Community Volunteer Awards

2024 Honoree

Julie Hagan-Belka

Rancho Cordovan of the Year

Julie Hagan-Belka

Julie Hagan-Belka stands apart as an inspiring example of “charity begins at home.”  And for Julie, home is Rancho Cordova.

The nearest thing to Rancho Cordova royalty, Julie’s grandfather Paul Hagan was a founding father of the Cordova Recreation and Park District, Rancho Cordova Rotary Club, Cordova Community Council and more.  Hagan Park is named in his honor.

Her grandmother, Dayo Hagan, was a force of nature in her own right, working beside early county supervisors before signing on as an original petitioner for the incorporation of the City of Rancho Cordova.

Her father Steve Hagan carried on the family tradition of service as a fire captain with the Rancho Cordova Fire Department and later, Sac Metro Fire.  An accomplished athlete, he coached everything from Little League to flag football to girls softball.

So it should come as no surprise that Julie, who graduated from Cordova High, would grow up with a deep love of sports and an even deeper commitment to community. 

She went on to a successful career as a senior vice president for Roth Staffing, helping that company become a repeat winner of Fortune magazine’s “great place to work.”  And having achieved professional success, she turned to continued service to her Rancho Cordova community.

A gracious and fun-loving leader, Julie has served on numerous boards, including Rancho Cordova Police Activities League, the Cordova Community Council as vice president and Easter Seals of Superior California as president – even convincing that organization to relocate their headquarters to Rancho Cordova last year.  She is the founder of the Hometown Heroes Award for the Rancho Cordova Rotary Foundation, raising the money that is awarded to deserving organizations and individuals every year.

When it was time to stock the Cordova Food Locker with turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas, Julie would host a turkey drive. 

When it looked like the toy pile was not going to be high enough for needy kids served by Christmas in Cordova, Julie and husband Ronnie backed up their vehicle and unloaded dozens of gifts, topping it off with a generous check.

Looking around the community and wanting to help, they became Cordova Community Council Magic Maker Sponsors, donating generously every year. 

When Julie’s beloved dad died, she used the sad occasion to raise money for Rancho Cordova Little League in his honor.

The Hagan-Belkas donate their dollars to the Rancho Cordova Sports Hall of Fame to welcome back the athletes who were part of their lives, and the lives of their parents and grandparents.

Not only is Julie generous with her doubloons, she is generous with her heart.  She consistently uses her profile on Facebook to find homes for dogs, promote the businesses of friends, shower love on family and friends -- and the world of sports.  She has visited nearly every baseball stadium in America.  A Facebook birthday wish from Julie is so packed with love it could probably cure cancer.

That would all be enough, but her biggest contribution was yet to come.

Wanting to pull together her many professional contacts to do good in her hometown, Julie teamed up with Ronnie to create the Rancho Cordova Community Golf Classic.  Prior to being sidelined by the pandemic, the tournament raised more than $300,000 for Rancho Cordova charities over five short years.

Big donations totaling game-changing amounts of  $60,000 went to the Cordova Food Locker, the Cordova Community Council, and more than $40,000 went to the Jerry Manuel Foundation, plus so many more.

To make it happen, they provided start-up funding, then roped in dozens of sponsors, golfers and volunteers who were both professional colleagues and high school chums.  Over five years, the Community Golf Classic put up big numbers – big enough to set Julie and Ronnie apart as two of the biggest charitable fundraisers in Rancho Cordova.

In the past few years Julie has been confronted with serious health challenges of her own and remains valiant in a difficult fight.  But even in the face of extreme difficulty, Julie remains a beacon to others, showing the way to contribute to the greater good, no matter the obstacles.

Rather than hide her challenges, she wears them on her sleeve, sharing the trials and tribulations to her enormous Facebook following even while showering her generosity on others.  We can all learn something about bravery in the face of anguish and the power of positive thinking from Julie.

Now, if you would ask her, she would stare you straight in the eye and tell you the award she really wants is to be named to the Rancho Cordova Sports Hall of Fame.  While a student at Peter J. Shields Elementary School, Julie out-jumped them all in what was known as The Sargent’s Jump.  In that glorious moment of sports history, Julie even out-jumped Frank Griffin, who went on to football glory at USC and the Rancho Cordova Sports Hall of Fame. She reminds him of it every time she sees him, including tonight.

Julie’s moment of sports glory remains elusive. But all is not lost.

Her extraordinary life is a treasure for all to behold, glittering like an overflowing chest of doubloons.

So splice the Mainbrace (that’s pirate talk for pass a round of drinks to the crew) and raise them high.  Avast ye Hearties and bottoms up to Julie Hagan-Belka – Rancho Cordovan of the Year.