The Generosity Of Giving: NSBYA Members Making An Impact Beyond The Arena
The NSBA Foundation’s Youth Of The Year award deadline is fast approaching on June 1. The Way To Go caught up with two former Youth Of The Year finalists about where volunteerism can lead and their experiences with the award.
The Generosity Of Giving
Grant Mastin, of Jackson, was the 2021 Youth Of The Year recipient. He talked about his call to volunteerism, which eventually led to his service project, Tackles For Tots.
“For me, watching my community come together was really what led me to want to give back,” he said. “Our football team has a stadium that holds 10,000 people, and it’s nearly always full. We’re a close-knit community, and being able to give something back to the community was always important for me.”
Grant started Tackles For Tots after learning that a local charity did not have the budget to purchase shoes or coats for Christmas. He pledged to match every tackle he made during his 2019 football season with a pair of shoes for a child in need.
Over the years, the number of shoes he donated continued to rise and even now, as a recent graduate of Texas Christian University, Grant has continued the program.
“It’s been fun and challenging to come up with new ways to keep people engaged and continue to raise funds for it,” he said.
Sydney Sargent, of Paris, was a finalist for the 2023 Youth Of The Year award. During her term as president of the Kentucky Quarter Horse Youth Association, she organized service projects benefiting veterans, children in need and victims of Kentucky tornadoes. She also conducted a sock drive for homeless shelters and helped coordinate recycling collection efforts while serving on the NSBYA board of directors. Sydney completed additional service work while serving as president of AQHYA.
Sydney is currently a senior at Texas Christian University majoring in marketing.
“My parents really instilled in me the importance of giving back to your community, and it is always a rewarding and humbling experience,” Sydney said.
Both Grant and Sydney have followed the Youth Of The Year award and its recipients over the years.
“One of the things that is most impressive about the award is the fact that it recognizes the efforts of youth outside the arena, and I think that is a very important distinction,” Grant said.
Recognizing the Many Forms of Service
“The other thing I really enjoy about the award is that it looks different every year,” Grant continued. “One year it might be the donation of shoes, and the next year it might be someone who donates their time to a therapeutic riding center. It was fun to see youth members like Rye Gill, who provides horse treats and dog treats while raising money for animal shelters and humane societies in his community, be recognized. It just shows the variety of passions our youth have.”
“With some awards, there end up being specific limitations or boxes that your work is placed into,” Sydney added. “With the Youth Of The Year award, the type of service or volunteer work you do really doesn’t have any limits, and that makes it a very unique award in our industry.
“I also like the fact that this award recognizes youth members we might not otherwise know about, because they are doing such meaningful things outside the show arena.”
Easy to Apply
Both Grant and Sydney encourage all NSBYA members to apply for the Youth Of The Year award.
“The application process is really easy,” Sydney explained. “You’ve already put in the work, so you’ve already done the hard part. Now it’s just a matter of applying for the award.”
“It really is an easy process,” Grant added. “Like Sydney said, the work is already done — you just need to document it for the application. I encourage anyone who is doing volunteer or service work to apply.”
The NSBA Foundation’s Youth Of The Year recipient receives a $7,500 scholarship from the Susan Scott Memorial Fund. In addition to the scholarship, the NSBA Foundation also presents a $500 donation to the charity of the recipient’s choice in their name.
The NSBA Foundation also awards up to four National Finalists with a $2,000 stipend. Finalists are recognized during the annual NSBA Honors Banquet at the NSBA World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity in August.
To apply for the Youth Of The Year award, visit NSBA Youth Of The Year Application.
About NSBA
Established in 1983, National Snaffle Bit Association has expanded from its roots in the Western Pleasure discipline to recognize various disciplines and eight breed associations in competition. NSBA’s mission is to grow the show horse community through various equine programs and events where every activity benefits horses, breeders, owners and exhibitors alike.
National Snaffle Bit Association has more than 20,000 active members and more than 44,000 registered horses across its ten alliance breed organizations. NSBA members earn more than $13.5 million in monetary awards at NSBA-sanctioned horse shows annually, and the association sanctions nearly 600 horse show events and close to 200,000 horse show entries each year.
To learn more about NSBA, please visit nsba.com.
About the NSBA Foundation
The National Snaffle Bit Association Foundation is the non-profit 501(c)3 arm of the National Snaffle Bit Association. Operating under a separate board of directors, the NSBA Foundation serves NSBA’s more than 20,000 members, the equine therapeutic community and the equine community at large through educational programming, scholarships, and financial assistance to equine professionals in crisis. The NSBA Foundation also works to keep animal welfare at the forefront of the equine industry.
National Snaffle Bit Association’s mission is to grow the show horse community through various equine programs and events where every activity benefits horses, breeders, owners and exhibitors alike.
To learn more about the NSBA Foundation, please visit nsba.com.
