Better homes & gardens real estate enters merced market (As published in the merced county times)10/23/2019 A lot can happen in a decade. Ten years ago, during the beginnings of what would be known as the ‘Great Recession’, the thoughts of a father and sons were consumed with how to keep the doors open of their small business. Like many small businesses, the market slowdown had forced them to consider closing portions of their company, and they had to make tough strategic decisions, like shrinking elements of their property management real estate brokerage. During this desperate time, there was no thought that they would be open at the end of the year much less than ten years later, and yet, through diligent business principles, skilled employees, and local market expertise, that same father-and-son business, Merced Yosemite Realty (MYR), would achieve one of their largest growth moments ten years later.
This last Friday, MYR owners, Terry, Brandon, and Jared Ruscoe, announced that they would merge with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate (BHGRE), bringing one of the largest lifestyle brands in America to Merced. This partnership makes the 14th BHGRE franchise in the California market. It was announced to their agents and employees at Vista Ranch & Cellars on Friday with executives in attendance, as well as support from the city of Merced with Economic Development Director, Frank Quintero. The announcement was met with enthusiasm and excitement from the employees and agents. One of their top agents, Teri Kleinen, shares that “I’m extremely excited for this new endeavor that the brokerage is taking and am thrilled it is with such a reputable and recognized lifestyle brand.” How did Better Home and Gardens (BHG) come to choose Merced? Terry Ruscoe's shares that in early 2018, he received a phone call from Stephen Bright, the Vice President of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate (BHGRE). Bright “phoned us to share and congratulate us on our many accomplishments here locally and to discuss a proposed affiliation from afar. This led to us visiting the Realogy (The parent Company of BHGRE) headquarters in New Jersey, followed by half a year of discussion, review, negotiation, and perhaps more importantly support. While Realogy is a global real estate giant, we were personally welcomed by the president and key leadership of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate.” This life-changing phone call validated decades of hard work by Terry Ruscoe, who started his life in Oakland with humble beginnings. His hard work and diligence are inherited by his sons, Brandon Ruscoe and Jared Ruscoe, both of whom are UC Merced graduates. “I love making memories every day. I’m one of the luckiest guys alive to work with sons and some of my best friends every day. From day one, we’ve nurtured a culture that values collaboration over competition. One thing is to propose such a culture and nurture it, but when everyone adopts it and adheres to it and makes it an everyday reality. It’s why we’ve been so successful in such a short period and are able to move onto this next step.” Brandon also added, “this collaborative culture is contrary to what most of the industry is modeled on and we’ve made it successful. We haven’t taken any shortcuts in building our foundation, which is our reputation and our people.” Why Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate? Brandon shares, “Merced deserves the best. Merced has deserved this lifestyle brand for a long time that speaks for a better quality of life through homeownership and pride of ownership. As we’ve come to know in our own business, it’s all about empowering our employees. BHGRE offers a host of tools that are second to none and has some of the most sophisticated technologies that are designed to make our agents as effective as possible; they also value individual agent development through their award-winning continued education - this goal of investing in people is in line with our own, so it was a natural fit.” Terry adds, “As our market continues to grow, it became important for us to have a recognized brand name that would instantly attract those from the Bay Area, around the U.S. and even into China where we’ve seen more buyers. From the beginning, we felt a strong affinity with the quality, values, and culture of Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate and are excited to create increased opportunities for our team by aligning with a highly recognized and trusted lifestyle brand.” The benefit of BHGRE isn’t just localized to the Ruscoe’s brokerage; it extends to the community-at-large. The Ruscoe family and their team are involved in several community initiatives, which Steven Bright stated as one of the reasons he was attracted to them. Bright enthusiastically shared a rhetorical question, “What real estate firm is invested in the education of youth more than Merced Yosemite Realty?” He is referring to the Ruscoe Family Scholarship at UC Merced that the family created in 2016. The team and family are also involved in Merced Rotary, Dignity Health Foundation, and other organizations. The connection to UC Merced runs deeper than a scholarship. Brandon and Jared both serve on the board of the Alumni Association. The Ruscoe’s have proudly employed near a dozen UC Merced students while during college and afterward. These employees started at Merced Yosemite Realty in college and went on to have successful careers at companies such as Microsoft, Northrup Gunnam, and Law Firms. Aaron Hill shares about the experience, “Terry was one of my first mentors. He allowed me, who was a sophomore at the time, to gain practical experience of what I was studying at UC Merced. He gave me as much responsibility as I was willing to take on - I was managing repairs, tenant applications, landlord relationships, and collecting rent. It was an eye-opening experience - property management is a demanding business that requires transparency and fairness to both the property owner and to the tenant. I think the Ruscoe's owe a portion of their success to achieving this balance.” Brandon shares why he is so passionate about bringing BHGRE to our community. “Merced has been a community that’s backed us since day one and has chosen us over larger competitors. We guarantee our work based on our reputation that combines small-town family office, hard work, and marrying it with tools and resources of a quality brand one of the largest and most popular quality brands in America. Our clients deserve it as they’ve supported us through everything.” Terry shares that “just like our clients, our agents deserve better. This gives us the opportunity to guarantee that they will be even more successful than before with access to world-class resources. Additionally, they will have access to a catalog of new benefits including discounts with luxury automotive companies, cellular providers, shipping companies, and so on.” Jared adds that he’s “thrilled to see the quality of the continued education that BHGRE will offer their current and future agents. This will allow us to remain competitive and collaborative in any market condition.” While there’s great excitement around the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Brokerage, these entrepreneurs have other significant projects in the works with their other companies, Merced Yosemite Property Management, and their Construction division. Recently, they facilitated one of the first Opportunity Zone deals in Merced on the historic Dallas House on 23rd and K Streets. This iconic building improvement project is symbolic of the momentum that Better Homes and Gardens brings to Merced - that we deserve the best in our community. This family and their team of agents have moxie and aren’t slowing down anytime soon. Brandon shares that their newest venture with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in our market is a signal that “we get to raise the bar for the local market for what clients and agents can and should expect. Merced deserves the best and we’re here to offer it.”
