Catherine Kobrinsky Evans grew up in Salinas, when her father was stationed at Fort Ord.After graduating from Salinas High School, she left for college, and didn’t return to the area until 1999. As a commercial real estate property manager, Kobrinsky Evans is involved in many economic development efforts in Salinas, including serving on the Salinas City Center Improvement Association and various other boards. Now 65, Kobrinsky Evans says she wishes to see more opportunities for multi-generations of people to interact in a society that often shuns its older members. “When people retire from their profession, they tend to fall through the cracks and we don’t see them anymore,” Kobrinsky Evans says.“There’s a lot of wealth of experience that just gets lost.We haven’t figured out how to get older people into the front lines of community service.” Upon her return to Salinas, Kobrinsky Evans found a way to be involved in something that brings all generations together. In 2008, she joined others to form the nonprofit Salinas Regional Sports Authority, and a decade later, it secured a lease for a 68acre property with the City of Salinas at the corner of Constitution Boulevard and East Laurel Drive. It gathered funding to construct the first phase of the Salinas Regional Soccer Complex, including 14 new grass fields and other infrastructure improvements. The soccer complex is a community hub, seeing about 6,000 visitors every weekend. “It gives me tremendous satisfaction to be a part of something that is a real game-changer,” she says.“Everyone I have ever met related to this project are just amazing people. It makes my life better when I interact with these great people and participate in something that is so much bigger than myself.” The nonprofit works with various community organizations to bring services to the complex. For example, Salinas Valley Health stations a mobile health clinic there every Sunday, while Natividad Medical Center offers frequent flu vaccine clinics. Phase 2 construction is currently underway, adding two artificial turf fields that will allow the complex to be open year-round. After that, later phases will include, among other things, seven more grass fields, a twostory fieldhouse with an indoor soccer field and space to house after-school programs, a day care, and a mental health and wellness center. Fundraising is underway. Hitting Goals Catherine Kobrinsky Evans is helping grow a multi-generational community hub around soccer. By Erik Chalhoub DANIEL DREIFUSS 1-888-258-6029 Access to Treatment line/ Línea para acceso a tratamiento 831-796-1788 Telecommunication Device for the Deaf/Dispositivo de telecomunicaciones para sordos Monterey County Department of Social Services – Community Benefits Departamento de Servicios Sociales del Condado de Monterey – Beneficios Comunitarios • Performs eligibility determination for temporary CalWORKs cash assistance, CalFresh (food stamps), General Assistance and Medi-Cal health insurance. • Recipients of Cash Aid who have disabilities may be eligible for help applying for federal/ state disability benefits through the SSI Advocacy program. • Determina la elegibilidad para asistencia monetaria temporal de CalWORKs, CalFresh (estampillas para comida), Asistencia General y seguro médico Medi-Cal. • Los beneficiarios de Cash Aid que tienen discapacidades pueden ser elegibles para recibir ayuda solicitar beneficios federales/ estatales por discapacidad a través del programa de Abogacía de SSI. M-F/L-V 8am-5pm www.co.monterey.ca.us Benefitscal.com Getcalfresh.org 1-877-410-8823 Healthcare Services Servicios De Atención Médica 70 The Best of Monterey Bay® Living Well 2024-2025
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