July: Leadership Visalia
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Final Day Session: Leadership Visalia explores what makes Visalia unique for all
Final Day Session: Leadership Visalia explores what makes Visalia unique for all
By Adriana Valencia Soto, Tulare County Board of Supervisors
On Friday, May 10th, Leadership Visalia focused on how recreational areas improve our quality of life. We kicked off the morning at the Anthony Community Center with distinguished speakers, Nikki Scholl the founder of Train Like a Girl and The Adapted Athlete, Jaylen an Adapted Athlete student, and Jeremy Schultz the founder and CEO of Soccer City 1852 Visalia.
Nikki’s journey in the fitness industry inspired her to start Train Like A Girl and The Adapted Athlete. The Adapted Athlete started in 2021 during COVID-19 when programs for individuals with disabilities were closed. The program provided quality training in adaptive fitness by creating an inclusive and accessible environment for individuals with disabilities. In 2023, Jaylen joined The Adapted Athlete, and found a safe space for him to make friends and develop his social skills. The Adapted Athlete continues to expand the program to include more sports and activities that encourage healthy lifestyle habits, cultivate community, and improve their overall quality of life.
Jeremy’s world has revolved around soccer, at all different levels which inspired him to invest in Soccer City 1852 Visalia, an indoor soccer organization for players of all levels and genders. Since its opening in 2022, they have connected people through the love of sport, averaging between 225 to 250 teams a season. 1852 is a community where respect, trust, honesty and diversity thrive. These recreational areas are crucial in our community and create inclusive environments that enhance our quality of life in the City of Visalia.
After our roundtable, we all gathered for a pickleball lesson from Jill Dembroff, Visalia Pickleball Veteran. Pickleball is a game that is accessible for players of all ages and skill levels. It has become an extremely popular sport with most of the pickleball courts in town reserved regularly. We had the opportunity to play and learn the rules of the game, and by the end of our session, we became experts at it!
Our day continued with a ride to the Kaweah Oaks Preserve to discuss how preservations benefit the community and enhance our quality of life with speakers Bud Darwin and Sam Weise from Sequoias Riverlands Trust, and Savannah Boiano from Sequoia Parks Conservancy. There are many ways that we can help support the preservation of our trails, land, and national parks. One way is through the Sequoia Parks Conservancy, a nonprofit partner of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and Lake Kaweah that helps fund and enable projects and programs that protect, preserve and provide access to them. Another way is by participating in or contributing to the work Sequoia Riverlands Trust is doing in our community. They offer many opportunities to work with our school districts, families, and youth. These are open spaces that we can visit to walk the trails, hike, bird watch and just give us a sense of relief and belonging. We had the opportunity to do a short hike and explore the Kaweah Oaks Preserve. A nice scenery away from the city!
We ended the day at Hilton Garden Inn with our featured speakers, Tracy Polkownikow of Arts Visalia and Sherrie Bakke of Visit Visalia. We touched on how art and tourism play a major part in Visalia’s quality of life, by providing employment opportunities, increasing investment, improving standards of living and local services, and increasing recreational activities. If you want to explore what Visalia and surrounding communities have to offer, start at Visit Visalia’s website. Visit Visalia is a collaboration of the Visalia Tourism and Marketing District dedicated to marketing, advertising, and public relations that inspire travel to the City of Visalia.
Art is communication; it allows people from different cultures and times to communicate with each other. But most importantly, it creates a safe space for individuals to express themselves and be creative. Arts Visalia is a nonprofit community art center that offers educational art programs for children and adults. In addition, they have a gallery featuring diverse exhibitions monthly.
Too often we take these recreational areas for granted, such as having the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park right in our very own backyards. We highly encourage you to go out and explore what our beautiful city of Visalia has to offer. There are many recreational spaces for everyone, for all ages, and all genders.