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![]() By AARON HILL Special to the Times If you happened to be driving down Main Street in Merced on a recent morning, you may have caught sight of something new downtown. Garbed in vibrant green shirts, hats and gloves, and armed with trash grabbers, the “Restore Merced” team was busy cleaning up trash on the Main corridor. After a sweep from the team — picking up thousands of discarded cups, straws and cigarette butts, and cleaning out an abandoned homeless camp — the public areas looked bright and clean. It all reflected the pride that we all feel toward our downtown. Leading the team was Silverio Garcia, the crew chief. Garcia was one of the first graduates of Restore Merced’s work preparation program, Jobs for Life, which helps build the habits, attitudes and soft skills that enable successful employment. The local effort, however, adds the new “Restore Jobs” strategy that builds upon Jobs for Life by providing actual work experience. The approach is informed by previous experience and successful work programs in other cities, including Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles and New York’s “Ready, Able, & Willing.” Restore Jobs provides work experience for individuals who have been formerly homeless, incarcerated, and are in recovery from addiction, that are transitioning to the workforce and housing independence. It provides skills and affirms dignity through work, allowing individuals in the program to create a solid job history and provide training for more skilled positions. The program will have participants engaged for a period of six months to a year, depending upon the needs of the individual. Alongside work, the program provides a framework and support network that encourages accountability and long-term success. The first phase of “Restore Jobs” will clean public areas downtown, Bear Creek, and Black Rascal Creek, which at times have seen significant trash build up from homeless populations and littering. Working alongside the crew, were the two founders of Restore Merced, Matt St. Pierre and Caleb Medefind. The two young men are natives of the area. They went away to college and began successful careers in other cities, but ultimately decided to return, motivated by a deep love for the city and people of Merced. “The Merced region overflows with so many good things: rich agriculture, Lake Yosemite, beautiful mountains, friendly and caring citizens, our great junior college and the new University, and so much more,” St. Pierre said. “The challenges Merced faces are significant, too, but even those are great opportunities that can be turned to contribute to the great future we see for Merced. That’s what Restore Merced is all about.” Similar programs show that for $1 invested, taxpayers save $3.60 on emergency and criminal justice expenses. Medefind observed, “It’s tempting to respond to poverty by providing money or material goods. That can be helpful in an emergency. But often, giving money does more harm than good by sapping personal initiative and injuring the dignity of the individual we aim to help. Typically, people are back in the same situation when the money runs out. Helping people succeed in work is a huge part of helping them change the trajectory of their lives.” Many residents and business have pitched in to support the new program. This includes a van already provided by Via-Trailways. The overall Restore Merced effort offers business marketing sponsorships ranging from $500 to $5,000, which provide varying levels of partnership marketing including things like Facebook ads and sandwich signs near the work crews. It is estimated that a monthly donation of $1,500 will allow for regular clean up of 5 miles of roads & bike trails. Sam Geil, who helps run and manage the Central Valley Opportunity Fund had this to say about the initiative and the founders, "I believe that Caleb and Matt represent the future for sustained success by providing local solutions for managing long-term homelessness in Merced. My role was to help secure funding for the project on a capitol basis, and was happy to do so, based upon their solid business plan and strength of character. Although homelessness is a national issue that can benefit from federal and statewide funding, this is an issue that will primarily be solved through local initiative and effort, which Restore Merced provides." Each year, the Merced City Council reaches out to the community to gain input on those areas of interest that are most important to residents. The council then establishes budget goals and priorities to guide the allocation of the budget and prioritize projects for staff. During the fiscal year 2018/19 priority setting sessions, the city council identified “City Beautification” and “Community Wellness” as priorities for the upcoming year. The Restore Merced projects aligns with these priorities by blending a work experience program with city beautification in the areas defined. In addition to the Restore Jobs program, Restore Merced also engages the community in other ways. ‘Jobs for Life’ is a program providing ongoing education for soft skills, resume building, interview training, one-on-one mentoring. They also provide budgeting and personal finance class, a key area for individuals on the road of transition out of poverty and housing insecurity into sustained independence. Lastly, an emphasis on working with downtown neighbors for the good of the community, Restore Merced also provides an after school program that focuses on mentorship and academic skill building. St. Pierre summed up Restore Merced’s vision for the future of our community: “Our programs focus on community transformation in downtown Merced by entering into transformative relationships that provide economic, social, and spiritual flourishing for all residents.” As for the success of the initial clean up — downtown business owners and tenants took note. Manuel Alvarado from The Greater Merced Chamber of Commerce said: “It’s encouraging to see people caring for the downtown corridor; seeing these young men making a commitment to bettering their lives and investing in their future is what Merced values are all about.” Mayor Mike Murphy also stopped by to congratulate the group on their hard work and for the effort they were putting in to beautify the downtown area. If you happen to see them hard at work on the bike paths or on Main Street, say hello, honk your horn, and let them know that you support their work to Restore Merced! ![]() Voices of the Central Valley rang out across the Capitol corridor as more than one thousand citizens passionately yelled “stop the water grab!” The young and old, farm owners, farm workers, healthcare professionals, government officials and engaged citizens gathered together on August 20th in Sacramento to tell the appointed State Water Commission that we care...that we will not go down without a fight. Assemblyman Adam Gray, who was credited with organizing the event, impressed upon the crowd that we were all there as one, not as Republicans nor Democrats or any other category designed to separate us; this was a fight worthy of uniting all communities within the Golden State. Merced County was represented well and made her voice heard. Merced County Farmers Bureau (MCFB) transported fifty members of the Merced community to the rally bus. Seventeen buses from across the state carried almost one thousand people from as far north as Butte and as south as Tulare. Breanna Ramos, Executive Director of the MCFB was proud of the way the Farm Bureau network came together to make this happen as well as the support they received. She said, “We have a great system in the Farm Bureau. For us it is as simple as picking up the phone and calling our neighbors to say, ‘Let's get this rally going!’ Assemblyman Gray and the Merced County video were a huge support of rally people to join our bus campaign.” President of the MCFB, Gino Pedretti, said that following the rally, “I hope people understand that we have to keep pushing the Water Board’s focus on this issue because this is vital to our area. It’s part of our job at MCFB to educate people on this so that they understand the economic impact of this decision.” The speakers, ranging from elected officials, health care professionals, and FFA leaders from counties across The Valley spoke about the importance of protecting our livelihood by fighting for our water. Their tone was consistent: ‘this water plan will destroy our communities as we know it’. In spite of this, no one showed signs of defeat. Gray opened with a powerful moment in history by sharing, “At the groundbreaking of the San Luis reservoir in 1962, as stated by President John Kennedy. ‘We can see the greenest and richest earth, producing the greatest and richest crops in the country, and a mile away we see that same earth, brown and dusty and useless. All because there is water in one place and there isn’t in another.’” Gray spoke about the legacy of our water structure over the last 50 years, compared it to the present, and spoke of the situation ahead of us. “Today our community has come to the steps of the Capitol to make sure our voices are heard loud and clear...a plan that kills an entire economy of the state isn’t unavoidable, it’s unacceptable. This plan asks those of us with the fewest means to make the greatest sacrifice. It is unbalanced, unscientific.” Mayor Mike Murphy fought for our local economy. “The state has invested billions towards growth in Merced with the University of California, Merced, affordable housing programs, and passenger rail. We have also invested in ourselves and in our future for generations including building and paying for water infrastructure. However, none of that is sustainable without a source of water, which the state is taking away under this plan...If the state takes Merced River water it will have a crushing effect on the Central Valley. I am here today to urge the State Water Resources Control Board to abandon its water grab and work with the local water districts to implement their plan based on real science that would increase flows, restore