For more than five decades the Lily Pond was a popular water feature in Mooney Grove Park. Due to the increasing cost of repair and maintenance over time, the Lily Pond is been non-functional for the past 15 years. To avoid demolition and to honor the history of the Lily Pond, the County is seeking donations from the community to help repair and restore the Lily Pond.
Your donations to the Step Up program will be used for collateral items (i.e., T-shirts, backpacks, etc.), venue rental, event food, printing, speakers' fees, awards, materials, and other items associated with Step Up—a movement to encourage youth to participate in extracurricular activities, foster positive associations, and connect to constructive social networks.
Contributing toward the support of our local veterans through the VSO General Fund is a great opportunity for the members of the community to give back and thank veterans for their services.
The funds donated to the Human Services At-Risk Youth fund benefit youth who are participating in an employment program and working to make the transition to adulthood and self-sufficiency. This program helps youth in need of emergency monies for necessities such as transportation, work apparel, utilities, medical, dental, and prescription expenses.
SPTF envisions a county without suicide and aims to accomplish this by implementing a full range of strategies, starting from prevention and early intervention. Your donations to the SPTF will help increase prevention and early intervention services, and help our community members better understand and recognize the signs and symptoms of suicide risk.
Donations to the Homeless Fund will help supply toiletries, clothing, identification card/application fees, furnishings, or cooking utensils/appliances, or may fund expenses like a utility bill or car repair for those experiencing, at risk for, or exiting homelessness.
The Kings/Tulare Area Agency on Aging helps provide programs and activities for local senior citizens, from arts and crafts to Medicare counseling, line dancing to home-delivered meals. Your donations to the Area Agency on Aging will help us continue to provide a wide range of services and activities to encourage older Americans to remain healthy, active, and involved in the community.
The Mission of the Tulare County Parks Division is to provide the public with welcoming environments for recreational opportunities by being stewards of outdoor green spaces at County parks.
The Parks Division has been busy throughout the year with many projects aimed at beautifying and restoring County parks. Some of the projects include new arbors, tables, grills, new pavement and walkways, and irrigation systems. The Division relies on a variety of funding sources, including donations from the members of the community, to complete maintenance, upgrades, and other beautification projects.
The Parks Division launched a Strategic Outreach Plan, with the hope that community members will be encouraged to take part in investing in our parks. Whether it be through the Adopt-an-Arbor Program, the Individual and/or the Corporate Sponsorship Programs, or volunteering time, talents, and/or services, a lot can happen when members of the community work together.
A great example of community members uniting to support County Parks is a group of graduates from the classes of 1948 through 1957 who attended what are now known as Mt. Whitney and Redwood High Schools. For the last 22 years, this group has been hosting its “Multi-Class Picnic Reunion” at Mooney Grove Park. The graduates had the desire to honor their cherished meeting place and wanted to memorialize this tradition for generations to come. Therefore, the group decided to fundraise and install improvements at their meeting site. Two major projects were realized as a result of their donation efforts that exist today for all to enjoy. Their first contribution is the Sidewalk Project. The project consists of the addition of a paved pathway that connects the parking lot to the restrooms and creates an accessible walkway between surrounding arbors. Today, this portion of the park continues to be one of the most desired arbor areas due to its accessibility for those with mobility limitations. The second contribution is the addition of a roof over the existing stage located near the paved pathway. John Trask, a graduate from the class of 1949, stated the group was “inspired by the Hollywood Bowl” and sought to make the stage the focal point for the surrounding arbors. The group’s intention is for the area to be utilized for future events, such as reunions, weddings, concerts, and more.
Community members uniting to support the parks drives the Parks Division to continue to serve the community at large. If you are interested in one of the Tulare County Parks sponsorship programs or would like more information, please contact Tulare County Parks, at TulareCountyParks@co.tulare.ca.us. To donate, visit Tulare County Parks–General - Friends of Tulare County.