Hanford Insider: Golden Positivity and a Golden Bear State Championship!

A teen builds a nonprofit while battling cancer, and the work keeps going even after she’s gone. That’s the heart of our conversation with Amelia Carpenter and Faith Faria from Golden Positivity, a Hanford-based movement created to bring real, personal support to teen cancer patients who are stuck living life between chemo appointments, hospital rooms, and long waits.

We dig into Emily’s story and why she centered teenagers in childhood cancer support. Golden Positivity doesn’t send one size fits all gifts. They deliver personalized positive packages to places like Valley Children’s Hospital, built around what each teen actually asks for, plus the practical comfort items that make treatment a little more bearable. Amelia and Faith also share moments from deliveries that stay with you, including how a small detail like getting the exact color of a requested item can feel like being truly seen.

We also talk about the bigger fight: childhood cancer research funding, advocacy, and why some treatment regimens, including for Ewing sarcoma, have barely changed in decades. Then we preview their major fundraiser, a formal Golden Positivity gala on April 18 with dinner, raffles, and a live auction, plus how to find tickets and get in touch. And because this is Hanford Insider, we round it out with community updates, local events, and a sports report led by Sierra Pacific girls basketball bringing home a state title.

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Transcript

Welcome And What’s Ahead

SPEAKER_02 0:01

On this episode of The Hanford Insider, we'll check in with Amelia Carpenter and Faith Faria from Golden Positivity. Rob will give you a look at some of this week's community events, and I'll be back with your sports report. This is the Hanford Insider for Monday, March 16th.

City Council Updates And How To Watch

Community Calendar Highlights And Submissions

Golden Positivity Origin And Emily’s Legacy

SPEAKER_03 0:40

Welcome to the Hanford Insider Podcast, your inside look at the people, places, and stories that make Hanford such a special place to live, work, and explore. I'm your host, Rob Bentley. From downtown happenings to local history and community voices, we're bringing you the best of Hanford straight from the insiders. So let's get started. In Community News This Week, the Hanford City Council will meet this Tuesday, March 17th. In the afternoon study session, they'll receive the final Winter Wonderland report from the Department of Parks and Community Services, and they'll receive a report about fuel at the airport. In the evening session, beginning at 7, the Council will be looking at purchasing additional property for the Public Safety Building Project. They'll also be considering some employee agreements and they'll be looking at some mid-year financial reports. For a full agenda, visit the City of Hanford website at Hanford.city. And don't forget that if you can't make it to the meeting in person, you can always watch the proceedings live on the city website. Another chance you have is the next Hanford Council Connect. That'll be held on Tuesday, March 25th at 5.30 p.m. in the Hanford Mall Food Court with Mayor Mark Kyrus and City Manager Chris Tavares. This is your chance to talk with them one-on-one and get your questions answered. Now let's take a look at this week's community calendar. The Hanford Mall Spring Carnival runs through March 29th. The Carnegie Museum of Kings County's 2026 exhibition, Building Kings County, is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 1 to 5. Learn more at Carnegie Museum of Kingscounty.org. The Kings Players production of the Vultures is now playing. For more information, visit Kingsplayers.org. Sierra Pacific will be hosting the final regular season competition of the South Valley Winter Arts Pageantry on Saturday, March 21st. The Hanford Rotary Sunset Steakout Dinner is this Saturday, March 21st at the Hanford Fraternal Hall. The Hanford Fraternal Hall Car Show is coming up on Saturday, March 28th. And also on the 28th is the Hanford West High School Great Gatsby Fundraiser Dinner at the Square Eights Hall. If you have an event coming up, large or small, and you'd like some help getting the word out, let's work together. Send your information to HanfordInsider at gmail.com. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a complete calendar of events. It's the most comprehensive community calendar available. Welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_01 3:52

Thank you for having us. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 3:54

We are here to talk about Golden Positivity. It's been a movement that's going on for several years, but it had a very special story behind it. Amelia, can you share with us a little bit about uh Emily's story and how Golden Positivity came to be?

