PENDLETON, Ore.-The 116th Pendleton Round-Up is September 16-19, and 2026 also marks the 20th anniversary of the Round-Up’s Tough Enough to Wear Pink (TETWP) campaign.
The national TETWP campaign launched at the 2005 National Finals Rodeo and has been a part of the Pendleton Round-Up since 2006.
Now in its 20th year of raising money, awareness, and support for those facing breast cancer, Pendleton’s TETWP campaign is the oldest local campaign in the country.
“TETWP is such a powerful campaign because it represents so much more than fundraising,” said Casey White-Zollman, Co-Chair of Pendleton TETWP. “It’s about cancer awareness, hope, encouragement and community.”
Tough Enough To Wear Pink
TETWP was created by Terry Wheatley, founder of Purple Cowboy wines and a breast cancer survivor herself, along with Karl Stressman, former Director of Special Events at Wrangler, and launched at the 2005 National Finals Rodeo.
Back then it was unknown whether professional cowboys would show up in pink shirts, however, all but two of the competitors work pink and the event was a hit with spectators as well, with the majority of fans in the arena sporting pink.
TETWP is now a nationally recognized campaign that provides a framework for rodeos and western events to help promote breast cancer awareness and fundraising to benefit local communities.
Since 2005, over 100 rodeos and western events across the United States and Canada have raised over $45 million for breast cancer charities through TETWP campaigns and events, including the Pendleton Round-Up.
After attending the NFR in 2005 and witnessing how the rodeo community came together to raise awareness and support, directors for the Pendleton Round-Up decided to bring TETWP to Pendleton for the 2006 Round-Up.
20 years of TETWP at the Pendleton Round-Up
Over the past 20 years, Pendleton TETWP has raised over $514,000 and Thursday, the second day of the rodeo, is now designated TETWP Day at the Pendleton Round-Up, with volunteers, competitors and fans wearing pink, and the Round-Up Court sporting their now famous pink wooly chaps.
A Survivor Walk is held after the first Indian Relay Race of the rodeo on Thursday, and cancer survivors are invited to walk through the arena.
“It’s difficult to put into words what that moment means,” said Casey White-Zollman, Co-Chair of Pendleton TETWP along with Jill Gregg. “Survivors, those currently battling cancer and their families can look up into the stands and see a sea of pink. It’s a very visible, very powerful message: you are not alone, and your community is standing with you.”
The Round-Up Court and Happy Canyon Princesses will lead survivors across the arena this year as a 20th anniversary video plays on the big screen.
As part of its 20th anniversary year, Pendleton TETWP set a fundraising goal of raising $100,000.
TETWP events this year included a Power in Pink fun run/walk in April, and the Xtreme Bulls event on September 14 will be a TETWP night this year, with raffle tickets, T-shirts and commemorative wild rags available in the fan zone.
TETWP will also have two booths at the Pendleton Round-Up selling merchandise and raffle tickets, and accepting donations.
Raffle tickets are also available online through September 16, and winners do not have to be present to win.
2026 TETWP raffle prizes
- 20th anniversary TETWP belt buckle from Montana Silversmiths
- Two Pendleton hat company gift certificates ($500 each)
- Bottle of Pendleton Whisky signed by all of the 2025 Round-Up event winners
- Pendleton Whisky Taiga cooler
- Pink Portland Leather purse
Raffle drawings will take place on the afternoon of Thursday, September 17 and winners will be contacted that day.
Community effort
Over the past 20 years TETWP has become an integral part of both the Round-Up and the Pendleton community.
“One of the beautiful things about Pendleton and the surrounding communities is that when our neighbors are going through one of the hardest times of their lives, people show up,” said White-Zollman. “They volunteer. They wear pink. They offer encouragement.”
For White-Zollman, who became TETWP Co-Chair in 2014, what stands out the most over the past two decades is the community support from volunteers, local organizations, businesses, and fans that seems to grow year after year.
Sponsors such as the Round-Up Foundation, the Round-Up Association and Happy Canyon Company have supported TETWP throughout the years, while local businesses have sold commemorative pins and merchandise.
Volunteers who staff booths, sell merchandise and raffle tickets, collect donations, and help with events, such as the dress-up parade, have also been invaluable to the two decades of TETWP success in Pendleton.
“Pendleton is an incredibly generous community,” said White-Zollman. “You see it in the thousands of people who volunteer their time for the Round-Up and Happy Canyon, and you see that same spirit in the way people support TETWP.”
Those interested in volunteering with TETWP can contact Jill Gregg via email at jill.c.gregg@gmail.com
Local impact
While TETWP programs vary around the country, proceeds raised in Pendleton stay local.
“We emphasize that 100 percent of TETWP proceeds stay local and directly support cancer patients and survivors in our region,” said White-Zollman.
Funds raised by Pendleton TETWP typically support the CHI St. Anthony Hospital Cancer Clinic, the Kickin’ Cancer New Beginnings Program, and the Eastern Oregon Cancer Network.
This year, in honor of its 20th anniversary, funds raised by Pendleton TETWP will also benefit the Good Shepherd Cancer Center in Hermiston.
The programs and organizations supported by TETWP support people around the region with cancer, from diagnosis and treatment through remission.
“That local connection is incredibly important to us,” said White-Zollman. “When someone in our community is facing cancer, we want them to know they don’t have to face it alone.”
That support takes the form of practical items, such as mastectomy bras, wigs, or prosthetics, to gas or gift cards to help someone travel to their treatments.
The future of Pendleton TETWP
For White-Zollman, TETWP has been a way for the Pendleton community to turn compassion into action, and the impact is evident in the people she’s been able to meet, from survivors walking in the arena to family member’s sharing how much TETWP support has meant to them, to volunteers returning to help out every year.
White-Zollman and Gregg are proud of the work they’ve done and the first 20 years of TETWP in Pendleton, but want to continue to be a source of hope for those dealing with cancer long into the future.
“If TETWP can help someone feel a little less alone, give a family a little financial breathing room, or give a survivor a moment to look around the Round-Up Arena and see thousands of people standing behind them, then we’re doing what we set out to do,” said White-Zollman.
The Pendleton Round-Up is September 16-19, with rodeo action beginning daily at 1:15 p.m.
