Philanthropy 2.0
09/30/2025 01:54PM ● By Sophie Dingle
Photo courtesy of Hallie Myhre.
Hallie Myhre is young but she’s mighty. The 26-year-old, who was born and raised in Steamboat Springs, is on a mission to give back to the community. As a lover of livestock, it’s fitting that her devotion to community service began with a horse.
When Hallie was a junior in high school, she was in a bad accident that involved a horse she was testing to potentially purchase. She was kicked in the face, broke 11 bones, was in the hospital for a week, and was out of school for even longer. What she remembers from that time, though, isn’t just misery – it’s the community that supported her.
“Immediately, there was a Go Fund Me page that raised money to pay for all of my medical bills,” she says. “There was a meal train every day for me and my family. People would come over and spend time with me when my parents had to go back to work. I got signs and letters from teachers and classmates. Despite it being a really horrible experience, it was really cool to be on the receiving end of such a supportive community who bands around people in need and does everything they can to help.”
Since moving back home four years ago after college, Hallie has made it her mission to be a part of the community that helped her get through that difficult time.
Growing up in Steamboat, Hallie was a skier, but her real passion lay in the 4H program. “4H was transformative for my life,” she says.
As a shy child, she joined 4H and had to take care of the animals on her own and then show the animals at the county fair in front of judges, answer questions, and sell them at the livestock sale. “It was intimidating,” she says. “But slowly, throughout the years, I became more confident and learned a ton, and it was one of the best things that I ever did.”
She showed horses, sheep and chickens and was on the livestock judging team for the Routt County 4H program, which involved competing throughout the state. When she left for college in Wyoming, she continued to compete in livestock judging, received scholarships, and essentially paid for her schooling through it. “It impacted my college career, but also me as a person,” she says.
Drawn especially to sheep, she showed them each year at the county fair. In her senior year of high school, she kept one of the lambs to breed. She now has 10 ewes and sells the lambs to current 4H kids to show at the county fair. “It’s so rewarding to see a 4H kid show one of my lambs at the fair now,” Hallie says. “County fair was always my favorite week of the year. It was such a fun and important part of my childhood, and I want as many kids to experience that as possible.”
Hallie’s early involvement with 4H led to a dedication to preserving the rich agricultural history in Routt County. She has been a member of the Routt County CattleWomen since she moved back home and although she was the youngest member, she was immediately invited into the fold.
"It can be really intimidating to be a younger person joining committees where everyone else is much older,” she says. “But in my experience, everyone is excited to have someone younger on board, with new ideas and different ways of doing things. My generation is also the future of all these different programs, and everyone has always been very welcoming.”
Hallie is currently the secretary of Routt County CattleWomen as well as the Scholarship Committee chair and is now on the Ranch Rodeo Committee. When she joined the organization, she knew it needed to raise money – quickly. “Previously the way that they raised money was by sewing handmade goods and selling them at craft fairs,” Hallie explains. “But there are fewer craft fairs now since Covid and that was drying up. I wanted to think of a way that we could host one event – a large event – and raise a lot of money that could go in our scholarship fund each year.”
Then, after a trip to Wickenburg, Arizona, for an event called Art of the Cowgirl, Hallie and the CattleWomen were inspired to start their own all-female ranch rodeo. With a goal of hosting 10 teams and raising $5,000, they set to work. On a hot Saturday last July, the goal was surpassed when 15 teams from different states traveled to Clark to compete. Spectators exceeded 500 (the goal was 150) and the Routt County CattleWomen raised over $15,000, more than doubling their goal.
“It was really exciting,” Hallie says. “I benefitted from the CattleWomen scholarships when I was in college, so it’s really important to me that I support, give back and spend the time to raise money now for the kids in school."
The scholarship is one of the few that students can receive when they’re already in college, rather than as high school seniors. To qualify, students must be involved in local beef production or be pursuing a degree that would benefit the beef industry.
Hallie also sits on the Routt County CSU Extension Advisory Committee and recently joined the Altitude Realtors Gives Scholarship Committee. As a local realtor – and someone who received those scholarships in high school – Hallie wanted to volunteer her time and help with the program.
“I’m generally the youngest person in the room,” she says of her participation on various committees. But that doesn’t stop her from joining. “It’s extremely difficult to move back to Steamboat after college,” she says. “The cost of living is so high and it’s hard to find a place to live. I do know that a lot of my former classmates would love to be here, but it’s not always realistic. I’m so blessed to be able to live here, building a successful career and to be able to give back to my community – because not everyone is able to do that.”
Growing up in Steamboat has allowed Hallie to observe how the town has changed and evolved over the course of her lifetime. “Steamboat and Routt County have changed so much, and it’s easy to dwell on those changes,” she says. “But it’s still a tightknit, supportive community, and it is important to me that I do my part to ensure it stays that way. I know what it’s like to be in a bad place and have the community support to lift me up. It’s been almost 10 years since the accident, and it still blows my mind how many people supported me in any way they could. I love this valley, and I’ll keep doing my part – because it takes all of us, whether we’ve been here a lifetime or just a little while, to keep the community strong."