SPEAKER_00 4:09

Yeah, so Golden Positivity was founded by my daughter Emily. In 2023, she was diagnosed with cancer. And uh it was always something that she wanted to do, was uh give back. And so she created Golden Positivity as a way to uh really focus on the the teens going through cancer treatment. And so she she decided to create these personalized positive packages for the the teens and deliver them to the hospital, you know, to bring bring a little bit of light and uh some hope and some support to them.

Delivering Personalized Packages To Teens

SPEAKER_03 4:50

And that she did. She was very involved in high school, very well loved, and uh having gone through the cancer treatments and everything, she had several relapses. And in 2025, she she had just recently completed the Miss Kings County pageant, was named Miss Kings County, and uh passed away tragically um shortly thereafter. But we're so happy that the movement is continuing on, and you have a very special fundraiser coming up, but we'll we'll get to that in just a minute. But I want to talk about what's happening now with Golden Positivity. I know you've had some really great interactions with this uh cancer patients at Valley Children's Hospital.

SPEAKER_00 5:29

Yeah, so we we've been there quite a few times over the last year uh delivering positive packages and Legos and a Christmas tree with gift cards. And so uh the most recent one we went for Valentine's Day. We delivered three positive packages and um Legos to all the teens there in the clinic and um in Craycroft.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

They were uh heart-shaped uh Legos for Valentine's Day that actually Emily's grandpa had found, and the kids really enjoyed them. They were it was something unique that they didn't have before, so it was kind of neat to see them get excited over that.

Stories From Patients And Families

SPEAKER_03 6:08

Yeah, that is unique. So let's bring it kind of personal to the outreach to the cancer patients there. I know that you it's touched so many lives, and we we see all the stories on social media there on your Facebook and Instagram and websites. Can you maybe share a story or two about um a patient that you've met and uh that that you're that uh golden positivity has has touched?

SPEAKER_00 6:33

You know, with Emily creating golden positivity, it was really a focal point for teenagers. She experienced cancer treatment as a nine-year-old and then again as a 17-year-old. And so the need for some extra focus on the teens was very important. And so with delivering the positive packages, you know, it's always wonderful to see their surprise look, you know, that that we purchase these items that they specifically asked for, things that they are into and not just a random um gift. And so the appreciation. Uh this last Christmas we were able to, you know, be a part of a young lady's story out of Iselia. She was on hospice, and so we we were able to do a Christmas for her. One of her requests were beat headphones. And uh, you know, we allowed her to open the Christmas gifts, you know, in the in the privacy of, you know, with her mom. And uh apparently we got the the exact color of headphones. And so we had already left the home and we're in the driveway, and her and her mom came out, and she was so excited and gave us a another big thank you that uh not only did we get the B headphones, but the specific color she wanted too. So I think in giving those gifts and seeing the appreciation, uh, because it's not just the appreciation for the packages, it's the appreciation for somebody caring. You know, they they know that they're not alone. And so even even the appreciation and the hugs that we get from parents, um, you know, is just icing on the on the cake.

SPEAKER_01 8:27

In um October, we had another um young man, and this one to me was very rewarding. I had never been to deliver a package yet, and um, you know, he was into fishing, and so we had gotten the fishing books for him to read about and he's was just so excited because he was almost done with his treatment and he was gonna be able to go out and you know, fish again. And I as someone not having a child with cancer or going through that, I you know, I you take it for granted those things, and what he just wanted to go fishing, you know. Like, I'm like, wow, some of the things you can't do as you know as a teenager with cancer. It was just eye-opening, but it was very rewarding how excited he oh, he was so excited about it.

Team, Expansion Plans, And Advocacy

SPEAKER_03 9:08

So and you don't do this work alone, you actually have people that work with the nonprofit. Can you maybe tell us some people that participate in it and their roles and how they help support this?

