To those unfamiliar with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's charitable goals and numerous activities, the events taking place in and around the Dome may appear to be the most important part of the Show. The truth is that many of those events are part of a grass-roots effort starting in the many counties surrounding Houston.
The Area Go Texan Committee's activities are a perfect example of how far the Show's activities reach. The committee serves as a publicity liaison between the Show and surrounding counties, while its committee volunteers heighten awareness about the Show and its benefits in 60 participating counties. Each county is represented by a subcommittee that promotes the Show by organizing local Go Texan events, distributing materials and securing local media coverage of the activities. The subcommittees also conduct local Go Texan contests, which include such events as horseshoe pitching, washer pitching, hay hauling, team penning, barbecue cook-offs, photography and quilting. The counties then select teams of superstars to compete for points at the main Go Texan contest which takes place on Go Texan weekend each February in Houston. While the Show draws support from surrounding counties through the committee's activities, it also contributes back to those counties by providing each with a one-year, $2,500 scholarship. County teams which perform well in the Go Texan contest have an opportunity to upgrade that award to a two-year, $5,000 scholarship. The top-scoring counties in each of the eight districts receive four-year, $10,000 scholarships. Members serving on the Area Go Texan Committee assist in distributing scholarship applications and helping students submit the applications to the Show. Students who receive the scholarship funds are selected by a designated committee independent of the Show. The committee is comprised of more than 500 volunteers who begin working in August of each year. At that time, ambassadors -- one from each county -- meet at the Show's offices to determine the committee's goals and to coordinate the activities of the participating counties. To make the committee's composition manageable, the 60 participating counties are divided into eight districts. District meetings take place in centrally located counties, with one meeting per district taking place between September and November. The subcommittees working in each county then set about promoting the Show. According to Frankie Joe Cernosek, committee chairman, the most enjoyable thing about the committee is its effect on the youth. Cernosek found satisfaction in "seeing those students walk across the stage to accept their scholarships with big smiles on their faces." Cernosek's comments are echoed by this year's officer in charge and a Show vice president, John Ebeling, who said, "We're all in it for the same purpose -- to help those kids. Many people don't understand the depth of the volunteerism, not only at the committee level, but in every aspect of the Show." For many, the words "Go Texan!" conjure up images of cowboy hats, boots and nightly rodeo events. But for those who participate in the Area Go Texan Committee's activities in 60 counties surrounding the Houston area, those words signify opportunities for youth made possible by the Show's efforts. They also represent a fun forum for spreading the word about the Show and its positive contributions throughout Texas.
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