habitat, upgrade hatcheries, and reduce predation. Let science work.” Merced FFA President, Jared Crossman, stated that he was proud to be amongst the blue and gold (the colors of FFA) that stood behind him. That “these people are the future of agriculture. If we get the water we want, they [FFA] will be the ones producing what you need with the water that we get. We're going to fight until this stops.” State Senator, Anthony Cannella said this is the biggest thing we have ever fought in the Central Valley. “Agriculture has been the one bright light we've had through the downtimes. I’m excited to say we’ve grown as an economy but we can’t leave agriculture behind.” Our community is on the steps of the Capitol to make sure our voices are heard loud and clear. They are all worried about one thing. Our future. On a sunny blue day one thing was clear, we're a community that is in this together and there's hope in a future where we're not alone. One message stood out. The President of the California Farm Bureau Federation, Jaime Johansson, stated, “We’re not here to be angry, we’re here for a solution.” He continued, “like many of you, I’d rather be on my farm taking care of my land, wishing that Sacramento would take their foot off of my neck. But there comes a time when you have to say enough is enough. Today is that day...Today is about everyone benefiting from California’s water system...There is a way to use positive and collaborative and local approaches that we know help the environment, and still allow farms and communities to thrive. We propose to cooperate to work together and to implement positive solutions.” Merced County resident and bus-rider for the day, Bob Salles, said “it’s not about me in this situation, it’s about we.” Both shared the true intent coming out of today’s rally - that there’s power in working together to accomplish a goal versus fighting against one another. The fight for our water does not stop because the rally has ended. Your voice matters. Continue to use it and share your concerns with your elected officials. Educate yourself on this issue if you’re new to following it. This decision will impact each and every life in Merced County, the Central Valley, and beyond. Follow CA bill 579, introduced by Senator Galgiani on 8/20/18, to watch the continued progress of the water fight and make your voice heard! UC Merced Grad: "god has given me the heart to serve" (as published in the merced county times)7/5/2018 ![]() UC Merced’s graduation may have come and gone for the year but the impact of the college experience lives on as graduates take their learnings and embark upon their journeys. One of those journeys is of Tomanik’e Banks, whose early life started in the foster system of Oakland, where she grew and worked her way to UC Merced where she recently graduated with a degree in Public Health. She’s now a few weeks into the Peace Corps at Sierra Leone working in their health department. As a child placed in the foster care system at the end of sixth grade, Tomanik’e faced many obstacles. One of those being that by the time she ended sixth grade, she had the equivalent of a second grade education. Throughout her tenure as a middle school and high school student, she worked hard to fight for herself with the support of her social workers. She thrived academically in high school while moving through six foster homes.This determination and hard work earned her a place at UC Merced, and she was accepted into UC Merced’s Guardian Scholars program, which provides support for foster youth and helps them stay in college. She helped found the Guardian Scholars Club for Merced foster youth. Tomanik’e appreciated the support she received from the Guardian Scholars program advisors. “They have your back and if they don’t have an answer they will find it for you. They care about foster youth and work hard to make sure our needs are taken care of.” Tomanik’e was drawn to UC Merced by it’s “pleasant, happy, and welcoming atmosphere. I liked that the campus was small and because of that, it has a small student to teacher and even student to faculty ratio. I was always able to meet with teachers and faculty, and even the Vice Chancellor. My Teacher’s Assistant (TA) even asked me to intern for her and you just don’t hear about that at other universities. UC Merced really takes care of the students.” As for the town of Merced, “it grew on me [laughs]. Merced is great. Sometimes it seems like there’s more cows than people. There’s actually more people than cows and those people are awesome.” She credits the community as a draw of the town and got involved with her church, Bear Creek Community Church. She also hopes that Merced residents and students continue to get involved with each other. “I love the UC. It would be great to work for the UC one day, but it’s really competitive so I don’t know if that’s realistic, but I would love to upon receiving my PHD.” It’s a safe bet that Tomanik’e could work for the UC one day or will land wherever she desires with her focused determination that got her through school and into the Peace Corps. Merced County has a great program, CASA, that supports local foster youth. But those not involved in CASA might not know much about the foster community. Tomanik’e sheds light onto what Mercedians should know about foster youth. “It’s the attitude towards foster kids that can have the biggest impact. We’ve been through a lot of trouble but we are not trouble ourselves. There’s a negative stigma about foster kids. The stereotypes about us are because the parents were crappy, but it doesn’t mean that their kids don’t have a chance. We had a bad break. Be mindful about your interactions with foster youth and be mindful of what you're saying.” As for advice for other foster youth who might want to follow in her footsteps one day, Tomanik’e says, “use your resources because that’s how I got to where I am today. Ask about the resources if you don’t know what’s available to you and remember to advocate for yourself. No matter how good your resources are, they can only help with what they know.” I could hear Tomanik’e’s voice warm when she spoke about her foster family, the Wong’s, who live in the East Bay. “I love my foster family. No matter what I do they don’t lock the door [laughs]. We’ve been together for four years as a family. I came to them the summer before I went to college and now it’s just home.” From Oakland to Sierra Leone, Tomanik’e is sure to have many adventures ahead of her. I spoke to Tomanik’e two days before her departure for Sierra Leone. She was “excited to start my life. God’s given me the heart to serve. I want to go out and help where I can.” No doubt she has many great things ahead of her and will continue to thrivei. We can’t wait to see what you accomplish, Tomanik’e. Good luck! ![]() Last week, 66 Central Valley veterans came together in Washington DC and received the warmest welcome of the service career. John Nelson of Clovis served in the Army in Vietnam, “It’s an honor, having people clap for us on the trip. When we got back from Vietnam, people would spit on us and call us names. The war wasn’t right but it wasn’t our choice, we just served our country. It wasn’t until years later when a trainer on a job who also served in Vietnam, wrapped his arms around me and said ‘welcome home’. It was the first time anyone ever did that.” The Central Valley Honor Flight (CVHF) gave these veterans a proper homecoming that they deserved by giving them an opportunity to be honored, welcomed, and thanked in our nation's capital. The reception these veterans received everywhere we want was incredibly moving and touched them deeply. Lines of tourists and government employees stopped whatever they were doing to clap for and thank our valley veterans. Considering that the fact that their valiant efforts are the one that secured our freedom as a country, it was an appropriate reception. On this 16th flight, the 66 veterans were from nine different counties and their ages ranged from 66 to 97. 