SPEAKER_00 9:22

Yeah, so we we expanded the board um after Emily's passing. The original members were Emily, Bodhi Vigierio, who's also a childhood cancer survivor. Uh, two of her really good friends, uh, Isabella Mello and Mia Gillam. Uh they, you know, the original founders. Since we have expanded to myself, Faith Faria, Amy Bush, and Haley Aguida. And so it's not a large board, and we all have full-time jobs, and so we all have now a second job. But we've kept it rolling. Yeah. It um, you know, continuing her legacy was never a question, but the things that have fallen into place and the people who have, you know, seeked us out got us going a lot quicker and a lot faster than we had anticipated, but all in and good. You know, it it's been a it's been a great, great thing. So we're very excited for where we're at now. Uh and we have lots of plans to expand from here with nationwide packages. That was something that uh Emily wanted to get started. Uh Emily was also very passionate about uh advocacy. So she had been to Washington, DC to advocate on Capitol Hill, uh lobby with the staffers to really bring awareness to the amount of money that uh the federal the federal budget, you know, only 8% of the medical federal budget goes to childhood cancer. And so specifically with Emily's treatment for ewing sarcoma, the treatment regimen is decades old. And so it was very important to her that they're you know, to bring awareness and and to raise more money, more funds. A lot of the treatment that is being approved more recently uh is coming from foundations like ours that raise money. It's not necessarily coming from the federal government. And so, you know, with with the generosity that we've we've seen from the community thus far, uh we're very hopeful that we can continue, you know, Emily's dream and and uh really bring some funds to to cancer research, you know, childhood cancer research. And so with the gala coming up, that's uh we're our big fundraiser for the year. Uh and we're hoping to to really make some some moves in the future.

Gala Details, Costs, And Tickets

SPEAKER_03 12:10

Yeah, that's a great segue. I was just we're just gonna go there as far as uh talking about the galas. So it's on April 18th. Uh Faith, can you give us some details uh about the event and kind of what's what's happening?

SPEAKER_01 12:23

So it is gonna be a formal event, but kind of our theme behind it was kind of bringing, you know, Emily was involved with FFA and that type of stuff, and then she became Miss Kings County. So it's kind of bringing, tying those two worlds together, basically. Very um elegant. We've had uh amazing donors. Um, the Garcia family donated their facility, which is this beautiful barn out on Kent Avenue. We have so many locals, like totally just handing over donations to us, and so that's how we know that it was meant to be that we do it. But um, we're gonna have raffle prizes, um, live auction items. It's gonna be uh plated dinners, so uh we're gonna be serving food and desserts and dancing to finish it off, and it'll be a wonderful evening. So I think everyone should come out and check it out.

SPEAKER_03 13:15

Yeah, that's great because I know uh you had talked about expanding the outreach uh to nationwide. And uh fundraisers like this are so crucial uh because as you said, the the the federal government doesn't necessarily provide uh funding for these types of activities. It's important that people have a vision and a mission to uh to accomplish the outreach to uh teenage cancer patients particularly.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

Our positive packages are actually quite pricey. They're not pricey, but the things that we put in them are specified to the kids. So if they want an Xbox, you know, like we're not just giving them like a few books to read. We're really trying to make that experience for them a little bit more positive while they're you know battling chemo, but it's like a uh personalized backpack, a personalized cup, and then things that Emily thought was useful, like torque protects, her chapsticks, her you know, anti-nause.

SPEAKER_03 14:12

If you know, you know.

SPEAKER_01 14:13

If you know, you know. So it also will help with that funding as well, so we can keep those kids happy.

SPEAKER_03 14:20

So, how are ticket sales going? How can people get tickets? And uh, I know you have a lot of different sites, be in your website, your Instagram. What are some ways that people can contact you and purchase tickets?

SPEAKER_01 14:31

You can check us out at goldenpositivity.org. Um, we're also on Facebook and Instagram, and there's a link in our bio, and you can register to get tickets that way.

SPEAKER_03 14:41

Yeah, I saw that link to today on the Instagram count. That's very handy the way that you did that. That's that's really good. And I think it uh reaches a whole nother um element of society that uses social media to be able to do that. Uh, what about an email, phone number, you know, something that you can offer out to people to contact you for tickets?

