Breckenridge Texan

By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

The Sloan Everett Memorial Foundation continued its support of local volunteer fire departments last week with a donation of more than $54,000, split between the three Stephens County VFDs.

Caddo VFD, Hubbard Creek VFD and Wayland VFD each received $18,004.84, one-third of the total amount raised — $54,014.52 — by the annual Sloan Everett Pure Country Pedal Memorial Bike Ride, which took place in October.

The annual Sloan Everett Pure Country Pedal Memorial Bike Ride is held in October to raise funds for local volunteer fire departments. Click here to see more pictures from the event. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

“This was our ninth year,” Jim Everett said on Monday evening, Nov. 24, in the Breckenridge City Park, as he and his wife, Teresa, and one of their daughters, Elizabeth, presented checks to the VFDs. “And I don’t know how y’all felt about it, but I felt that it went better across the board this year than ever before. We had more riders, and we had more real bikers who came to participate. On top of that, I think the food was as good or better than it has been in the past, and the entertainment was out of sight.”

The bike ride is held each year in memory of Sloan Everett, the son of Jim and Teresa Everett. Sloan was killed by a wildfire in the Texas Panhandle in 2017. He and two friends were trying to save the cattle on the Franklin Ranch northeast of Amarillo. He was a Breckenridge High School graduate who had been involved in many aspects of the community, including serving on the Stephens Memorial Hospital Board and the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, serving First Baptist Church of Breckenridge through the youth ministry, and bike riding around the area. He also owned the Lonestar Laundry, which is still in operation. The annual bike ride gives his family and the Breckenridge community an opportunity to commemorate his life and help the area volunteer fire departments.

Elizabeth Everett, center, writes the donation amount on the oversized check for last week’s presentation to the local volunteer fire departments, while her parents, Teresa and Jim Everett, look on. See more photos from the check presentation in the photo gallery. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

“The Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce, after we lost our son, put a granite monument to him on the walking path up here, behind the former American Legion, and it says ‘In honor of Sloan Everett for his selfless dedication to community and economic improvements,'” Jim said to the volunteer firefighters gathered at the park last week.  “I go up there to eat my lunch sometimes, and sit at that table up there. And I thought, that’s exactly you guys, your selfless dedication to help other people. You don’t get anything out of this. All the donations go to fix equipment, buy equipment, fuel, whatever. And so what you guys do is a mirror of what they said about our son. And so I just thought, boy, it fits together really good that we’re doing this bike ride because when he couldn’t do group sports anymore … he loved biking. And so doing a bike ride to benefit you all just seems to work and fit together like a puzzle. And so anyway, I want to thank y’all for your selfless dedication that you have for this community and surrounding areas, wherever your volunteer fire department is.”

The first memorial bike ride was held in 2017, and in 2019 the family decided to turn it into a fundraiser for volunteer fire departments. That first fundraising year, they raised $13,136.20 and donated $4,378.73 each to the three VFDs in Stephens County. Each year, the amount raised has increased.

This year’s event was held on Oct. 11 and was the ninth annual bike ride. Each year, the volunteer fire departments, as well as the Breckenridge Fire Department, Breckenridge Police Department, the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office and other volunteers, help with various activities on the day of the event.

“We are just so thankful for y’all’s commitment to the community and also this event, because we can’t do it without your help and your involvement,” Elizabeth Everett said Monday evening. “And so I’m just really grateful that we get to honor y’all and give these funds to y’all, and that we have so many people willing to donate to this.”

Click here to see the Breckenridge Texan’s Photo Gallery from the 2025 bike ride.

The Everett family, on behalf of the Sloan Everett Memorial Foundation, presents more than $54,000 to the local volunteer fire departments. The funds were raised through the annual bike ride held in memory of Sloan Everett. Pictured, from left, are: Michael Lewis Sr., Carl Huffman, Curtis Duggan, Ronnie Elder, Vernon Lewis, Michael Lewis Jr., Tom Claybrook, Tamara Boone, Charles Russek, Teresa Everett, Sy Mitchell, Mike Davis, Elizabeth Everett, Tye Jackson, Jim Everett, Cecil Ramsaier, Sammy Fambro, Chris Houchin, D.L. DuBose, Billy Gilbreath and Tom Doherty. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The Sloan Everett Memorial Foundation presented a check to the Caddo VFD on Monday, Nov. 24. Pictured, from left, are Sy Mitchell, Teresa Everett, Ronnie Elder, Elizabeth Everett, Mike Davis and Jim Everett. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The Hubbard Creek Volunteer Fire Department was on hand to accept the donation from the Sloan Everett Memorial Foundation. Pictured, from left, are: Carl Huffman, Tom Claybrook, Michael Lewis Sr., Tamara Boone, Vernon Lewis, Michael Lewis Jr., Charles Russek, Chris Duggan, Elizabeth Everett, Teresa Everett and Jim Everett. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The Sloan Everett Memorial Foundation presented a check to the Wayland Volunteer Fire Department. Pictured from left are: Tom Doherty, Billy Gilbreath, Chris Houchin, Cecil Ramsaier, Sammy Fambro, Elizabeth Everett, Tye Jackson (back), Teresa Everett, Jim Everett and D.L. Dubose. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Tamara and Phillip Boone direct bike riders during the 2025 Sloan Everett Pure Country Pedal Memorial Bike Ride, which took place in October. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Jim Everett, second from right, talks to members of the Stephens County volunteer fire departments during the check presentation from the Sloan Everett Memorial Foundation on Nov. 24. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)