Leadership Del Rio fundraiser supports Cancer Legacy Foundation with cornhole tournament

Cancer support in Del Rio got a boost at the historic Kress Building, where Leadership Del Rio brought neighbors together for Taste & Toss, a cornhole tournament that sent all profits to the Cancer Legacy Foundation at Val Verde Regional Medical Center.

The Chamber of Commerce listed the fundraiser for Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. CDT, with local food, prizes and family-friendly fun built around the tournament. The event paired competition with a practical purpose: help fund cancer support for Val Verde County families who rely on VVRMC when treatment becomes local, urgent and expensive.

Melissa Sanchez, speaking for Leadership Del Rio, said the group wanted to do something different that still had a direct impact on Del Rio families. The format, she said, was chosen to be enjoyable and meaningful, giving participants a reason to come out, compete and contribute. Bordertown Baggers and other community supporters helped make the fundraiser possible.

The event also reflected the growing role cornhole plays in Texas social and charitable gatherings, but the larger point was what the money was for. The Cancer Legacy Foundation exists to support people facing cancer treatment at VVRMC, and the hospital’s own history explains why that matters. Val Verde Regional Medical Center says it first opened in 1959 as Val Verde Memorial Hospital, with fewer than 30 beds, and has been part of Val Verde County’s history for more than six decades.

That long local presence has not removed the need for outside help. The VVRMC Legacy Foundation says its mission is to ensure the long-term financial sustainability and growth of the hospital, and a recent donor appeal pointed to the need for funding that could eventually help Del Rio build chemotherapy capabilities. In that context, a cornhole tournament is not just a social outing. It is one more way local residents can help strengthen cancer care at a hospital that has served the county since the late 1950s.

Leadership Del Rio’s role in the fundraiser also fit its broader mission. The program, run through the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce, says it was created to inspire community members to participate in local affairs and prepare young professionals to be agents of change. Its Youth Leadership Del Rio track works with high school sophomores, juniors and seniors, reinforcing a civic pipeline that shows up not just in speeches, but in events that raise money for real local needs.