Saturday, as you drove past Veterans Park in Porterville, you saw what looked like folks celebrating another week-end of Easter. But that wasn't the case ! It was more like the youth of Porterville getting together to explore successful encounters and relationships.
And that’s what coming together at parks basically does. Folks meet each other at parks to have fun, enjoy the activities, strive to understand each other and to find a common purpose -- for the kids.
As well, some of Porterville’s finest youth’s, from Porterville’s Police Explorer program, were there to mingle with the citizens and to help and assist the kids and parents at the park today. Lt. Loza, one of the ranking Explores said to the Post, “ … we are here to show a good presence, practice patrolling and to make sure everyone has a good time”.
And today, that was the case. Many at the park found a common purpose and enjoyed the free activities. Angel Esquivel, age 8, said “I liked the slides and all the bounce houses.” Amy Liken, age 8, from Poplar said, “I liked the police today and they told me how to become one when I get to high school.”
The Porterville Explores program started about 20 years ago and currently has 22 cadets in the program. Lt. Loza and his team at the park told the Post to become an Explorer, “ … you have to be a freshman in high school {14-21}, get good grades, have a sponsor and take a lot of tests.”
From the Posts observations at the park, we saw Porterville’s “future” looking and accepting additional guidance and direction from Porterville’s “finest”. This is a good thing. It builds character, discipline and relationships, at the right time for all the right reasons.
And this is what a community does to make it possible and most likely to succeed in the everyday world. Kudo’s to the kids and kudo's to the cops.
May GOD Bless all our efforts and may our youth make us proud.
A. L. "LUCKY" Lucketta - Post Editor.