Hallie Myhre is young but she’s mighty. The 26-year-old, who was born and raised in Steamboat Springs, is on a mission to give back to the community. As a lover of livestock, it’s fitting that her devotion to community service began with a horse.
When Hallie was a junior in high school, she was in a bad accident that involved a horse she was testing to potentially purchase. She was kicked in the face, broke 11 bones, was in the hospital for a week, and was out of school for even longer. What she remembers from that time, though, isn’t just misery – it’s the community that supported her.
“Immediately, there was a Go Fund Me page that raised money to pay for all of my medical bills,” she says. “There was a meal train every day for me and my family. People would come over and spend time with me when my parents had to go back to work. I got signs and letters from teachers and classmates. Despite it being a really horrible experience, it was really cool to be on the receiving end of such a supportive community who bands around people in need and does everything they can to help.”
Since moving back home four years ago after college, Hallie has made it her mission to be a part of the community that helped her get through that difficult time.
Growing up in Steamboat, Hallie was a skier, but her real passion lay in the 4H program. “4H was transformative for my life,” she says.
As a shy child, she joined 4H and had to take care of the animals on her own and then show the animals at the county fair in front of judges, answer questions, and sell them at the livestock sale. “It was intimidating,” she says. “But slowly, throughout the years, I became more confident and learned a ton, and it was one of the best things that I ever did.”
She showed horses, sheep and chickens and was on the livestock judging team for the Routt County 4H program, which involved competing throughout the state. When she left for college in Wyoming, she continued to compete in livestock judging, received scholarships, and essentially paid for her schooling through it. “It impacted my college career, but also me as a person,” she says.
Drawn especially to sheep, she showed them each year at the county fair. In her senior year of high school, she kept one of the lambs to breed. She now has 10 ewes and sells the lambs to current 4H kids to show at the county fair. “It’s so rewarding to see a 4H kid show one of my lambs at the fair now,” Hallie says. “County fair was always my favorite week of the year. It was such a fun and important part of my childhood, and I want as many kids to experience that as possible.”
Hallie’s early involvement with 4H led to a dedication to preserving the rich agricultural history in Routt County. She has been a member of the Routt County CattleWomen since she moved back home and although she was the youngest member, she was immediately invited into the fold.
"It can be really intimidating to be a younger person joining committees where everyone else is much older,” she says. “But in my experience, everyone is excited to have someone younger on board, with new ideas and different ways of doing things. My generation is also the future of all these different programs, and everyone has always been very welcoming.”
Hallie is currently the secretary of Routt County CattleWomen as well as the Scholarship Committee chair and is now on the Ranch Rodeo Committee. When she joined the organization, she knew it needed to raise money – quickly. “Previously the way that they raised money was by sewing handmade goods and selling them at craft fairs,” Hallie explains. “But there are fewer craft fairs now since Covid and that was drying up. I wanted to think of a way that we could host one event – a large event – and raise a lot of money that could go in our scholarship fund each year.”
Then, after a trip to Wickenburg, Arizona, for an event called Art of the Cowgirl, Hallie and the CattleWomen were inspired to start their own all-female ranch rodeo. With a goal of hosting 10 teams and raising $5,000, they set to work. On a hot Saturday last July, the goal was surpassed when 15 teams from different states traveled to Clark to compete. Spectators exceeded 500 (the goal was 150) and the Routt County CattleWomen raised over $15,000, more than doubling their goal.
“It was really exciting,” Hallie says. “I benefitted from the CattleWomen scholarships when I was in college, so it’s really important to me that I support, give back and spend the time to raise money now for the kids in school."
The scholarship is one of the few that students can receive when they’re already in college, rather than as high school seniors. To qualify, students must be involved in local beef production or be pursuing a degree that would benefit the beef industry.
Hallie also sits on the Routt County CSU Extension Advisory Committee and recently joined the Altitude Realtors Gives Scholarship Committee. As a local realtor – and someone who received those scholarships in high school – Hallie wanted to volunteer her time and help with the program.
“I’m generally the youngest person in the room,” she says of her participation on various committees. But that doesn’t stop her from joining. “It’s extremely difficult to move back to Steamboat after college,” she says. “The cost of living is so high and it’s hard to find a place to live. I do know that a lot of my former classmates would love to be here, but it’s not always realistic. I’m so blessed to be able to live here, building a successful career and to be able to give back to my community – because not everyone is able to do that.”
Growing up in Steamboat has allowed Hallie to observe how the town has changed and evolved over the course of her lifetime. “Steamboat and Routt County have changed so much, and it’s easy to dwell on those changes,” she says. “But it’s still a tightknit, supportive community, and it is important to me that I do my part to ensure it stays that way. I know what it’s like to be in a bad place and have the community support to lift me up. It’s been almost 10 years since the accident, and it still blows my mind how many people supported me in any way they could. I love this valley, and I’ll keep doing my part – because it takes all of us, whether we’ve been here a lifetime or just a little while, to keep the community strong."