Candidate for
Board Member; Silverado-Modjeska Recreation and Park District

My somewhat brief biography:

When I was a little girl growing up in Orange County my favorite quiet place was the Santa Ana Mountains. My family would drive up on random Sundays after church and go to the "boonies" as my mother would call it. We hiked the canyons and camped at O'Neill Park. My mother also brought the neighborhood campfire girls to campouts and beach trips where we were asked to "leave it cleaner than when we got there." I had no idea this would make a lasting impression on my life.

When I became a teen, I rode my bike to the canyons to climb trees and hike the creeks. After marrying my high school sweetheart, Brett Peterson, we came to the canyon to buy a small fixer-hunting cabin on Silverado's Wildcat Rd. It was rustic and dilapidated, but still we called it home and restored it for 25 years. We raised two boys on Wildcat who attended the 3 local public schools from kindergarten to high school.

While raising my boys, I realized there was not much for teens to do in the canyons. They easily became bored. My husband and I volunteered our time to drive kids to the local skate parks, bike tracks, beaches and malls as there were no programs through the small and under funded park district. This weekly adventure morphed into a weeklong summer surfcamp experience for teen boys and girls which we organized for eight years, some of the camps as park district activities.

Later, while attending Santiago Canyon College, I applied to work for the Silverado Modjeska Park District as a part-time after school teacher at the Silverado Children's Center. Seven years later I became the assistant director of the center. I was instrumental in the forming of the summercamp fieldtrip excursion program in 2002, which became the highlight of the summer program for children ages 6-12. As fundraising is more and more a priority of the small center, I continue to provide funds for the program through fundraising activities involving my family and the local community, such as the Irvine Lake Chili Cook-Off, a booth at the Orange Street Fair and organizing the Silverado Country Fair. I have been an integral part the children's center for 12 years now and attend most SMRPD monthly meetings to support the center as well as recreation and open space issues.

Along with family and environmental activities, I was also involved in providing three years of humanitarian aid for Hurricane Katrina victims in the Gulf. My husband and I organized a group of contractors to rebuild homes for underprivileged elderly flood victims. During this time the canyons suffered its worst fire and subsequent flooding. My husband and I led relief teams to help our friends and neighbors who suffered severe loss and/or damages. For all of these efforts and more, I was honored with the 2009 "Women's Suffrage" award by Women-For-Orange County.

I love the Santa Ana Mountains. I cherish the natural beauty, the diverse wildlife, the cultural history, and rustic vibe of the canyons and its community. I believe in protecting the valuable resource the rest of Orange County often takes for granted. I will continue to help protect it and keep my finger on the pulse of the canyons...ready to lend a helping hand whenever needed.

Sincerely, Chalynn (Chay) Peterson