The newly-installed seating wall offers families a safe, accessible and comfortable space to rest, eat or learn while enjoying the museum. Photo by Rick Sloan

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - On June 5, community leaders, elected officials and supporters gathered for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of a new seating wall at the Sacramento Children’s Museum.

Spearheaded by Leadership Rancho Cordova Class XVIII, the project was a gift to the community and a testament to what local leadership and collaboration can accomplish.

The event was filled with a spirit of camaraderie as classmates and their guests mingled in the sunshine, enjoyed light refreshments and reflected on the new seating area’s positive impact. Attendees heard from Sacramento Children’s Museum Executive Director Sharon Stone Smith, as well as key sponsors whose generous donations helped bring the vision to life.

Leadership Rancho Cordova is a program launched in 2006 to cultivate future community leaders. Photo by Rick Sloan

Representatives from regional elected officials (including Congressman Ami Bera, Assemblyman Josh Hoover and Sacramento County Supervisor Pat Hume), Rancho Cordova Vice-Mayor Garrett Gatewood, Councilmember Linda Budge and City Manager Micah Runner also attended to show their support for the project and the graduating class.

The newly-installed seating wall offers families a safe, accessible and comfortable space to rest, eat or learn while enjoying the museum. Located near the museum entrance but away from the busy parking lot, the wall is both a practical addition and an aesthetic enhancement that adds to the museum’s welcoming atmosphere.

The project was fundraised, managed and executed entirely by Leadership Rancho Cordova Class XVIII. Because of a generous in-kind donation from Earthscapes Cement, the class surpassed their initial fundraising goal. These leftover funds were given to the museum to directly support its ongoing needs.

On June 5, community leaders, elected officials and supporters gathered for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of a new seating wall at the Sacramento Children’s Museum spearheaded by Leadership Rancho Cordova Class XVIII. Photo by Rick Sloan

“Every year as Leadership projects are completed to benefit Rancho Cordova and its community, I feel a sense of pride that the process works,” said project manager Dawn Hall. “The class has gone through nine months together and has successfully completed a project collectively. These are people who have full-time jobs that still made it happen. They didn’t give up. They succeeded in meeting their goals.”

The Leadership Rancho Cordova program was launched in 2006 to cultivate future community leaders. Program participants engage in a year-long journey that blends leadership development, management training, and hands-on civic engagement. Each year, the class completes a capstone project that benefits the city of Rancho Cordova in a tangible way.

To date, 18 classes have graduated from Leadership Rancho Cordova (with a brief hiatus in 2020), leaving behind a trail of community-driven initiatives. The seating wall is the latest example of the program’s enduring impact and of the vision and teamwork of the leaders it helps shape.

Applications for Class XIX are now open. Contact program manager Hall at [email protected] for more details.