HOUSTON – In a sea of more than 33,000 volunteers at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Jennifer Hirsch is a familiar face to many people around the horse barn.
She started volunteering at the rodeo in 1998 and has been a regular fixture ever since, spending nearly every day of the rodeo attending to horses and their handlers.
"I think I've had to take like 18 days off from my job,” Hirsch said as she laughed.
But it is a commitment that comes as a joy to Hirsch, who meets with many of the children who receive scholarship money from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
"Just hearing some of their testimonies of, you know, I'm the first graduate of high school of my family going off to college -- that's what makes you want to come back and do it," Hirsch said.
The rodeo has pledged more than $14 million in scholarship money in 2018.
Hirsch’s passion extends to sharing the value of hard work that comes with life on a ranch with the children she meets at the horse shows.
"It's a trait that you want your child to know. And it helps them in business -- having responsibilities and deadlines," Hirsch said.