22 of these were WWII veterans, who were celebrated at the WWII Memorial for the 73rd anniversary of VEday along with other WWII veterans from other flights. A few hundred people attended the ceremony to be amongst true American heroes and thank them for their service. Patriotism was in abundance on this trip and it ranged from the students and tourists that welcomed the veterans to the crew made up of volunteers. The CVHF crew worked hard to create a life-changing trip for these veterans that included impressive tours of war memorials, meetings with Congressmen and guest speakers, and special programs. It was a treat for all who had the privilege to be there. From the staff, the flight crew, the airport greeters, the bus drivers, the police escorts, and many more, they do all that they can to treat these special visitors like royalty. Many of these ‘crew’ members have been serving the Honor Flights across the country for years, usually supporting 150 flights a year. One of the flight’s long time helpers, Bill Goodreau summed it up, “You are faithful to America and in return the Honor Flight will stay faithful to you.” CVHR leader, Al Perry, made sure that all felt included, despite their experiences in their time of services, “We honor you whether you were in combat or not. You are honored no matter how you served but because you served.” The veterans experience ranged from serving in the the Battle of the Bulge, to building the Burma Road in China, and to being interned as a Japanese and then joining MIS. It was an honor to be amongst the WWII veterans and extremely touching to be with the Korea and Vietnam veterans as they were honored and welcomed over the course of the trip. Local businessman, John Bankson, who served in the Korean War was there with his guardian, John Sundgren, Chairman of the Castle Air Museum Foundation. Bankson served in Korea by patrolling the front lines, as well as educating the men in that area about survival and life skills, specifically teaching them about communism and democracy. “A lot of them didn’t know the difference between the two and it was important to understand both sides of the fight.” Ernest (Ernie) Conner, prior Merced resident (now Turlock), was there with his patriotic daughter, Christine Conner Vieira. Other Merced County veterans on the flight were Dick Bell and Al Ramos who both served in the Air Force during Vietnam. Chic Brooks of Fresno served in the Merchant Marines during WWII whose ship was sunk by a kamikaze attack. After an hour of wading in water, he was rescued. Chic has owned and operated many restaurants in the valley such as Country Waffles, Happy Steak, and Perko’s. Joseph Matsuo of Fresno was displaced from his home by executive order 9066 and once he graduated high school, he became an interpreter with other Japanese-Americans in MIS. At one point in the war, he oversaw prisoners that we had captured. He sent a letter to the parents of one of the prisoners letting them know that their child would be returning home safely at the end of the war. Vietnam veterans, who received the worst homecoming of all had a moving experience at their memorial. The veterans, including many guardians who also served in Vietnam, gathered together in front of the memorial wall to join in a ‘hoo-rah’ yell led group leaders, Ken Kemmerer and Goodreau, who both served themselves. The yell bounced off of the wall and echoed across the memorial and back out to veterans in a moment that gave us chills. Goodreau captured the moment perfectly when he said, “the men and women on the wall heard it and are echoing back to you.” This was a real tearjerker for the men who lost close friends and family alongside of them in Vietnam. Men searched for their brethren on the wall and while some were successful in seeing loved ones names, others did not. To those that could not find the names, the flight staff assured them they would find them on the next trip and send them a picture, proving that they always go above and beyond to serve their veterans. Men found some closure in this experience. Vietnam vet, Steven Loya, said “I’m healing, this brought closure. I found my brother, my friend, who was my best friend in high school and it was a miracle that I found him.” Rudy Molina, fellow Vietnam veteran, agreed that “this brought some closure, some peace.” Each flight costs approximately $200,000 and is supported entirely by donations. Ernie Conner says, “It an extremely moving thing that people think enough about veterans to pay the way for many who couldn’t afford this on their own. There’s been a sea change of attitude that began after Desert Storm where people are starting to revisit history. I think many people realized they made a mistake when we were coming home from Vietnam and it’s refreshing to have so many young people come up and thank you for your service. This trip gave many drafted men the opportunity to gain closure and be honored. It means more to us veterans than one could ever know.” Finally, this trip stood as a symbol for peace and unity. Fitzalbert Marius, who served in WWII was originally placed in Army specialized training until a misunderstanding about his race placed him in the 725th Medical Sanitary Company, which was a segregated unit with some of the toughest jobs. “As far as this trip is concerned, my main priority is that America will have an opportunity to see, particularly younger people, the importance of showing unity, and that veterans represent America, that the basic fundamental principles that this country was founded on shows that we should all be working together as one in the face of dealing with all of these superficial things, and recognize that we’re all one people for the purpose of being productive together for our communities. If we do that, all the other stuff will go down the drain.” This trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity for those veterans that need peace and closure, or for those that want to serve and give back. Not all can be veterans, but all can be patriots. Overview of the schedule
![]() If you listen to most media, it seems that most Americans perceive Silicon Valley as the home of California’s most technological residents, with Silicon Beach in Santa Monica following closely. What most people, including Californians, haven’t heard of yet is Silicon Farm. That’s largely because a company in Merced called MARCOM just recently coined the phrase. Silicon Farm, while just a budding Silicon “empire”, is the output of what UC Merced promises to bring to the community. The hope of the new UC was that with the campus and an influx of young people, that they would have a place to stay, work, and spend their dollars in the community. The idea of Silicon Farm and desire to house equally as brilliant residents as Silicon Valley came to be when MARCOM was created. MARCOM is a digital agency and an investment firm that builds up and trains a new generation of entrepreneurs. The aim is that those who work with MARCOM will become community leaders and positively transform cities, organizations, and other individuals through the power of social tools. They seek to modernize the toolset of an organization to “overcome the challenges of technological disruption and a rapidly changing future.” In short, they want to equip our community with talented workers who are used to rapidly changing technology and who know how to drive change in any industry. MARCOM was born out of the Blum Center for Developing Economies at UC Merced where Daniel Sabzehzar, Central Valley native, CEO and Founding Partner of MARCOM Group, was the former Director of Marketing. Along with Daniel, MARCOM was founded by Christopher Bernal, a fellow UC Merced graduate, and Sara Sabzehzar, who is also their Senior Brand Strategist. Daniel and Christopher initially came together to build the first Men’s Volleyball team at UC Merced and they both studied Public Health while at school. The majority of their leadership skills were built and finessed on the court. Now they’re leading a group of Junior Partners and roughly one hundred student interns, fellows, and part-time staff, most of whom also graduated from UC Merced. This powerhouse team works to support their clients throughout the Merced area and beyond. Their most notable clients are Bowles Farming and Livingston Health Group. CFO of MARCOM, Christopher Bernal, is inspired by the students and members of the community who want to do good together. Independently, he sees students and residents doing great things, but knows that magic happens in a community when they come together. It’s why he started the Marketing Club at UC Merced as a student because he wanted to see “more of my fellow students become connected to local businesses, to help the students be more prepared for the workforce when they graduate, and to see them have opportunities to stay in Merced. When you know what’s going on in your community, you feel like you’re a part of it and take ownership. Most students don't know what they’re going to do when they walk across the [graduation] stage. The goal of the club was to set up a plan for them to stay in Merced and to have some sort of job or mentorship.” The connection point between MARCOM and the Marketing Club is powerful. The two organizations work together to help local businesses and nonprofits to build up an impactful online presence to drive their missions forward. In a world where this is now essential to be successful in the long-run, it’s incredible that UC Merced students and alumni come together to make a stronger Merced. With clients like Little Oven Pizza, United Way, Chamber of Commerce, Farmers Market, and Eastwind Dojo (just to name a few), these students are integrated into influential organizations that are doing great work in the community. What’s most exciting about these two young leaders is their commitment to and belief in Merced. Chris says, “No matter what you want to do in life, Merced provides the opportunity to learn and to figure out what your next step will be. People coming to Merced or that are already here can be a part of building a city; It’s a place where we all have the ability to make an impact and the opportunity to do it fast.” Daniel believes