2026 Energy Classic Sporting Clay Tournament & Steak 48 Event Recap: Starting the Event Season off with a Bang for Big Bucks

Oil and Gas Industry Presenting Giavanna Sponsors: JD Fields, Sherwin Williams, SMP Supply, Summit Midstream and TF Warren Group

Author: Natalie Cochran, Sky High for Kids

Wednesday, February 18, 2026, kickstarted the Sky High for Kids’ event season with a two-day fundraiser featuring our Energy Classic Sporting Clay Tournament and Steak 48 Evening of Impact. Both events raised $642,541 to support our mission to end Childhood Cancer.

Our staff and volunteers set up the event before the sun even said hello. A dewy morning turned into a bright, sunny day filled with joy, faith, honor, remembrance and charitable giving. It takes high-energetic and heartfelt support from our community to provide for our Warrior families. While we were smiling throughout the day, we were also keeping past and present Warriors in our hearts.

Sky High for Kids CEO and Founder, Brittany Hebert Franklin, led the opening ceremony with a powerful message and a thank you to all of our sponsors who believed in our mission and contributed to our ongoing impact. One of Sky High’s very own team members, Liz Wike, spoke about the Warrior in her family. Wike’s son, Brycen, was diagnosed with Atypical Grade 2 Meningioma, a rare and aggressive brain tumor. Two and a half years after diagnosis, Brycen is now thriving. He is playing football, baseball and taking AP courses in high school. “Brycen is extremely mindful and becoming more educated on the foods that help his body heal, grow and shrink tumors. Brycen is also recognizing toxins in our air, products, and food and has made significant changes to help prevent reoccurrence and to shrink lesions,” Warrior mom, Wike said. 

Proceeding Wike’s testimony, everyone gathered for our balloon release honoring all of our Sky High angels including Giavanna Gardella, a Cancer Warrior who gained her angel wings on May 11, 2019. “This is for you Gia. We miss you. We love you. For our Sky High angels,” Hebert Franklin said. 

Over 120 attendees headed out to the shooting range to enjoy friendly competition in our shooting clay tournament. Winners received Texas Children’s and St. Jude’s Warrior painted prizes. Not only did our attendees earn points from shooting their clay targets, but we sold 176 gun squares for a chance to add a gun to their collection.

Four of our cook sponsors (3B Survey-Aerial Services-Inspection, F2F Logistics, slb Chemical Technologies and HOLLOMAN) cooked delicious BBQ, Cajun food and other mouthwatering favorites. The day proceeded with awards hand painted by our Cancer Warriors. Hebert Franklin emphasized the meaning of these one-of-a-kind art pieces. “We had our kiddos at Texas Children’s Cancer Center and St. Jude’s Research Hospital, paint all of the awards, so if you walk away with an award today, it is extremely special. This is not ordered on the internet. These are hand painted by our kiddos in treatment,” Hebert Franklin said. 

The Sporting Clay Tournament wrapped up with Cancer Warrior, Ledger and his mom, Haley. Ledger has almost completed one year of IV chemotherapy for Grade 4 Medulloblastoma. He is one of the strongest warriors, continuing his fight every day! Ledger wants to be a lawn guy when he grows up. He likes to mow, blow, pick weeds and spray for ants. His Warrior journey is a testament to why our events are important to our mission. You could feel the tug on the heart strings across the room.

The following night was our Steak 48 Evening of Impact which was an exclusive dinner and live auction with over 70 guests including key speakers and presenting sponsors. Wike not only went through hardship during Brycen’s cancer battle, but supported her fiancé, Brandon, at Steak 48 while he spoke about his daughter Rorie, and her fight against brain cancer. Rorie was diagnosed in 2012 at 3 years-old with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) which progressed to ALL with Hypodiploid, a rare genetic mutation. She gained her angel wings at 5 years-old and now swims with the whales in Maui. There was not one dry eye in the room. All of our attendees took home an art print of one of Rorie’s last pieces of artwork to carry her story with them. 

“These stories of tragedy and heartbreak compel you to make a change in the world.  It lights a fire within you to go get answers, to go make a difference, to give back and love others through their journeys, and to never take a healthy child, a happy moment or a good day for granted. I am proud to be directly involved in Sky High for Kids impact now as programs coordinator. I have seen the organization from both sides, and I know that we maximize every donor dollar. Sky High is making huge pledges to the right places, to the research teams that want to find a cure and educate doctors and pioneer newer, less toxic treatments,” Wike said. 

With $642,541 raised, the Energy Classic x Steak 48 Evening of Impact two-day event was a success that we yearn for each year. On behalf of the Sky High for Kids family, we love seeing our community come together and contribute to a day of impact. Sky High for Kids would not be able to prosper and support Warrior families without the generosity, love and faith of our community. We stand by our mission to save kids and heal families, and we stand by you when committing every dollar to close the gap in Childhood Cancer. 

A HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

VIPS: Terry Warren, John Palomba, Liz Wike, Brandon Joslin, Brycen York 

Sky High for Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2007 by Louisiana native Brittany Hebert Franklin. With a devoted staff, board, and volunteers, Sky High funds research and family services that help children today while advancing better treatments for tomorrow. The organization has invested more than $43 million with partners including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital, and Saint Francis Camp Strong. Key initiatives include launching the nation’s first pediatric Immunotherapy Center at Texas Children’s and funding a research floor within St. Jude’s 625,000-square-foot Inspiration4 ARC, speeding breakthroughs that improve childhood cancer survival worldwide.

For more information, contact Public Content at Crystin@public-content.com