Why I’m Thankful to Live in Rancho Cordova

When the Leadership Rancho Cordova class of 2009 met for their first module, one of the questions we were asked was why were we involved in this class. My answer was pretty boring, and had something to do with wanting to learn more about the community I was working in. What I didn’t expect were the answers of so many others who have a passion for their community. Most of the 23 students joined the class because they wanted to help change the reputation of their city. They realized all the wonderful things that go on here, and wanted to be a key factor in creating the most community driven and community oriented Rancho Cordova possible. I had only lived in the area for a few months at the time, but since then, I have come to realize just what a special place Rancho Cordova is.

I have been especially awed over the last couple weeks by the generosity of our fellow Rancho Cordovans. As a drop off house for Project 680, I was anxious to see the sock total hit the magic number, 680. There were 680 students that the Folsom Cordova Unified School District Homeless Services department provided clothing to last year and this year, the District Liaison had said that socks often go overlooked. There was a need that a small group of incredible people realized the community could do something about. On December 13th, we counted a total of 3,144 pairs of donated socks. Churches, businesses, and families came together to donate socks for the kids in our community who needed them.

Another amazing event I was able to be a part of was the Skoglund Family Toy Drive. I had volunteered to help with the event, and got there a little bit after 8 in the morning last Wednesday. Parents would be able to start going in to the center and picking out toys at 10, but by the time I arrived there were already 30 people waiting in line. I had crowd control duty and was stationed at the back of the line to keep some semblance of order, but I did have the opportunity to walk through the rooms that would double as the toy store. It was amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many toys in one place outside an actual toy store.

All of the toys were donated by people and organizations in Rancho Cordova. It was all the more touching because of the current economy. There are plenty of families that are stretching their paychecks to pay for Christmas presents for their own children. To see that many donated toys for the families in our community made me realize what a wonderful place we live in.

Rancho Cordova may not be perfect. The city is constantly changing and growing and evolving. But, I for one, couldn’t be more thankful for the people that volunteer their time and money to ensure that Rancho Cordova is the kind of place where we can be proud to live and raise our families.