Garnet Circle 
Lifetime Achievement Award​
If you have someone you would like to submit for consideration please complete a nomination form - available here.  Applications will be reviewed annually starting January 1. Please contact National Pageant Director Alex Cerveny Sandall at missczechslovaksu@gmail.com with any questions. 
Toni Brendl
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By the late 1990s, the Miss Czech-Slovak US Pageant had begun taking root in several states. To bring that same opportunity to Wisconsin, founder John Fiala turned to someone he knew shared the pageant’s mission—Toni Brendl.
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In 1998, John asked Toni if she would establish an official Wisconsin State Pageant. Her answer was simple: she’d give it a try. That simple answer began a legacy that continues more than twenty-five years later.

​As the founding director of the Miss Czech-Slovak Wisconsin State Pageant, Toni spent the next twelve years building a program that introduced hundreds of young people to their Czech, Slovak, Moravian, Silesian, and Rusyn heritage. She created a place where young people could discover pride in who they are and where they came from.
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When the Wisconsin pageant nearly came to an end in 2004, Toni helped ensure its future. Thanks to her leadership and the dedication of former contestants and volunteers, the pageant continued. Today, more than twenty-five years later, many of those former contestants are returning with children of their own—a testament to the foundation she built.
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But Toni’s service didn’t end when she stepped down as director. She continued supporting both the Wisconsin and National Pageants through years of
mentorship, silent auction donations, board service, and countless hours behind the scenes. In Wisconsin, generations of contestants have simply known her as “The Closet,” because if someone needed a kroj, a book, a piece of history, or a word of encouragement, Toni always found a way to help.
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Her commitment to Czech and Slovak heritage extends far beyond pageantry. As a founding leader of the Phillips Czechoslovakian Community Festival, she helped build one of Wisconsin’s premier celebrations of Czech and Slovak culture. She has preserved the memory of Lidice through annual memorial services, authored books celebrating Slovak heritage, and devoted her life to making sure our traditions are never forgotten.
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The greatest measure of Toni’s legacy isn’t found in awards or titles. It’s found in the generations she has inspired—young people who embraced their heritage because she took the time to share hers.
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Toni, your vision, your generosity, and your quiet dedication have strengthened both Wisconsin and our national pageant family for generations.
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It is our privilege to recognize you as a recipient of the Garnet Circle Lifetime Achievement Award.