Ten volunteers (two from each supervisorial district) were presented with Certificates of Recognition and pins when the annual ceremony for the Merced County Volunteer of the Year Program was held during Tuesday’s Merced County Board of Supervisors meeting.
The recipients were Russell Winton, Fabi Cervantes, Cheryl Penner, Rob and Andrea Baptie, Andrew King, Jennifer Jimenez, Maxine Price, Zachery Ramos, Kristen Plascencia and David Carr.
Representatives from the offices of Senator Anna Caballero, Congressman Jim Costa and Assemblyman Adam Gray were on hand to congratulate the award recipients.
Board Chairman Lloyd Pareira explained, “This marks the 45th anniversary of National Volunteer Week.”
He said there are a wide array of programs and services that would not be possible without the commitment of time and energy by the volunteers.
As the ceremony began, it was announced that in Supervisor Rodrigo Espinoza’s absence, Supervisor Daron McDaniel would introduce Russell G. Winton, a volunteer from District 1.
Winton was nominated by Livingston Police Chief Ruben Chavez.
He birthed the idea of a Spring concert series at Memorial Park. He presented the idea in 2018 and recruited people that first year even though there was no budget.
His commitment led to Music in Memorial on Mondays.
Winton also volunteers with the Livingston Historical Society, and contributes to Livingston Police Department’s Kops for Kids by purchasing toys and donating them.
After accepting his Certificate of Recognition and Merced County pin, Winton invited those in attendance to the next series of Music in Memorial on Mondays.
He exclaimed, “This year, for seven weeks, we have a great line-up! It’s free.”
In Espinoza’s absence, Supervisor Lee Lor introduced Fabi Cervantes, another District 1 volunteer.
Cervantes co-organizes Planada’s annual Community Day and coordinates programs for seniors and others. She organized Planada’s Dia de los Muertos. She sits on the Municipal Advisory Council Board, provides free notary services, and teaches free Zumba classes.
After accepting her award, Cervantes said, “I enjoy doing things for the community. My mom taught me to give and never to expect anything back.”
Next, Supervisor Lor introduced Cheryl Penner, a District 2 volunteer.
Penner was nominated by her daughter for volunteering for 16 years at the school libraries at Peterson Elementary School and Cruickshank Middle School in Merced. She was praised for valuing education and for seeking inexpensive books to improve the library’s selection.
Lor also honored District 2 volunteers Andrea and Rob Baptie, primarily for founding the Hate Dust Project, which sells goods and gives the money to local and national charities, some of which are Make A Wish Foundation and Central Valley Honor Flight.
Describing the project, Rob Baptie said, “Five or six years ago, my friends were selling chile peppers at trade shows.”
Baptie came up with the hottest chiles, sold them as “hate dust” and turned it into a non-profit.
Rob and Andrea also volunteer to help with the Atwater 4th of July celebration.
About volunteerism, Andrea said, “You need to be an active participant to better the community you live in.”
Next, Supervisor McDaniel presented a Certificate of Recognition and Merced County Pin to Andrew King, a District 3 volunteer who is a junior at El Capitan High School in Merced.
King attended chaperone training and accompanied his grandfather on the Central Valley Honor Flight.
He is an academic mentor at his high school who generously gives up a class that counts toward graduation in order to help students struggling in math.
During the summer, King is an outdoor summer science camp counselor for Merced County 4-H Camp in Pinecrest, and stays in a cabin with the middle school age boys.
During the school year, King and his team of baseball players assist the Merced Youth Baseball Association by evaluating applicants’ abilities, ranking the kids on a scale, so that they can be placed appropriately on teams.
McDaniel honored another District 3 volunteer, Jennifer Jimenez, who serves with the Atwater/Merced Little League.
For the past three years, as President, she has spent 200 hours per year running the program. Among her many roles are representing the organization at the district level, processing the players each season, and scheduling games and umpires so that 450 kids can play T-ball, softball and baseball.
Jimenez said, proudly, “We have 40 teams and are continuing to grow.”
Supervisor Pareira presented the volunteer award to Maxine Price, a District 4 volunteer.
Price, who was born in Snelling, is extremely dedicated to her town. She volunteers with the Snelling Community Building Foundation and is the Treasurer of the Snelling Women’s Club.
She has put in countless hours on numerous Board, including the Snelling Cemetery Board and the Board of the Snelling Municipal Advisory Council.
Pareira described her as “humble” and “a giving and unwavering volunteer”.
Price said, “I really appreciate this honor. I took over for the older people. I hope the younger people take over for me some day.”
Pareira also presented the volunteer award to Zachery Ramos, who created the Traveling Library in Gustine when he was a teenager.
Ramos built his own cart and stocked it with books, then pushed it around town, passing out free books to those who might not be able to afford them.
He has also assisted with disaster relief in many crises, including the fire in Paradise, California.
When accepting the award, Ramos said, “All children have the right to an education.”
Supervisor Scott Silveira presented the volunteer award to Kristen Plascencia, a District 5 volunteer, for her work with Merced Girl Scout Troop 3022.
Plascencia managed to keep the same group of girls together for years.
She has led activities that teach the importance of giving back to the community, such as creating a lending library and singing to the residents of convalescent homes.
When accepting the award, Plascencia said, “Last year, our girls built a free library, and someone burned it down.”
They made a plan with the Merced community’s support, received donations, and are ready to start creating four free libraries.
Supervisor Silveira also handed a volunteer award to David Carr, who was unable to attend the ceremony.
Carr is a youth mentor volunteer at the Merced County Juvenile Justice Correctional Complex.
He facilitates youth groups, reminding the youngsters that humans make mistakes, and there is hope. He uses his life experiences to relate and helps give youth the tools to heal and break generational cycles of violence, poverty and abuse.
Carr’s wife accepted the award on his behalf and said that her husband is grateful to be a part of making Merced better and is glad when the young people he assists make the choice not to follow in his footsteps.