SESLOC Credit Union is proud to honor Samantha McDonald as a SESLOC Young Change Maker. Samantha earned the award in July 2025 after raising over $500,000 for the Children’s Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County.
The SESLOC Young Change Maker Award is given monthly to a young person or young professional under 40 doing significant work to benefit their community. Anyone can nominate a young person for the SESLOC Young Change Maker award on the Wild 106 website.
When Samantha McDonald was approached to be an Elks Rodeo Queen candidate to raise money for Children’s Resource & Referral, she rose to the challenge. During the six-week fundraising campaign, she raised $572,626 for her cause.
The money will stay in the Santa Maria Valley, directly supporting the organization’s Heart to Home Resource Closet. The program provides immediate needs for children entering emergency foster care for the first night, including diapers, wipes, pajamas, blankets, and stuffed animals. If needed, additional items from their closet are available to children of all ages, ranging from clothes to car seats.
Running for Rodeo Queen was just one of Samantha’s activities to close out her senior year at Righetti High School. She was also a member of the varsity tennis team, a competitor in English horse riding, president of the school’s FFA chapter and Vineyard 4-H club, and a volunteer raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. She graduated with a 4.7 GPA and three associate’s degrees from Allan Hancock College. This fall, she will attend the University of San Francisco to study nursing.
Samantha says having a good balance is key to managing all of her high school activities while raising money for Children’s Resource & Referral as a Rodeo Queen candidate. She credits the support of her entire family and community, especially her parents, for everything she’s been able to accomplish.