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To celebrate the start of Black History Month, we interviewed Gizette Knight, the founder of Shining Light Foundation. Keep reading to learn more about the Black History Mural Project, this year’s murals in Mesa and how Shining Light Foundation is supporting Arizona.
Explore takes participants out of their comfort zones to get to know the great diversity of the state and how our most pressing issues show up in rural, urban, suburban and Native communities. If you are a VL Alumni with a passion for forging connections while experiencing Arizona’s many diverse communities, this program is for you! Learn more about what participants can expect.
National Native American Heritage Month starts on November 1st. It is a celebration of the resilience and achievements of the Native community. Listen to our conversation with Germaine Simonson, owner of Rocky Ridge Gas and Market in Navajo Nation, to learn more.
Aki Sagi has joined the Valley Leadership team as our Marketing Intern! She’ll help us share how VL is making a difference on the most pressing issues facing Arizona today.
Reyna Montoya and Dr. Chad Gestson will be Valley Leadership’s 73rd Man & Woman of the Year. The two were selected because of their commitment to addressing Arizona’s most pressing issues, track record of community engagement and alignment with Valley Leadership’s Principles of Doing.
September 15th is the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s a celebration of the achievements and contributions of the Hispanic community, and an opportunity to highlight the leaders who are lifting up those in the community. Listen to our conversation with Arizona leaders to learn more.
107 Arizonans have been selected for the second Catalyze class. During the 6-month program, participants grow their connections to the people and issues that impact Arizona, while gaining new skills and experiences. By the end of the program, each participant leaves with a commitment and a plan for how to get more engaged in the community.
Last year was an exciting year for Valley Leadership as it brought the launch of two of our newest programs, Catalyze and Explore. The Impact Maker also saw lots of growth with the launch of three new teams. Thank you to all the alumni and community partners who have made all of these accomplishments possible!
The inaugural year of the Valley Leadership Explore program was many things: challenging, unexpected, thought-provoking, disruptive, life-changing, fun, enlightening, and full of emotion from laughter to tears. Read more about the experience.
Explore’s last trip was to Navajo Nation, one of the largest tribal governments of the North American Indian Nations. We met community leaders and learned about how they continue to work on maintaining their cultural heritage while planning and forging ahead into the future.
Explore’s fourth trip was to Buckeye, which was once considered a rural, farmland community and is now one of the fastest growing cities in the nation.