Texas Community Rallies for Volunteer Who Gave Her All

When Gail Damerau discovered a breast mass during last October's Guadalupe County Fair, the same community she'd served for decades immediately began planning how to give back.

The lifelong Texas volunteer completed six grueling chemotherapy treatments for stage 2 breast cancer. Now with surgery ahead and medical bills piling up, her family and friends are hosting "Pulling Together for Gail" on Saturday at Vic's Rodeo Arena in Marion.

"We aren't just hosting a benefit; we're throwing a full-blown Guadalupe County celebration for a woman who has given her all to this community," said her daughter Dori Damerau.

Gail's roots run deep in Guadalupe County agriculture. She was FFA Sweetheart at Seguin High School and earned the Fair Princess title before dedicating her adult life to building up the same organizations that shaped her youth.

Today she volunteers with the Guadalupe County Fair, the Youth Livestock and Homemakers Show, San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, 4-H, the Tri-County Antique Tractor Pullers, and the Marion Sewing Guild. When cancer struck, these communities instantly mobilized.

The fundraiser starts at 10 a.m. with a tractor pull. Volunteers will serve 500 plates of barbecue chicken and sausage for $20 donations starting at 11 a.m.

Local 4-H and FFA kids are contributing baked goods for a donation-based bake sale, treating it as practice for upcoming fair competitions. The event also features a silent auction, raffles, and T-shirt sales.

At 3 p.m., 50 kids will compete in mutton bustin', followed by buckin' bulls and horses at 7 p.m. Local musicians will perform throughout the evening.

Sunny's Take

What makes this story shine isn't just the community support, it's how perfectly it mirrors Gail's own life of service. For decades, she showed up for county fairs, youth livestock shows, and agricultural events, quietly building the foundation that now holds her up.

Her recent MRI brought good news: the mass is gone. While she still faces a double mastectomy and lymph node removal next month, she's walking into surgery surrounded by the same love she's spent a lifetime cultivating.

The event beautifully weaves fundraising into existing community traditions, turning an annual Bulls & Pulls weekend into something bigger. It's a reminder that the roots we grow in our communities become the support system that catches us when we fall.

Admission after 4 p.m. is $10, with children 10 and under free, ensuring families can participate regardless of budget.

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