When Chef Dayleen Coleman was drawing up the business plan for her San Marcos chocolate and dessert shop—D’Liteful Chocolat—she made it a point to give back through her work, however she could. Now as she keeps busy selling her handmade chocolates and patisseries, Dayleen finds ways to donate both her time and resources to local organizations like Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos (BGCSM).

Dayleen’s affinity for working with BGCSM and supporting San Marcos youth comes partly from her own experiences as a Boys & Girls Club member growing up in Exeter, Calif.

Most recently, Dayleen served on the volunteer committee responsible for organizing the organization’s annual auction—its biggest fundraising event. Taking place on October 14, the event drew in a crowd of nearly 300 local business and community leaders who wanted to help support the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos’ mission to create new opportunities for kids and families.

In addition to helping plan the event and contributing an auction item, Dayleen donated some of her time to coordinate the Auction’s youth performance. She worked with San Marcos Middle School students Kaylah, Serena and Delilah to teach them the art of trick roping, which they successfully performed for the event’s guests.

Trick roping is a performance art that originated in Mexico, where it's known as Floreo De Reata, and has also become synonymous with Western Culture here in the United States after its introduction in the 1890s. It is traditionally performed at rodeos, and it involves spinning a lasso in a variety of complex motions. 

The art is a practice very near to Dayleen’s heart. While the San Marcos community might recognize Dayleen for her talent as a chocolatier, or her work with youth as a former social worker for Casa de Amparo, she was once known for something very different.

Growing up, Dayleen performed trick riding and roping as part of the Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls, an elite troupe of young girls and women who travel all over the U.S. and the world showcasing their talents for wide audiences. Dayleen herself was able to experience this travel all over the world, performing at rodeos, western reenactments, and even NFL games for the 49ers. The troupe would also occasionally pick up jobs as stunt doubles for Hollywood films.

Once Kaylah, Serena, Delilah and a few of their friends learned a bit of Dayleen’s story, they saw it as an opportunity to learn something new after school at the Club. Though, they quickly realized that there was much more to trick roping than they had initially thought.

“[Ms. Dayleen] makes it look easy, but it’s really hard,” said sixth-grader Kaylah. Trick roping is one of the first skills that Kaylah has had the opportunity to explore since she became a Boys & Girls Club member earlier this school year.

Just like Kaylah, eighth-grader Delilah started her Boys & Girls Club journey just this school year. She also felt that it was much harder than she initially expected, but she was proud of herself that she could do it. She credits Dayleen’s patience and tendency to give personal instruction for helping her learn so quickly.

By the time the Auction performance rolled around, Delilah’s nerves had subsided, because she knew that she would be up there with her friends by her side. The performance ended up being a crowd favorite, with a few audience members even getting up to join them. Amongst them was San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones, who was able to pick up a few of their skills.

Though the performance has passed, both Delilah and Kaylah are excited to continue working on their trick roping skills with Dayleen. Volunteers like Dayleen create opportunities for BGCSM members to explore new topics and develop new passions and skills during their time at the Club.

To learn more about volunteering with BGCSM, visit www.boysgirlsclubsm.org/volunteer.