Community Volunteer Awards
2022 Honoree
Jennifer & Adam Laret
Distinguished Community Service
Jennifer & Adam Laret
Some people see a problem and complain about it. Some people see a problem and fix it. Still others see a problem, fix it, and make it so much better. That’s the case with Jennifer and Adam Laret and their project to restore Cordova Lancer pride.
When they heard about the decrepit condition of the Cordova High athletic weight room, with its hand-me-down equipment brandishing the Vista del Lago High School logo everywhere, they knew they had to do something about it.
They took one look at the weight room and found it in sad condition. To add insult to injury, they saw that the equipment was Vista del Lago blue with the Vista logo everywhere. The Cordova High kids who were using it had to know they were getting another school’s hand-me-downs.
Unsolicited, they undertook the refresh challenge, carried out with their own physical labor. They meticulously took apart the complex equipment, rubbing away the blue and replacing it with red, assembling it back together in a project that took more than 100 hours. Next, the 200-pound bases were hauled to a warehouse where Adam, a painter, carefully sanded Vista logos down to bare wood, applied Lancer decals and finished them with a shiny overcoat. The walls got a fresh coat of paint.
Inspired by the work of the Larets, the school district pitched in and replaced blue upholstery with red. When they were finished, young Cordova athletes had a new place in which to work out, get fit, and build the muscle -- and character -- it takes to be winners.
Jennifer said she and Adam think its important that student athletes be surrounded by excellence in order to achieve it. “You have to look and feel the part,” she said.
The payoff comes at the excitement and gratitude of the students.
“The kids were happy and grateful, and that makes you forget the pain it took and that doesn’t matter anymore,” she said. “We can make things awesome here. We can take lemons and make lemonade here.”
The Larets’ reach to make Rancho Cordova a better place doesn’t stop at the high school weight room. Jennifer is an active member of the Rancho Cordova Interfaith Council, is a site council member at Mitchell Middle School, and is active in many other church and community efforts ranging from COVID response to welcoming Afghan refugees who landed in Rancho Cordova.
Adam is a Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a position of responsibility for many people of the congregation and beyond. A longtime fan of fireworks, he joined the volunteer pyro team operating in our city, helping bring the spectacular fireworks seen at the Rancho Cordova Fourth of July and Christmas Tree Lighting to his neighbors – hours of work on holiday time – for the enjoyment of all.
The Larets are busy with their own four children, who they involve in their volunteer pursuits, just as their parents did with them. They said the best part of volunteering is the friends you make working side by side. No matter how busy you are, it’s worth the effort.
“You have to make room for what is important,” Jennifer said. “Find what works for you and integrate your family into it.”
She compared finding the time to volunteer with filling a jar with golf balls, but realizing the jar is still not full.
“You can add some sand, and it still isn’t full, so you add some water. It’s about prioritizing your time.”
Thank you, Adam and Jennifer, outstanding citizens of Rancho Cordova, for prioritizing all of us, your community. We appreciate you making room for what is important – caring for your neighbor. You are exceptional. In surfer talk, “you’re totally gnarly.” Congratulations!
