Kylie Anderson on Friday will enjoy the sound of a friendly rivalry as students from Manteca and Sierra high schools fill the Manteca High gym to cheer on their respective boys’ basketball teams in a Valley Oak League showdown.
The sound of teens caught up in school spirit was something that seemed like an impossibility nearly a decade ago for the Manteca High Associated Student Body president who is also the reigning Miss Manteca.
Anderson was 7 years old when she lost her hearing due to Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome.
Thanks to the RiteCare Childhood Language Center of Stockton, Kylie received the specialized therapy she needed to adjust to her cochlear implants, rebuild her speech, and find her voice again.
Today, she’s not just thriving — she’s advocating for others like her.
And that is exactly what she will be doing Friday night.
Anderson, with the support of Manteca Youth Focus, will be staging a RiteCare Charity Night during the basketball games dubbed “Hoops for Hope.”
RiteCare Language Center of Stockton. a program under the Scottish Rite, provides free speech and language therapy to low-income children across San Joaquin County who face communication challenges such as autism, hearing loss, and other speech disorders.
“I was previously a student of theirs, and this is my chance to give back to them,” Anderson said.
That experience prompted her as Miss Manteca to undertake a community advocacy project benefiting the RiteCare Childhood Language Center of Stockton.
Friday’s charity night is designed to raise awareness for RiteCare’s mission while engaging students, families, and community members.
Every vendor on site is contributing profits to the cause.
There will be a booth with resources and educational opportunities for visitors to learn more about the RiteCare Childhood Language Center of Stockton.
On the RiteCare website, it was noted Anderson’s American Sign Language interpreter Veronika Peknik told her something that changed everything: “Your hearing does not define you. You can do whatever you want in life.”
Anderson believed her. And so did her parents.
From that moment on, she faced every challenge with a fierce determination not to let hearing loss limit her dreams.
Anderson is now the 2025-2026 Ambassador for the California Scottish Rite Foundation, using her story to help children across the state access the same life-changing speech and language therapy she did.
Anderson is also involved in other extracurricular activities including as a baton twirler performing with the Manteca High band.
The Scottish Rite
Foundation effort
The California Scottish Rite Foundation is dedicated to support and assist children in California by providing childhood speech-language, literacy, and education programs for a lifetime of improved communication and confidence.
Speech, language and literacy challenges can strike any child – with devastating outcomes.
Many of these children struggle daily with the task of speaking, reading and writing. They become used to being teased, ignored, or scolded when they want to say something, when attempting to read, or when asked to write.
Unfortunately, countless children with speech, language and literacy disorders are socially promoted from one grade to the next and suffer from extremely low self-confidence and difficulty succeeding academically.
The California Scottish Rite Foundation designates the funds raised from their donors to support the RiteCare Childhood Language Centers of California.
The non-profit has also partnered with several Universities and private practices, like Speech Goals, with the goal of making a lasting difference in the lives of children in California.
Each year the Foundation provides support for life-changing speech, language, and literacy treatment of childhood language challenges to more than 2,300 children in communities across the state, provided at no cost to families, thanks to donors and grants.
Since its founding in 1958, the Foundation also provides in excess of over $165,000 annually in support of a wide variety of scholarship assistance to over 70 deserving California students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees.
More information about the foundation and its services can be found at casrf.org.
