The 2024 Award for Academics went to Steven Voon, Executive Vice President of Tzu Chi Medical Foundation and the Executive Director of the organization’s Mobile Clinic. In 2014, he worked with Fresno’s community organizations to create See 2 Succeed, a vision program that offers free eye exams and free glasses to children in different school districts throughout the Central Valley.  The Award for Agriculture was presented to Marsha Vucovich, owner, President, and CEO of Fresno Equipment Company (FEC), established in 1961 by her father, Mark Vucovich. FEC has made employment opportunities a reality for several students from agriculture programs in Golden Plains Unified and Kerman Unified. FEC has been a strong partner of the annual Career Tech Expo coordinated by the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools. The Award for Arts was presented to Cynthia Merrill, a distinguished educator and dance artist from Fresno, dedicated 36 years to leading The Cynthia Merrill School of Performing Arts. Ms. Merrill’s work included a Migratory Resource Teacher for Clovis Unified and Demonstration Teacher for Fresno Unified, which showcased her dedication to enhancing arts education. Her work extended into public schools, where she developed dance curricula and arts programs for local schools. And the Award for Athletics was presented to Maxie L. Parks, 1976 Montreal Olympics Champion, who attended West Fresno Elementary and Jr. High schools. Mr. Parks was All American twice while attending Washington High School and league champion in wrestling. He is Chairman of the Board for the West Fresno Resource Center, where in 2017, the community center was renamed in his honor. Today, the community center is a hub for youth through programs and services that have been implemented to improve outcomes for students and families in the community. Congratulations 2024 honorees!