On the evening of Jan. 6, the El Capitan Stadium Association hosted a “Steaks and Steins” dinner to kick off their yearly sponsorship drive for the 53rd Annual Lakeside Rodeo in April. Their motto of “Working together for the youth of Lakeside” was reflected in the number and variety of community organizations in attendance. Their respective leaders shared ideas and what their organizations do for Lakeside.
On the evening of Jan. 6, the El Capitan Stadium Association hosted a “Steaks and Steins” dinner to kick off their yearly sponsorship drive for the 53rd Annual Lakeside Rodeo in April. Their motto of “Working together for the youth of Lakeside” was reflected in the number and variety of community organizations in attendance. Their respective leaders shared ideas and what their organizations do for Lakeside. Groups such as the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce, Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy, the Lakeside Historical Society, and the Maine Avenue Revitalization Association (MARA) enjoyed a meal and a good time together.
ECSA President Sam Walked kicked off a short program highlighting the effect and impact of the ECSA and one of their premiere events, the Lakeside’s Rodeo. The Association takes its mission seriously: in the past six years, the organization has donated nearly three-quarters of a million dollars to the youth of Lakeside. Almost 40% has gone directly to El Capitan High School, including $12,000 annually for student scholarships. The remainder is split up amongst the Lakeside middle and elementary schools and various sports teams in the community.
A highlight shared was from the father of one of the scholarship recipients. His son had just graduated from UC Santa Barbara after majoring in Bioengineering. He had also been awarded a full scholarship to UC Davis in pursuit of a PHD in Biophysics, as well as a summer internship at MIT’s Cancer Research Center. This father credited the scholarship received from the El Capitan Stadium Association as “the spark that started it all.”
The ECSA has been around since 1964, originally designed to fund a lighted football field for El Capitan High School. Later that same year, a member had the idea that an organized rodeo might help as a fundraiser. The rest, as they say, is history – and here we are 53 years later. The Lakeside Rodeo is renowned regionally, nationally, and even internationally.
Other current major sponsors for the rodeo include El Cajon Ford, KUSI News Station, Bud Light, Barona Resort and Casino, and the Boot Barn.
Though the major sponsors are important, it’s the small sponsors that make the difference. If you are interested in supporting the El Capitan Stadium Association and the youth of Lakeside, you can call (619)561-4331 or go to their website at www.lakesiderodeo.com. The ECSA is a non-profit organization, so all donations in support of the rodeo and the Association is tax deductible.
