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Leadership Mid Valley, sponsored by the Weslaco Area Chamber of Commerce, kicked off the program with an overnight retreat held at Estero Llano Grande’s Camp Thicket on September 27-28. Leadership Mid Valley is designed to identify and motivate emerging leaders and develop their potential for community leadership by exposing them to the realities, opportunities and problems of the community.
The retreat is held as a way for the group to become acquainted with one another, learn more about what the Leadership program entails, and it sets the tone for the purpose of the class. Held at Camp Thicket at Estero Llano Grande, the retreat began on a Friday evening with a welcome dinner hosted by Leadership Mid Valley alumni. On Saturday, the group participated in a set of team building exercises led by Joe Brown.
The first official class was the History session, held on Thursday, October 10. Leadership Mid Valley participants began the day with a team building activity at the Weslaco Chamber, followed by a tour of Weslaco historical sites. The group ended the afternoon with a scavenger hunt of Weslaco’s historical markers.
For class member Cinthia Bernal, the history session gave her an in-depth opportunity to learn about places in Weslaco she may have already been familiar with.
“I’ve gone to these places on my own, but learning a little bit more about them and going in detail, I see [them] in a different perspective now,” remarked Bernal. “Especially at the Weslaco Museum. I’ve [visited] several times but seeing how committed the volunteers are, they do an amazing job.”
Bernal added that she was surprised to learn about the small theater inside Weslaco’s historic Water Tower, and pointed out that the Valley offers a wide variety of things to do.
“I’ve always believed there’s so much you can do here in the Valley,” Bernal added. “We just have to actually look.”
Special thank you to lunch sponsor Valley Nature Center, and to Valley Metro for their transportation. For more information on Leadership Mid Valley and the Weslaco Area Chamber of Commerce, visit www.weslaco.com.
