Liz Velazquez

USAPA Ambassador

Great Smokey Mountains, NC

Liz Velazquez is a naive of Columbia, South America. She and her family immigrated to the United States in the early 70's. She attended the University of California, Davis, majoring in social/cultural anthropology and in her last year at the University she was awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation to participate in a study of the migration to the United States by Mexicans and the effects immigration had on a family and their socio/economic conditions. She worked in social service assisting Cuban refugees and in real estate assisting financially challenged families. Her dream was to create a sanctuary for struggling children and their families, to provide educational, spiritual, motivational and recreational activities. And her dream became reality.

Liz is the founder of a 30 acre campground in the Smokey Mountains of Western North Carolina called the Mountain View School Campground and Sanctuary. Additionally, she founded Light On The Mountain, ........."a not for profit organization whose purpose is to empower, educate, nurture and love abused, neglected and disadvantaged children and adults........ We offer several programs for the youths and one of those is pickleball. We feel it is a great way to bridge the gap between adults and young people and also to help them build self esteem, confidence and fitness. We are sponsored by private as well as public donations. We appreciate donations, so if you know of anyone interested they can contact me at 828-498-2999."

Memorial Day weekend was her official Grand Opening of the Campground and Light on The Mountain with Pickleball demonstrations scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. "It was a smash (sort of speak). We had lots of adults and children playing pickle ball, in fact, even the band members joined in to play. It was incredible.! We had lots of visitors and most of them went back home to tell their friends about pickleball. Most of them had never heard of the sport. One person from Portland, Oregon, commented, "I can't do tennis but I can definitely do pickleball". One of the band members was from Louisville, Kentucky and he said he had never heard of the sport either and was going back to contact the Louisville group."

"As you will see from the pictures, we have a great facility and are looking forward to sponsoring tournaments from this area".

""Kids played with adults and asked us if they could come over every weekend. The place was alive with energy, laughter and fun".

" I love pickleball and the benefits it brings to community and specifically kids, so I will do as much as I can to promote it..................we look forward to creating a large pickleball group. The news of pickleball at our location is spreading and there is another community center that heard about it and will probably put courts in and start promoting it. We are looking forward to having tournaments here also and with that group. I look forward to being an active member in the pickleball community".

For more information on programs and the campground you can visit: www.thelightonthemountain.org and www.camponthemountain.com. We invite any pickleball players who may be visiting the Smokey Mountains to come to our campground and enjoy a zesty game of pickleball.

Swing On,

Liz

More pictures of the Grand Opening available in our Photo Gallery.