Every summer, the Greeley Stampede transforms Greeley. The gates open, the midway fills, and each summer the community gathers around one of its longest-standing traditions. Families return to the same seats year after year. Volunteers arrive before sunrise. Local businesses prepare for one of the busiest stretches of the season.
What attendees see during the Stampede is only part of the story.
Long before opening day arrives, months of planning are already underway. Staff, volunteers, sponsors, vendors, and community partners work together to coordinate entertainment, rodeo events, logistics, safety, and guest experience. It is a year-round effort that depends on organizations willing to invest not only in the event itself, but in the community surrounding it.
The relationship between Chevron and the Stampede extends far beyond sponsorship. It reflects a shared investment in Weld County and the organizations, programs, and traditions that continue shaping the community year after year.
“Long-term partners like Chevron are essential to the success of the Stampede,” says Justin Watada, CEO of the Greeley Stampede. “Their support helps make it possible to deliver high-quality programming and maintain the scale and impact of the event.”
That support often happens behind the scenes. It helps fund infrastructure improvements, year-round planning efforts, and outreach initiatives that allow the Stampede to continue growing while maintaining the traditions generations of Weld County residents have grown up with.
For Chevron, that involvement is part of a broader approach to community engagement throughout Northern Colorado. The company focuses its local support on education, workforce readiness, youth development, health, and essential needs—areas designed to create long-term opportunities for students, families, and local organizations.
That work is visible across Weld County, from elementary classrooms to workforce training programs and college pathways.
At Aims Community College, Chevron-backed scholarship programs have helped more than 600 students pursue post-secondary education and workforce readiness opportunities. At the University of Northern Colorado, students participating in the Center for Urban Education and the Frontiers of Science Institute STEM program have received scholarship support, mentorship opportunities, and access to college credit pathways designed to strengthen future workforce opportunities in Northern Colorado.
Chevron also helps support student programs across Greeley-Evans School District 6 through work with The Success Foundation. More than 11,000 students participated in career exploration initiatives, engineering education, internships, and outdoor learning experiences connected to those programs during the 2025–26 school year. At the Career & Technical Education Center, 82 percent of students earned industry-recognized certifications while every student participated in work-based learning opportunities.
The impact reaches beyond education as well.
Alongside Weld Food Bank, Chevron helps support programs including mobile food pantries, senior food box distributions, and child nutrition initiatives serving families throughout Weld County. The organization provides food assistance to an average of 1,000 people each day.
Chevron also continues investing in organizations like Life Stories Child & Family Advocacy, helping provide trauma-informed advocacy, healing services, and prevention education for more than 1,200 children and family members navigating difficult circumstances.
Support from Chevron has also helped Colorado Youth Outdoors expand outdoor education and relationship-building programs serving more than 8,000 children. Funding helped increase summer camp capacity and expand participation opportunities for schools serving disadvantaged youth.
In one of the organization’s most hands-on volunteer efforts, 60 Chevron employees helped build and deliver new bicycles to 325 second-grade students at Title I schools in Greeley, Evans, Eaton, Galeton, and Kersey through Wish for Wheels.
“What stands out most is seeing how long-term investment can change individual and family trajectories,” says Naomi Woodard, Director of Colorado Operations for Chevron. “In Weld County, that impact is visible in classrooms, career labs, food distribution sites, and outdoor learning spaces. It shows up in people’s daily lives.”
That philosophy aligns closely with the Greeley Stampede’s own commitment to supporting Weld County beyond the event itself.
While the Stampede is best known for its summer events and traditions, the organization remains active in the community throughout the year through volunteer efforts, charitable giving, educational support, and local partnerships. Over the past year, the Stampede contributed more than $10,000 through silent auction donations and community requests while also supporting Banner Health blood drives, Weld Project Connect, local 5K events, and volunteer efforts with the Weld Food Bank.
The Stampede also contributes more than $175,000 annually to local organizations and nonprofits throughout Northern Colorado. Support reaches a wide range of causes, including military appreciation efforts like High Plains Honor Flight, cancer support programs benefiting the NCMC Foundation, local volunteer organizations, and partnerships with groups like ten24 Ministries.
Beyond its charitable efforts, the Stampede continues to have a major economic impact on the region, generating an estimated $23 million for the local economy each year.
For Chevron employees, community involvement is not limited to sponsorships or financial support. In 2025 alone, Chevron’s Colorado workforce contributed more than 3,130 volunteer hours through mentoring, nonprofit leadership, STEM programming, food distribution events, and career panels.
“Students meet professionals who believe in them, nonprofits gain trusted partners, and employees feel proud to contribute beyond their daily roles,” Woodard says.
That consistency is what has made the partnership between Chevron and the Stampede feel lasting. While the Stampede remains one of the community’s most visible traditions, the work happening around it continues throughout the year—in schools, nonprofits, scholarship programs, and organizations serving Weld County families every day.
“The Stampede is more than an event,” Watada says. “It’s a tradition woven into the fabric of the community.”
Through its relationship with the Stampede and continued support of local organizations, Chevron’s presence in Weld County reaches far beyond a single summer event. It is reflected in the programs, opportunities, and partnerships that continue long after the Stampede grounds empty each year.