Step Up to Kick Off 6th Season of Summer Night Lights

Communities county-wide are stepping up to bring the Summer Night Lights program to youth and families throughout Tulare County featuring summer fun activities beginning this month and running through August. 

Based on the Summer Night Lights program launched in Los Angeles, in 2011 Step Up tweaked the program to create a successful community oriented hybrid.  Since then, the Tulare County Summer Night Lights Program has been largely ran by volunteers organizing a variety of activities including pool parties, dances, movies, sports nights and much more. 

Summer Night Lights’ main goal is to keep kids off the streets and engage them in positive activities. In 2015 the program served over 27,000 people. Seventeen communities are set to participate this year and include Alpaugh, Allensworth, Dinuba, Ducor, Earlimart, Exeter, Lindsay, London, Pixley, Porterville, Strathmore, Teviston, Tipton, Tulare, Visalia and Woodlake. 

A unique feature of Summer Night Lights is the hiring of two youth from each eligible community who are then employed during the summer to assist in the planning and running of program activities.

Community Partners for the program include: Alpaugh Unified School District; Boys and Girls Club of the Sequoias; City of Dinuba; City of Lindsay; City of Porterville; City of Visalia; City of Woodlake; Committee for a Better Allensworth; CSET; Cutler Orosi Joint Unified School District; Department of Probation; Ducor School District; Earlimart School District; Family Health Care Network; Pixley Unified School District; Proteus; TCOE Services for Education and Employment; Tipton Community Council; Tulare County Sheriff’s Department; and the Workforce Investment Board.