that “Merced has access to the world's greatest resources coupled with people that are relatable. The growth this area will see will be transformative and globally competitive. The game is who sees it first.” The value they see in this area is inspiring and should be motivating to those considering this area to live, work, go to school, or build a company. MARCOM not only benefits the organizations it supports but also the community by providing students with an opportunity to stay in Merced upon graduation. Equally as important, the company gives students and alumni the platform to building impactful relationships with the members of the community outside of the UC. We can all agree the best college towns are the ones where students and alumni are actively involved in community work and are frequently visiting local restaurants, bars, and shops. Those are the towns and colleges that young kids seek to spend the college years. I have a feeling that with MARCOM’s influence and the very involved community that we have, we’ll see Merced continue to rise as an “it” college destination in California. With young, passionate people like Daniel and Christopher leading the charge to bring technology and opportunities to our community, it’s easy to get excited about the future. It’s a good reminder to everyone that individuals are ones that make the difference, especially at a local level. As a challenge to our readers, I want to leave you with a question: We can wait for change to come or we can make it happen ourselves. How will you make a positive impact in our community this year? Merced is a fertile environment for new businesses (with its relatively low cost of living and quality graduate population) and is a greenfield for innovative ideas. Let’s make a commitment to help tend to this new Silicon Farm’s growth and encourage this new breed of Merced County leaders. If you listen to most media, it seems that most Americans perceive Silicon Valley as the home of California’s most technological residents, with Silicon Beach in Santa Monica following closely. What most people, including Californians, haven’t heard of yet is Silicon Farm. That’s largely because a company in Merced called MARCOM just recently coined the phrase.
Silicon Farm, while just a budding Silicon “empire”, is the output of what UC Merced promises to bring to the community. The hope of the new UC was that with the campus and an influx of young people, that they would have a place to stay, work, and spend their dollars in the community. The idea of Silicon Farm and desire to house equally as brilliant residents as Silicon Valley came to be when MARCOM was created. MARCOM is a digital agency and an investment firm that builds up and trains a new generation of entrepreneurs. The aim is that those who work with MARCOM will become community leaders and positively transform cities, organizations, and other individuals through the power of social tools. They seek to modernize the toolset of an organization to “overcome the challenges of technological disruption and a rapidly changing future.” In short, they want to equip our community with talented workers who are used to rapidly changing technology and who know how to drive change in any industry. MARCOM was born out of the Blum Center for Developing Economies at UC Merced where Daniel Sabzehzar, Central Valley native, CEO and Founding Partner of MARCOM Group, was the former Director of Marketing. Along with Daniel, MARCOM was founded by Christopher Bernal, a fellow UC Merced graduate, and Sara Sabzehzar, who is also their Senior Brand Strategist. Daniel and Christopher initially came together to build the first Men’s Volleyball team at UC Merced and they both studied Public Health while at school. The majority of their leadership skills were built and finessed on the court. Now they’re leading a group of Junior Partners and roughly one hundred student interns, fellows, and part-time staff, most of whom also graduated from UC Merced. This powerhouse team works to support their clients throughout the Merced area and beyond. Their most notable clients are Bowles Farming and Livingston Health Group. CFO of MARCOM, Christopher Bernal, is inspired by the students and members of the community who want to do good together. Independently, he sees students and residents doing great things, but knows that magic happens in a community when they come together. It’s why he started the Marketing Club at UC Merced as a student because he wanted to see “more of my fellow students become connected to local businesses, to help the students be more prepared for the workforce when they graduate, and to see them have opportunities to stay in Merced. When you know what’s going on in your community, you feel like you’re a part of it and take ownership. Most students don't know what they’re going to do when they walk across the [graduation] stage. The goal of the club was to set up a plan for them to stay in Merced and to have some sort of job or mentorship.” The connection point between MARCOM and the Marketing Club is powerful. The two organizations work together to help local businesses and nonprofits to build up an impactful online presence to drive their missions forward. In a world where this is now essential to be successful in the long-run, it’s incredible that UC Merced students and alumni come together to make a stronger Merced. With clients like Little Oven Pizza, United Way, Chamber of Commerce, Farmers Market, and Eastwind Dojo (just to name a few), these students are integrated into influential organizations that are doing great work in the community. What’s most exciting about these two young leaders is their commitment to and belief in Merced. Chris says, “No matter what you want to do in life, Merced provides the opportunity to learn and to figure out what your next step will be. People coming to Merced or that are already here can be a part of building a city; It’s a place where we all have the ability to make an impact and the opportunity to do it fast.” Daniel believes that “Merced has access to the world's greatest resources coupled with people that are relatable. The growth this area will see will be transformative and globally competitive. The game is who sees it first.” The value they see in this area is inspiring and should be motivating to those considering this area to live, work, go to school, or build a company. MARCOM not only benefits the organizations it supports but also the community by providing students with an opportunity to stay in Merced upon graduation. Equally as important, the company gives students and alumni the platform to building impactful relationships with the members of the community outside of the UC. We can all agree the best college towns are the ones where students and alumni are actively involved in community work and are frequently visiting local restaurants, bars, and shops. Those are the towns and colleges that young kids seek to spend the college years. I have a feeling that with MARCOM’s influence and the very involved community that we have, we’ll see Merced continue to rise as an “it” college destination in California. With young, passionate people like Daniel and Christopher leading the charge to bring technology and opportunities to our community, it’s easy to get excited about the future. It’s a good reminder to everyone that individuals are ones that make the difference, especially at a local level. As a challenge to our readers, I want to leave you with a question: We can wait for change to come or we can make it happen ourselves. How will you make a positive impact in our community this year? Merced is a fertile environment for new businesses (with its relatively low cost of living and quality graduate population) and is a greenfield for innovative ideas. Let’s make a commitment to help tend to this new Silicon Farm’s growth and encourage this new breed of Merced County leaders. At 98, local WWII veteran wishes for a Purple Heart (as published in the Merced County Times2/18/2018 ![]() It’s not often these days that one can hear stories of survival, heroism, and grit from a World World II hero firsthand. I wasn’t expecting to meet this distinguished veteran, much less, spend a few hours with him while his friends and I listened to him sharing detailed accounts of his youth, his wartime experience, and the brutal realities of battle. Nor did I expect that on a typical Sunday afternoon, I would make lasting friends that would deepen my appreciation for our country. His name is Frank Paredes, and he is a true American hero. He fought back during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and served our country through the war until December 1945. He fought in 15 campaigns, and was wounded three times. The Atwater resident turns 98 years old this Thursday, Feb. 15. Incredibly, he reveals that he has never received a Purple Heart, a U.S. military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving. His buddies want to change that. They’re fighting for the national recognition in a community effort. It’s easy to understand why when the stories are told. Pearl Harbor It was December 1941 when a young man from an Arizona reservation was making a stop in Hawaii on his way to the Philippines for his first assignment in the Army. Frank Paredes said an early goodnight to his friend that he was visiting from home who was stationed there, so that he could awake early to assist the Father for mass at 8 a.m. the next morning. As he walked to the chapel on a crisp, sunny winter morning, he had no idea he would partake in one of America's most pivotal days in history. At five minutes to 8 a.m. he heard a rumble, followed by, “ATTENTION: THIS IS NOT A DRILL, THIS IS NOT A DRILL. WE ARE BEING ATTACKED BY THE JAPANESE. ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO YOUR POST.” While Frank might not have had an official post in Hawaii, he would be one of the first Americans to respond to the attack of the Japanese on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. “I didn’t have a post. I manned the first machine gun that I could find. I saw a plane coming, he was maybe 100ft up in the air, so close that I could see the pilot. I took at a burst at him and missed him. The next one I saw, I gave him a lead, took a burst, the second burst was right on. I smoked him. After that, I burned about four or five barrels on the machine guns. I kept on firing as long as I could. When everything slowed down, I went in to start picking up bodies, getting guys medics, fighting fires, helping as much as I could. I picked up about seven guys and put them out of the line of fire so they could get picked up by medics. Following that, I joined those that could get on a bus and we went into Pearl and started picking up bodies, parts of bodies, it was horrible.” Young Forrest Frank is a native of the Dragoon Mountains in Arizona, a member of the Mescalero Apache tribe, and one of sixteen children. Known as “Red Feather” on the reservation, he had a childhood full of interesting stories. For instance, his mode of transportation to school was a donkey, which at one point was stolen by a school bully, and his tomboy sister ended up retrieving the donkey after teaching the kid a thing or two about taking a donkey that didn’t belong to him. He grew up with the famous code talkers of WWI and also knew the Alamo Scouts. Frank volunteered for the Army in September 1941. Ironically, he was drafted by the Army in the spring of 1942 after he had already fought in one of America’s most historical battles, and while he was currently serving in Japan. He was 21 when he enlisted, “I was an old man already! I didn’t know what to do, it was during the depression. I worked in the mines in Arizona for seventy-five cents an hour and it was no good. I needed to do something better than that. Before I enlisted, I hooked onto a tuna boat in San Pedro where we went to Peru. We fished for albacore tuna for four weeks and I made seven thousand dollars. That was a lot of money then! Following that, I chauffeured for Bing Crosby’s kids, Gary & Lindsay, in Monterey, and took Bob Hope on a fishing trip.” After sharing these stories, Frank’s friend, Kenneth Henn, quips, “this guy is like Forrest Gump.” Remarkably, as a boy, Frank used to ride horses on the reservation with another kid named Ira Hayes. Later in life, Ira would be one of the men to raise the second American flag at Iwo Jima which was so famously captured in photographs. Coincidentally, Frank’s brother, Raul, was with Ira that day and was with the group that raised the first flag, but the original flag was too small so the second one had to be raised. First Flight Like many young men and women enlisting in the services, they have no idea where their journey will take them. Frank was up for the task and often said “yes” to daring missions. Frank was stationed in Kearns, Australia, where he took part in missions at New Guinea. “I made half a mission with the Air Force at Kearns, Australia because the Air Force needed gunners. I volunteered as a gunner on a B-25. I told them that they would need to brief me because I’ve never been on a plane before. I volunteered in the army to do what I had to do.” Even if that meant taking his first airplane flight as a gunner for the military! “We went on a mission and were shot down over New Guinea. We were in the shark-infested waters for a couple of hours before we were saved. We deployed sulfur shark repellent to keep them at bay. In about two hours, we were picked up by a PT boat (similar to the kind that President Kennedy piloted) and they took us back to Kearns.” Missing in Action On a mission in the Pacific, Frank and his unit were spotted by the Japanese who shot and hit their boat around 11:30 p.m. The unit worked quickly after being hit; they dismantled the machine guns, put on their life jackets, and sunk their boat. They swam all night to escape being captured and hit the beach by dawn, where Frank covered up their tracks behind them. There, they covered themselves up with palm leaves and bedded down. “Coincidentally, My mom had sent me a watch for my birthday. I had it on while we were hiding, and I could hear the watch ticking.” He took it off, wrapped it up in palm leaves, and buried it in a hole where he would remember to grab it later. “The Japanese never found us. About four days later in the morning after sleeping, I felt something on my throat. I thought, ‘uh-oh, they got us.’ It was a native and he found us.” The native spoke Pidgin English and so they were able to communicate together and tell him that they were Americans. “We followed him and he took us into a cave and he said, ‘we take you to Australian lines.’” Before they left for the Australian lines, Frank grabbed his watch which he has to this day, and it still works. It took them three and a half months to get to the Australian lines. “Once we got there, the Australians told us they were waiting for a bonsai attack. The Australian lieutenant asked me, ‘do you know how to operate a 20mm?’ I said, ‘no, sir, but I can learn fast.’ So he showed me what to do. We got a bonsai attack that night and I operated a 20mm like a pro. Then we got reinforcements and we successfully defended the line. After that was over, they took us to the Australian medics. I thought that maybe it would be our trip home, but no way! We were sent back to the US lines.” His Next Battle The realities of war are not glamorous. “I’m not proud of it [meaning the casualties that came along with war], but I had to do it and am proud to have served our country,” Frank says. “And now I’m fighting for my records.” Unfortunately, all of his military papers were burned along with several others in a fire at the National Hall of Records in St. Louis in 1973. The horrid fire wiped out the records of those that served in the Army and Air Force. The National Archives state that the fire wiped out 80 percent of Army paperwork from those that served from November 1912 to January 1960. According to the National Archives, “No duplicate copies of these records were ever maintained, nor were microfilm copies produced ... a complete listing of the records that were lost is not available." This has been a bit of a stumbling block for Frank in regards to receiving a Purple Heart for his valiant efforts. Today, his biggest challenge is a burden that members of the Elks community have taken on. Wil Hunter, a committed member of the Merced County community and US Army veteran, took it upon himself to start the process of obtaining three Purple Hearts for Frank (for his three WWII injuries). In May 2017, Wil sent a letter to President Trump requesting his attention on this matter to grant Frank a Purple Heart. This request has not been resolved and it is still the focus of many in Frank’s life to get him the recognition he deserves from the United States for his dedicated service in fighting through fifteen campaigns and suffering three wounds in action. Helping Frank in this process is important to Wil; “I got involved because not many 98-year-olds have fought in fifteen campaigns and served like he has; he should get at least one purple heart. It’s something that’s owed to him.” It’s Wil’s request that President Trump personally present the Purple Hearts to Frank in Washington D.C. Frank recently traveled to our nation’s Capitol for the Central Valley Honor Flight, and can still easily travel around at his age. Being 98 doesn’t slow Frank down. He’s an active member of the Merced County community, serving as Bugler for the Merced County Honor Guard and a member of the Merced Elks Lodge. Frank is at the lodge most days of the week to help out and spend time with members of the community, but you can usually catch him assisting with the Elks popular game of Bingo on Tuesday nights. He participates in most of the Merced County veterans events, After spending several hours hearing just a portion of Frank’s stories, it’s hard to find a way to end this article for a man that has a lifetime of incredible stories, but I can think of no better way to wrap it up than to say a hearty ‘thank you’ to Frank. We are fortunate to have an American hero like him in our community. If you ever have the opportunity to speak to