SPEAKER_01 15:01

If you're interested in contacting us about and getting more information about the gala, um it's goldenpositivity23 at gmail.com.

SPEAKER_00 15:09

We we really want to thank everybody who has donated um, you know, to to support our our cause and uh to continue Emily's legacy. Uh the generosity from the community has been, you know, overwhelming. Uh and we're we're uh looking forward to the gala and uh we anticipate it to be successful. And you know, just thank you.

SPEAKER_03 15:37

Well, thank you for coming on the show, and I'll have all the all of those links in the show notes so people can can just click on them and and get your email and website and uh social media accounts. But again, thank you so much for coming on the show, and I wish you the best of luck at your event on the 18th.

Local Sports Championship And Roundup

SPEAKER_00 15:53

Thank you for the support. Appreciate it. And now it's time for Hanford Insider Sports with Eric Bentley.

SPEAKER_02 16:08

For the first time since 2018, when they took home a D5 state title, the Sierra Pacific girls basketball team are state champions again, this time in Division II after taking down St. Joseph at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Saturday. In order to get there, though, the Golden Bears had to win one more time at home in the regional finals game against Oakland Tech on Tuesday. And the Bulldogs gave Sierra Pacific all they could handle, but it was the Golden Bears emerging victorious, 66-62 in overtime, to advance to the state championship game. In that state championship game against St. Joseph's, the Golden Bears dominated the first quarter, outscoring the Knights 20-9 in the frame. And thanks to 13 first half points from game MVP Lila Love, Sierra Pacific held a two-point lead at the half. St. Joseph's would tie the game early in the third quarter, but the dominance of the ION sisters proved to be insurmountable for the Knights in the end as the trio combined for 39 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists in the game as Sierra Pacific claimed the state title 56 to 47. After an 0-6 start to their season, the Golden Bears finished the year on a 13-game win streak, repeat as Division II section champs, and acclaim their first Division II state title in school history. A big congratulations to the Sierra Pacific girls basketball team on their historical season. Out to softball now, where seven and two overall Hanford West continued their strong start to the season, going three and one in their four games last week. The Huskies started out by taking down Mission Oak in run rule fashion on Tuesday, then saw tournament action for the first time this year, shutting out Liberty and Chowchilla, but falling in a close one seven to six to Oakdale. The Sierra Pacific softball team picked up their first win of the season last week, a 10-0 run rule victory over Dos Palos, before being on the receiving end of a 10-0 run rule game with Dainuba to fall to one and four on the year. And the Hanford High softball team went two-two in their four games last week, taking down Justin Garza and NCNAL, but being shut out by Hollister and Clovis West as the Bullpubs now sit at four and six overall on the year. In baseball action, the Sierra Pacific baseball team also filled the win column for the first time this season, not once, but three times last week as the Golden Bears offense came to life, scoring eight or more runs in the three victories over Mount Whitney, CVC, and Liberty to improve to three and five overall on the season. The Hanford High baseball team fell to Clovis North and Clovis West in their two matchups last week and now sit at two and four overall. And the Hanford West baseball team also went 0-2 last week, suffering defeats to Menachie and Reedley to fall to 3-4 on the year. As always, if you have a score report or a team update for any team in any sport at any level, you can let us know by emailing HanfordInsider at gmail.com. I'm Eric Bentley, and this has been your Hanford Insider Sports Report.

SPEAKER_03 19:23

Well, that's all the time we have for this week's show. If you enjoyed this podcast and you'd like to show your support, you can go to buymeacoffee.com forward slash Hanford Insider to make a donation. If you'd like to join the Hanford Insider email list, stop on my website at HanfordInsider.com to sign up for updates. You'll also get an exclusive copy of my newsletter in your inbox each week. Also, need your help getting the word out about the show by liking and sharing on social media, or like most people, just telling a friend. For more information about the show, you can find this podcast on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and YouTube at Hanford Insider. If you have a show idea, be sure to email me at HanfordInsider at gmail.com. Thanks for listening. Have a great week.