FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO NATIONAL INTEREST
Founded in 2016, with the support and partnership of the
Santa Maria Elks Rodeo, the Golden Circle of Champions was conceived to raise awareness and provide funds to help local children battling pediatric cancer. Each year, 25 children and their families are honored during the opening night of the Elks Rodeo. The children attend a dinner at the rodeo, meet many of the cowboys and cowgirls, and then get to watch the rodeo from a special reserved section located in the grandstands. Through donations and fundraising efforts, support is provided directly to the families to fulfill their most urgent needs: paying bills, buying medicine, and caring for their family.
The children selected each year have ranged in age from 3 months to 17 years of age and each child has been diagnosed with a life-threatening cancer or associated illness. The children attend dinner at the rodeo, meet many of the competing cowboys and cowgirls, and watch the rodeo in a designated section of the grandstands. Additional events include various raffles, auctions, and the annual passing of the boot during each Elks Rodeo performance.
Tina Tonascia, Founder of Golden Circle of Champions, describes the organization's mission, “Our goal is to bring the much needed education and awareness, locally and nationally, to pediatric cancer and offer a ray of hope to the families that are navigating through this journey. They desperately need our help as a community, and we want to let them know we are here for them. It is our job to tell their story about pediatric cancer, in the hopes that one day we will be able to make a difference.”
What started in Santa Maria has grown to provide support to children and their families on a national scale. In December of 2021, the Golden Circle of Champions, in conjunction with Las Vegas Events, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Red Bluff Round-Up, and Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, honored 20 children from across the country who are fighting cancer, along with their families, during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. The Champions are each partnered with NFR contestants to participate in activities such as learning to rope a calf dummy, riding bouncy horses, and creating arts and crafts. The Champions are outfitted with Wrangler jeans, Justin boots, a Resistol hat signed by all the contestants, a Montana Silversmiths buckle, a Boot Barn belt, and many other goodies to ensure they feel like Champions! The Champions are also given signs with their cowboy or cowgirls' names to take into the stadium allowing them to cheer on their golden athletes from the stands. This also allows the cowboys and cowgirls to spot their Champions in the crowd. It is very special to see the NFR contestants and Champions wave to each other from across the arena.
The Golden Circle of Champions, through your financial support, looks forward to continuing its growth and dedication to these children and their families.