Frank, I encourage you to ask him about his experiences in the war. His memory of each of these accounts is remarkable. More than that, if you can help support Frank in his quest to become a Purple Heart recipient, it would be greatly appreciated. Community Effort A new movement called #iammerced was just launched at the State of the City, and I can think of no better way to be Merced County proud than by an entire community getting together to help a local hero receive one of the nation’s greatest honors. If you want to help, use your social media outlet (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) to ask President Trump to present Frank the Purple Hearts that are owed to him. Instructions: Tag @PresidentTrump and @usarmy and use the hashtags #iammerced and #purpleheartsforfrank along with your personalized message. You can also email the White House at https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ or send a letter to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NV, Washington DC, 20500. Thank you! The chatter that I heard about Frank on that November afternoon was heartwarming and uplifting. Frank was surrounded by his friends that were sharing their true love and admiration for him. Wil Hunter simply described him as a “jewel of a man.” Ken Henn said, “This man has done more in his life than one hundred people.” Kenn Working added, “He’s a living hero.” To which Frank responded, “I’m not a hero. The heroes are the ones that were left behind. I just did what I had to do.” Happy Birthday to you, Frank, for “doing what you had to do” was one of the most important jobs in the twentieth century, keeping our country safe from great evils so that we could live in freedom. If you can provide any support in helping us to get Frank the Purple Hearts that he deserves, please reach Sara Cribari Hill at sara@thegreatestvalley.com Merced Teen Travels World, Brings Back '1,000 Wishes' (as published in the Merced County Times)1/14/2018 It could be argued that throughout the month of January, conversations across the world have more in common than perhaps any other month. The perennial,“New Year, New Me” goals dominate thoughts, questions, conversations, and letters amongst friends, families, and co-workers. Despite our best efforts, it’s very difficult sticking to these resolutions. I’m personally guilty of this; I am still no expert in Spanish, a master of the Two-Step, or as sharp in my tennis game as I’d like to be.
As January comes and goes, so do many of our conversations focused on our goals for the year. Maybe it’s because we’ve simply given up on our personal goals and don’t want to bring up that topic, or maybe it’s because we think that conversation is only reserved for one month of the year. Whatever the reason may be, it seems that we lose something as a society when February comes and we pivot our conversations from a place of commonality and we start talking again about divisive politics, chilly weather, and sports. This spirit of connecting with others is what drove Merced’s own Matthew Broadley to start a world-wide discovery to inquire about what people wished for no matter their race, gender, or where they lived. Upon embarking on this quest, he wondered the simple yet profound question, ‘do society's wishes have more in common or more separating them?’ A thirteen-year-old Matthew was about to find out over the course of the next three years. In his seventeen years, Matthew has lived a full life and has quite the full resume before he even begins college. Born in Ukraine and adopted at 18 months by James and Mindy Broadley, Matthew has lived many different places on this globe from Southern California to the East Coast to Merced. He’s been fortunate to travel to even more countries with his mom as she was a Director for the group Young Americans, a musical program for children across the globe. As a young teenager, he noticed that there wasn’t one particular passion in his life that made him excited every day. Even with a calendar full of hobbies and activities, he had yet to find that one thing that would motivate him throughout each day. “There were people in my life that had various passions and loves. I realized that I didn’t have that yet, that one passion of mine. I wished I knew what my passion was and wanted to know what it was that I’d be interested in all day long. [I started] wishing for a passion and wondered, ‘was I the only person that wished for a passion? Do other teenagers feel this way? What do adults wish for? What do other people wish for?’ I wanted to see what other people around the world were wishing, what the meaning was in a wish.” This longing led him to the idea of jotting down the hopes of people he met everywhere he went and his search had no boundaries. Over the course of three years, he collected 1,000 wishes from people ages two to 102 across 50 states and over 60 countries. He spoke to everyday people on the street that he had never met and asked them a deeply personal question, “what do you wish for?” He asked people that he knew and even sought out public figures. Fun fact: he reached out to famous people such as the Pope, the Queen, President Obama. A standout figure that responded to him with a personalized note was Barbara Bush! As Matthew received more and more wishes, he unearthed a simple, yet profound truth - “there’s a lot more that connects us as people than what separates us.” This idea of his that was formed from self-reflection ultimately led to him creating a book made up of the wishes he collected. The book titled 1,000 Wishes, took a year for him to create and self-publish. To date, he’s sold several hundred copies, and grade school students have even used his book for book reports! While Matthew’s life and wish adventure have taken him across the world, to him, Merced is home. He’s lived 5 of his 17 years here and enjoys the small-town life. He can claim that Merced has contributed to the growth of him as a leader. A few years ago, he became involved with the Building Young Leaders program and along with his group, started the Promise Merced campaign, which brought leaders together to project more positive thoughts of Merced. Matthew’s thankful for how Merced has supported his growth and says that “it doesn’t take a big city with lots of connections to make an impact” and he’s proof that “someone from a small town can accomplish a lot.” His advice to other young Mercedians is this: “see what you can do with not much and see how far it takes you, because there’s a lot of opportunities here that people don’t realize.” Merced is also a place for fun in Matthew’s life. He lights up when talking about working out at the Crossfit studio on 15th St., he longboards in town, attends youth group at Yosemite Church, sails, and even takes Boutique Air to fly to Los Angeles for acting gigs (his biggest role to date is on Boardwalk Empire). The opportunities that Matthew has had in Merced have helped to shape him, but more than that, he gives credit to his family for the support that they give him. “My family has been a big influence in not only supporting me, but in giving me the opportunities, head start, and guidance to pursue my activities.” Writing this book not only taught Matthew more about the world, it’s geography, it’s people, and its culture, but as he heard and recorded each unique wish, he said he was surprised at how willing people were to open up, and that what people revealed was eye opening and humbling. As wishes were shared, he noticed that “Race and sex don’t matter when you focus on the wishes.” It comes down to “just about who they are at the core. And we all experience the same things as humans.” Do you know what it is that your friends and family truly wish for this year? What about the strangers in our Merced community that you have yet to meet. What could you learn about someone as you stand in line at ASIP, order your bagel at Bagel Tyme, wait for a table Bella Luna, or as you pass people on their morning walks? What if we started our own wish movement in Merced County to drive more positivity throughout our towns? Offer someone the moment to speak about themselves and learn a bit more about what motivates them. Let Matthew’s curious question be an inspiration for you to reach out to others to give them a moment to shine a light on something in their life. Go to 1000wishes.global to learn more about Matthew and to order his book, 1,000 Wishes. ![]() If you’re a proud Merced County local, it’s hard to find a sentiment that resonates louder than this: “A few years ago, I started noticing a lot of people in town saying, ‘where should we go?’ and ‘what should we do?’ and they were leaving town for fun. Instead of leaving Merced for fun, keep your money and our revenue in our own town. The way that can happen is by creating events to have our community come together locally. That's the reason why I created Tsunami Collaborations.” Those feelings, shared by many proud Merced residents, were said by Sue Bangon Emanivong, the owner of Tsunami Collaborations, a member of the Valley’s Laotian community, and one of Merced’s hardest