in and out of foster care until she was 12 years old.
Later, she got involved in the FFA and found her way to the rodeo through the Calf Scramble, where she won the Hard Luck Award. She returned to the showgrounds to compete again, this time bringing a heifer named Heidi she had worked hard to raise.
She credits those experiences — along with being adopted — with helping her build confidence and finally feel grounded.
“What I want to do is I want to make a difference in a child’s life,” Coffie said. “And that’s what the rodeo did for me.”
Coffie says the rodeo gave her more than a ribbon or recognition. It gave her something she needed at the time: direction.
“That’s what the rodeo gave to me was this hope, leadership and determination and grit,” she said. “And that’s what it kind of takes in this world to make it.”
Now married and raising two children, while running her own small business, Coffie is back at the rodeo in a different role — this time as a volunteer on the Wine Events Committee, one of thousands who take shifts to support the livestock show, events, scholarships and day-to-day operations.
“It’s like the size of a city, right? Bigger than a lot of cities — 36,000 volunteers,” said Mel Underhill, the rodeo’s chief volunteer and human resources officer. “And when you think about it, it literally takes that many people to make the rodeo run all year.”
Underhill helps organize and manage the massive volunteer force, much bigger than the rodeo’s 150 full-time staffers. And she said for many, volunteering is both service and celebration.
“It’s a great way to come out for the day, you know, in beautiful weather and enjoy a good time,” Underhill said.
But she also puts it plainly: without volunteers, the rodeo doesn’t happen.
“It wouldn’t be possible,” Underhill said.
Coffie knows firsthand how much the rodeo’s programs can change a kid’s path. She was once a scholarship recipient herself. Now, she’s volunteering with the hope that what she’s giving back might be the turning point for someone else.
“It really takes a village,” Coffie said. “And I would honestly consider Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo part of my village.”
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.