Our Events
The Boots for the Brave annual events are truly the heart of our project. Each year, we look forward to welcoming a new group of American patriots to the San Rafael Ranch in South Texas. During these events, we have the privilege of honoring our heroes, treating them to a weekend full of activities, Texas hospitality, building new relationships, relaxation, and a one-of-a-kind opportunity to meet with the Lucchese Bootmakers team to create their very own custom pair of boots!
About the Experience
Our annual Boots for the Brave events are a chance for us to honor a select group of wounded veterans during an incredible 5-day experience. Each year, Ferris and Loralee partner with Lucchese Bootmaker, the nation’s premier hand-crafted and American-made bootmaker, and NetJets, a world-class private aviation carrier, to provide a unique and immersive experience for some of our nation’s heroes. Ferris & Loralee select the veterans — all servicemen and women who have served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan and have suffered lower-limb injuries, resulting in amputation or paralysis — and organize the annual sponsors to cover logistical and boot production expenses, while Lucchese handles all aspects of the bootmaking process and NetJets provides transportation to and from the Lucchese plant.
The events begin with the veterans arriving at San Rafael Ranch for an extended weekend of hunting, recreation, camaraderie, relaxation, and lots of good southern food. The memories and life-long relationships created in the hunting blinds and around the fire pits are priceless. Then, the veterans are flown (via NetJets) to El Paso to have an exclusive meeting, design consultation and fitting with the expertly skilled Lucchese team. In this experience, they are able to design a hand-crafted custom boot to fit their exact preferences and functional needs, ensuring they ultimately get a completely personalized boot to fit their unique prosthetic. They are then flown back to San Rafael to top the weekend off with more great food, great experiences, and even better memories.
About the Ranch
The San Rafael Ranch is a sprawling 20,000-acre secluded sanctuary in South Texas, privately owned by Loralee and her family. At San Rafael, panoramic vistas and ample hunting terrain meet plush accommodations brimming with Texas hospitality.
The original ranch was a Spanish land grant from the 1700s consisting of a 2.8 million acre tract that was broken into smaller parcels over the years. The San Rafael Ranch — a portion of the initial tract — has been in the West family for over two decades. Over those years, the Wests have remained committed to preserving the authenticity of the land, artfully blending old with new, to create a one-of-a-kind sanctuary for their guests.
We are honored to host our annual events at such a picturesque location where our veterans can experience nature, relaxation, and hospitality in an ADA-friendly environment.
Thank you to our supporters:
