Published in the June 10-23, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
Angelica Diaz
The Leadership Morgan Hill Class of 2015 set an ambitious goal to raise $25,000 to install a permanent, state-of-the-art stage lighting system for the Downtown Amphitheater at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center.
Thanks to the generosity of our community, along with the support of the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce, the City of Morgan Hill and the LMH Board of Directors, we’ve achieved our goal and are now putting installation plans in place in the coming weeks.
Our “Bright Idea” project focused on enhancing the experience of Morgan Hill residents and out-of-town guests during evening events at the Downtown Amphitheater by removing the burden and cost associated with setting up and taking down a temporary lighting system for each event.
The project selection process was simple, sparking enthusiasm with each class member. We quickly began to bond as a team, inspired by a common interest in working together to bring tangible benefits to our community.
Our idea quickly took shape as we worked alongside trusted leaders such as Rich Firato, a Leadership Morgan Hill alumni who was instrumental in setting the stage for our plan.
Among the beneficiaries of the new lighting system will be the summer-long Friday Night Music Series, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce from June through August. As chair of the event, Firato provided us with guidance for our project, and an opportunity for sponsor recognition throughout the summer. We’re on track to unveil the results of our project early this season.
Our large-scale fundraising strategy brought together the community for the purpose of enriching live entertainment. A variety of local fundraisers at Bubbles Wine Bar & Bistro, Jimmy’s Pizza Factory, Margarita’s and Mooyah raised awareness and appeal to busy professionals.
Equally important was the support of local media, such as Morgan Hill Life, and ongoing promotion via social media, the LMH website and “It’s Ours. Our Morgan Hill.”
With sincere appreciation and humility, we say thank you to the project’s major donors and so many others in our community for contributing to our success with the class project. We intend to dedicate a commemorative plaque at the amphitheater in their honor later this summer.
“Becoming a sponsor has not only been a way to give back to my community but to support Angelica in her growth as a community leader,” said Javier Rivera, president of Rivera’s Fine Flooring, Inc. “Leadership Morgan Hill is a phenomenal program and I’m proud to join so many families, organizations and businesses in support of this year’s class project.”
While achieving this key milestone is tremendously rewarding for our class members, it’s even better to build confidence in myself as a leader in a town where I have lived my entire life.
I’ve gained a greater sense of pride, ownership and commitment to bringing unifying voice to our diverse community, a community that is so representative of the diverse make-up of this year’s class.
Heading into the final stretch of this nine-month Leadership Morgan Hill experience, I’m grateful to have been referred to the program by my friend and Leadership board member Katie Garcia, and to have had the support and encouragement of alum Dolores Alvarado, CEO of the Community Health Partnership, where I serve as director of community programs.
Angelica Diaz is a member of this year’s class. Leadership Morgan Hill is a training and development program created to inspire future leaders to community service. To learn more visit www.leadershipmorganhill.org.
