Alaska or bust! Ouradas embark on tractor trip to raise money for children’s health research

    Farmers know what it’s like to spend long hours in the tractor, with only a slight breeze to keep them cool and their own thoughts to keep them company. But what would it be like to spend two months in a tractor, crossing five states, three provinces and two international borders?
    “Here’s an opportunity most people don’t get!” said Dick Ourada.
    Last week, Dick and his wife, Carolee, set out on a 3,910-mile journey from Imperial, Nebraska, to Fairbanks, Alaska, with one goal: raise money to support children’s health research.
    At 20 miles per hour in Aggie, their trusted 1977 International Harvester 574, it’ll take the couple a couple of months to reach their destination, with many stops along the way to meet new people and explain the reason for the Tractor Trip for Kids.
    “If you go slow enough, you can spend your whole life on one trip,” said Dick with a grin.
    On Tuesday, July 12, the Ouradas took Aggie to Titan Machinery, the Case dealership in Imperial, Nebraska, followed by a stop at Central Plains Equipment in Holyoke on Wednesday, July 13.
    The Holyoke community gave them a grand sendoff, with a free hot dog lunch provided by Central Plains and a chance for residents to check out the tractor and ask questions.
    The Ouradas are not strangers to the region. Dick lived most of his life in the Venango, Nebraska, area and spent his own share of time in a tractor through work as a farmer in addition to mechanic work. Carolee was born and raised in Julesburg and recently retired from a career in nursing. The couple married in 2010.
    They currently live in Alaska full time. “Once we got to Fairbanks, it felt like home, so we stayed,” said Dick.
    They eventually decided to purchase 6 acres outside of the city, giving them more space and a perfect view of the Northern Lights.
    As Dick was working on a house at the new property, he thought it’d be nice to have a tractor on hand. That’s when they found Aggie at an online auction in Iowa. They purchased the tractor sight unseen two years ago, and a friend, Tom Balding, picked it up for them and brought it to the Ouradas’ shop building on the west edge of Holyoke.
    Between then and now, Dick took some time to recuperate from major health problems, and a few months ago, he was ready to head to Holyoke to begin working on the tractor.
    Through his farming and mechanic work, Dick was familiar with this type of tractor. Aggie got updated “from the back of the tractor clear to the front,” he said, including adding a cab and giving it a bright red paint job.
    Knowing that they needed to transport Aggie to Alaska one way or another, the Ouradas thought, “Why don’t we raise a lot of money for a good cause?”
    “I told him I wanted to travel when I retired,” said Carolee. She may be getting more than she bargained for.
    The couple will take turns driving the tractor on the 60-day trip and nearly 4,000-mile route to Alaska. They’re also taking with them a 1984 Winnebago.
    “An 82-year-old farmer, a 67-year-old retired emergency room nurse wife, a 38-year-old old Winnebago, you and 45-year-old Aggie to pull us along, we can do it!” they said on their Facebook page called Tractor Trip for Kids, which they’ll be updating regularly.
    On the day that the Ouradas left Holyoke last week, Dick’s daughter Donica celebrated her 58th birthday.
    In 1964, everything was normal for newborn Donica except for one thing: She refused to eat. Dick said the local doctors did everything they could for her but didn’t see any results. So they jumped in the car and rushed to Children’s Hospital in Denver.
    Because of their research, the hospital had developed a special nipple. “She just took right to it,” said Dick.
    That life-saving cure cost 75 cents and was available only because someone had the funds to search it out. Imagine how many lives this simple gadget has saved in the last 58 years, said Dick.
    Donica, who lives in Chadron, Nebraska, is now a mother of three and an early child education worker, and the Ouradas felt it was time for a payback.
    Carolee’s side of the family has also benefited from Children’s Hospital. Her nephew, Jeff Sittner, was born with heart problems, and in the five years between his first and second surgeries as a child, they already had better technology to treat him — thanks to research.
    “It’s so reassuring to be there,” said Carolee, praising the caring nature of the staff at Children’s Hospital and the resources that are offered to families.
    Now in his 30s, Sittner helps organize the Ovid Color Run, which raises funds for the Children’s Hospital Heart Institute.
    “We aren’t going to cure cancer or anything,” said Dick. “Everything doesn’t have to cost a million dollars to save lives.”
    During their two-month journey, the Ouradas have set a goal to raise $100,000, which will all go to Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation and will be earmarked for research.
    “We hope the goal is too low,” said Dick, noting that the research that they’ll be funding will benefit future generations.
    “Everyone has a child somewhere, son or daughter, grand or great-grand, born or borrowed, sick or well, and every life is precious. No one should have to suffer death of a child,” said the Ouradas in a Facebook post.
    “People’s response has been amazing,” said Dick. “You get to see the best side of people.”
To donate to the Tractor Trip for Kids fundraiser, visit tractortrip.com.
    To stay up to date as Aggie pulls for kids, visit facebook.com/tractortripforkids.