The Silver Spurs Riding Club Members Donate $7,000 to Two Local Organizations – the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida and The Russell Home
For more than 80 years, the Silver Spurs Riding Club has hosted one of Osceola County’s longest-standing traditions: the Silver Spurs Rodeo. The Silver Spurs Riding Club’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to give $3,500 to the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida for their St. Cloud branch and $3,500 to The Russell Home for Atypical Children, for a total of $7,000 donated to these organizations. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida recently announced opening a branch in the city of St. Cloud. The Russell Home for Atypical Children is a nonprofit that supports children with severe disabilities.
“Giving back to the community goes back several generations for our organization,” said Dustin Bronson, the 2021-2022 Big Boss/President of the Silver Spurs Riding Club. “We as a society are facing unprecedented challenges and seeing the needs in our community. Our youth today are struggling with stability, mental health, and just overall support when it comes to education and well-being, so supporting these two organizations is the right thing to do in our community.”
Before each rodeo, the Silver Spurs Riding Club’s Board of Directors selects a non-profit that will benefit from ticket sales at the rodeo. Since 2010, the Silver Spurs Riding Club has donated more than $275,000 to other nonprofits and community organizations.
“Thank you for allowing this donation and we are the first non-profit home for special needs children in the state of Florida,” said Betty Hoover, Administrator of The Russell Home. “My grandmother started this organization in 1951 and we have served over 2,000 children with special needs that have lived in her home over the last 71 years. This donation will help to continue to keep our home special by providing care and love to these children by sharing her legacy and mission at The Russell Home.”
“We’re so very grateful to the Silver Spurs Rodeo for our new Boys & Girls Club in St. Cloud,” said Gary Cain, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida. “Silver Spurs Rodeo knows that an investment in our community’s underserved children yields the highest possible return in the form of educational achievement, healthy lifestyle choices and good citizenship. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership serving the children of St. Cloud.”
For more information on ways to contribute to these organizations, visit The Russell Home at www.russellhome.org and the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida at www.bgccf.org.
The Russell Home for Atypical Children was the first non-profit institution in the country for brain-damaged children. Today, you would find quietly hanging in the home a dusty occupational license dated Nov. 13, 1951, when Mrs. Russell opened her home to the first child to “see if it would work out.” Since then, the home has opened its doors to hundreds of youngsters, sometimes after hearing pleas from desperate parents and in more than one instance, finding them just left on the doorstep. The physical home consists of a nursery, dormitory wing, playrooms, living room areas, kitchen and large laundry room. The nursery, done up in bright colors with many posters and stuffed animals, is cheerful for the children. However, if you are ever fortunate enough to visit, bring plenty of tissue as you will find before the end of your visit you will not have a dry eye. The love that is in this home, expressed through the eyes, sounds and smiles from the children, will make you count your blessings for the simple things in life. The Russell Home is also a proud member of the Florida Association of Christian Child Caring Agencies. Learn more at https://youtu.be/KxBmcP53rtE-2:53 or www.russellhome.org.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida – Since 1944, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida have provided at-risk children from the local community, between the ages of 6 and 18, with a safe place to learn and grow. Our membership totals more than 11,000 young people at 33 Clubs and middle school sites in Brevard, Nassau, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Sumter Counties. The mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. Learn more at 407.841.6855, www.bgccf.org or facebook.com/bgccf.
The Silver Spurs Rodeo, celebrating 80-years, is the largest rodeo east of the Mississippi. It is the culmination of the work done by the Silver Spurs Riding Club, an all-volunteer, non-profit organization started in 1941 by Osceola County ranchers who began the rodeo in 1944, selling war bonds as admission to raise funds for our military. Learn more at www.silverspursrodeo.com.