North Country Horsemen, a saddle club based in Middle River, began administering a cancer grant fund in October 2011. Since then, its grant program, officially known as NCH Trails To Treatments, has grown into a major source of support for cancer patients across Northwest Minnesota.
Through mid-July 2026, NCH Trails To Treatments has awarded 2,311 grants totaling $1,804,200 to cancer patients in the six-county service area of Kittson, Roseau, Marshall, Pennington, Red Lake, and Polk counties.
The program provides financial grants to eligible individuals actively undergoing cancer treatment. The funds help patients and families with expenses that often come with treatment, including travel, fuel, lodging, meals, and other out-of-pocket costs.
For many recipients, the support comes during an overwhelming time.
“I will forever give back and support this group that supported and provided financial assistance to me when I paused my life to make sure I could do anything and everything to get my 5-year-old through his cancer,” said Laura Schultz, a past recipient and supporter of the program. “I was out of work and bedside to him for a year and a half. Treatment and recovery and complications take time, bills pile up fast, this group helped carry me through, and I am forever grateful.”
The committee also receives many thank-you notes from patients who have used the grants for treatment-related expenses.
“Thank you so much for helping us,” one recipient wrote. “We are using the money for our trips to Mayo.”
Another patient shared appreciation while undergoing chemotherapy treatments in Grand Forks, writing, “It means so much as I go through my chemo treatments for the second time.”
NCH Trails To Treatments is supported by volunteers, donors, riders, sponsors, businesses, organizations, auction buyers, and fundraising teams. TTT Teams officially joined the fundraising effort in 2015 and have become a large part of the program’s success.
In 2025, Trails To Treatments raised $236,297.98 before expenses and finished the year with $218,024.93 after expenses. Fundraising teams contributed $141,050.12, representing 64.7% of the total funds raised that year.
“When we needed you, you were there,” the TTT Committee shared in a message thanking past and present teams for their continued work on behalf of local cancer patients.
The 2026 fundraising season includes two major events in Middle River.
The 8th Annual Motorcycle Fun Run will be held Saturday, July 25, beginning at The Wheel Bar in Middle River. Registration starts at 10 a.m., with the ride beginning at 11 a.m. The ride is approximately 250 miles. For more information on the motorcycle ride, contact Kristi Westlund at 218-686-7440.
The 18th Annual NCH Trails To Treatments Cancer Benefit and Ride will be held August 7, 8, and 9 in Middle River. The weekend includes horse trail rides, meals, a silent auction, live music, kids’ activities, wagon rides, a cancer tribute ceremony, and a live auction.
Saturday events begin at 3 p.m. on Main Street in Middle River, with the evening meal served from 5 to 8 p.m. and the cancer tribute ceremony scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The live auction begins at 6 p.m.
What began as a local effort by a saddle club has become a lifeline for many families facing cancer. For NCH Trails To Treatments, the mission remains simple: local people helping local cancer patients when they need it most.
Donations, sponsorships, auction items and team fundraising all help fund NCH Trails To Treatments grants. Those interested in starting a TTT Team may contact Mardy Anderson at 218-689-2063 or email trailstotreatments@hotmail.com.
Donations may be mailed to:
NCH Trails To Treatments
PO Box 161
Middle River, MN 56737
Cancer patients actively undergoing treatment and living in Kittson, Roseau, Marshall, Pennington, Red Lake or Polk counties may apply for a grant through the North Country Horsemen website at northcountryhorsemen.com.
