Volunteer of the Year: Theresa Dias leads the way in fitness – Hanford Sentinel

HANFORD — At the young age of 62, Theresa Dias has no plans of slowing down.

From teaching aerobics to coaching multiple sports, Dias has been volunteering her time in the community for more than 40 years.

“I just love to help people,” Dias said.

Dias was recently named the Volunteer of the Year by the Hanford Chamber of Commerce as part of its 2020 Distinguished Citizens and Business award winners.

She called it an honor and said she was excited to be recognized because of her work to keep the community healthy and promote a healthy lifestyle.

“I started teaching aerobics at the age of 19 to keep myself healthy and then I realized how fun it is to see other people stay healthy,” Dias said. “Promoting a healthy lifestyle make me feel good because I feel good seeing everyone else doing better and achieving things in their life that they wouldn’t do without physical fitness.”

Physical fitness has been at the forefront of her volunteering efforts over the last four decades.

She’s coached volleyball, basketball, soccer and T-ball for the YMCA, the city of Hanford, National Junior Basketball and St. Rose-McCarthy Catholic School.

Dias was born and raised in Laton where she attended Laton High School and graduated from in 1976. She also graduated from Fresno State in 2001.

Her volunteering ways began in 1977 and they’ve been ongoing ever since. Her current newest venture? Pickleball for senior citizens.

“I honestly feel that senior citizens no longer do chair aerobics and we don’t want to play Bingo anymore,” Dias said. “The city of Hanford needs to supply us something to do, so I’ve been volunteering my time for Hanford Pickleball.”

Pickleball, a paddleball sport which is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, had 80 people show up the first night it began in August 2019, according to Dias. She also started a Hanford Pickleball group page, which currently has 513 members.

Dias has attended city council meetings and recreational meetings in hopes of getting Pickleball courts in Hanford.

“I feel good about it because fitness is needed and I feel like Hanford has slacked off a little bit in that area and we’re bringing it back now,” Dias said.

Growing up in the agriculture industry, Dias has also taught 4-H and for the last 10 years, she’s given school tours on dairy farms to promote the industry to school children. After serving the community for all these years, Dias called it “normal” because it’s always been a part of who she is.

“My passion comes from being able to work with different people,” Dias said. “My passion is just being with people and meeting with people and [volunteering is] a good way to meet people.”

She’s also made lifelong friends with her volunteer work and grown up with many of them. Dias said that some women she started teaching aerobics to at 19 are now 62 and playing Pickleball with her.

“Being a part of a small community, we’ve all stuck together and grown together in fitness, so I feel like when I started Pickleball, I was with a lot of people that I was with at the age of 19 when I started,” Dias said.

She’s also had her children grow up with her friends’ children and then they coached them in sports together or were involved with 4-H. Living in a small community has afforded them the privilege of staying together as a group.

And her favorite part of volunteering is a simple one.

“For me, it’s being with my friends for 40 years,” Dias said.

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