working residents. That’s the fuel behind Sue’s involvement in community events. Like many of us, she grew tired of hearing that Mercedians were going to take their money out of town to enjoy meals, festivals, or other events, when she knew there was opportunity for Merced to have those same experiences. That’s how Tsunami Collaboration was born. Sue’s young and consistently busy business, exists to give people a reason to stay and enjoy their own communities in Merced County. She’s been a rising star in the Merced for almost two years by working events for the community, but by no means is she a newcomer - she’s proud to be born and raised here in the Central Valley. If you’re one of the few who have not met Sue personally (she’s the one who keeps a smile on her face, welcomes all, and laughs large while she’s planning and executing an event), it’s likely that you’ve experienced her work as she is behind the summer Street Faire, Red Nose Day, Kid’s Day, Merced’s Feast, and countless other events; many of which are done in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Merced Main Street Association, and many others. If there’s something that’s just as important to Sue as uplifting Merced through community events, it’s that she does it with her team and not on her own. In fact, that’s the intent behind the name of Tsunami Collaborations. The “collaborations” part of her business is just as fundamental to her mission as bringing the community together. Her team volunteers their time and effort alongside Sue. Any conversation with Sue quickly leads to her giving credit to her team and it’s well-deserved. Her team consists of her family, their friends, her friends, a crew from the Rescue Mission. They do everything from prepping-making-serving food, to setting up and cleaning up each event, to organizing donation drives for youth, and so much more. While Sue has been tirelessly supporting Merced in the last two years, she’s been putting that same heart and soul into supporting her Laotian family her entire adult-life. As a first generation Laotian whose parents came to America in the 80’s from a refugee camp, she has immense pride and passion for her Laotian family. Sue credits watching and learning from her parents as the reason she can coordinate a community and plan events, as she has no formal training in this area. “A lot of it I learned from my mom. A Laotian wedding, a death, a blessing; these are big events and I learned how to help from doing those events from my mom. Organization, coordinating, watching what my mom did for the Laos community.” Not only can our community be grateful to Sue’s mom for training her up, those that attended the FEAST this last September can be thankful for the delicious Ka Poon (a soup) as the first course. With no formal training, one has to ask how Sue got into this line of work. It happened when she was in a life transition – in between jobs and in between moving from Modesto to Merced. “When I was at home during my transition, I didn’t feel like I was doing what I needed to do. I was home too much, so I asked myself, what’s the purpose? And I realized that my purpose was to positively influence people's lives; that it was time to get out and help people.” That’s why her work is always geared towards the greater community or youth. She’s guided strongly by a few principles: • 90% of her work is done pro bono. However, her goal is to become profitable so that she can give back to her volunteers and to pay for several out-of-pocket expenses. • She only works on events that support the Merced community • Her focus within the community is on our youth Her most important rule of thumb? “If I’m doing something that’s raising money, it’s got to have a purpose. It has to go towards something with meaning.” People like Sue build up our community and make it a safe, fun, and engaging place to live, work, and play. Her work is an example of the reason why Community Organizers are so important to our homes, neighborhoods, and towns; they prove that just one person can make a positive impact and make their homes a better place. Merced is fortunate to have many involved citizens that spend their time and resources to make our town a special town. Considering Sue’s impact to the greater Merced community has been so significant in just two years, it will be exciting to watch her contributions grow over time, and to see who she inspires along the way. Thank you to Sue and her team for all that you do for our community! ![]() "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." I must have said the pledge of allegiance unblinkingly a thousand times as an elementary and high school student, but today, standing amongst veterans that fought in nine different wars from the 1940’s to today, it was as though I was hearing it for the first time. There I was, standing with over one hundred veterans who served our country as we watched the Elks Lodge #1240 Troop walk in the military flags, where men saluted and women covered their hearts as we said the Pledge of Allegiance in perfect unison. This moment was designed specifically for these veterans to congregate for a luncheon at the Elks Lodge this Veterans Day weekend with the purpose of getting to know one another, sharing stories about their military experience, and connecting as service men and women. It was the idea of one woman, Mary Stefani Camper, and the hard work of many, to bring this to life for their enjoyment and most of all, to honor them. It all began with the small-town connection for which Merced is so well-known. Mary Stefani Camper, a local realtor, was showing a house and waiting for her clients to arrive. While she was waiting, she saw that the next door neighbor was outside and she decided to introduce herself. That neighbor, George Praither, asked if she was related to Larry Stefani (he’s her uncle). George went on to tell her that he and Larry, who both grew up together in Merced, were in Vietnam at the same time. In 1966, George was walking down a street in Qui Nhon when he and another American saluted each other as they crossed paths. He quickly did a double take and yelled, “Larry!,” realizing that he had just walked past a childhood friend. As he recalled this memory to Mary, he shared that he and Larry hadn’t really seen each other since that moment. She was shocked that two men who grew up together, bumped into each other in a war thousands of miles away, and moved back to the same town didn’t really see each other. Her follow up question to him was simple, “Don’t veterans have reunions and get together?’” Well, the answer was “no.” It was then and there that she decided she would create a gathering so that local veterans would have an opportunity to meet. To set things in motion, Mary talked to Rick Seymour, who is actively involved in working on events for the community. They put together a small planning committee that included Mark Leigh, Martha & Jack Kelly, and Bill Savage. Rick then engaged Elks Lodge #1240, which took this event to the next level. As soon as the Elks heard about the idea, they were on board to make sure it happened. Mary shared that “The Elks are the ones that got behind it. If you were to see all the people that came out today, the people that were cooking, setting up, it’s remarkable. This wouldn’t have happened without their support.” At least thirty or so volunteers came out early Sunday morning to cook and set up the lodge for veterans. The Elks #1240 Boy Scout Troop welcomed the veterans and their guests as they walked in through a tunnel of flags, and each troop member shook the hands of those entering. The program of the day was centered around providing these veterans an opportunity to socialize with one another over lunch. However, there was much pomp and circumstance that made the the afternoon so special. ‘Thank You’ letters, colored and written by members of Mrs. Roman’s 1st grade class at Shaffer elementary school, were sprinkled across the tables for veterans to read. One could hear incredible stories of the past being shared across the dining hall. Jack Kelly, a member of the Elks and a Vietnam veteran, led a roll call to honor those in attendance. The roll call shed light on the fact that our Merced military members have served us in wars all over the world: WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Gulf Wars, Haiti, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Steve Carrigan, Merced City Manager, came by to honor the veterans and to share stories of his own father’s military experience; the senior Carrigan was a Colonel in the Air Force for thirty years, and was a POW in Vietnam for 5½ years. The audience was captivated as he regaled fascinating stories about his father’s experience in the military. He shared a touching thought about his father and veterans in general. “I’ve been telling stories about my dad for 50 years, at and at the end of every story I’d always say he’s just my dad, my teacher, my guide through life and I never thought that was really appropriate. One night I decided that I was going to put my thoughts into one sentence to describe my dad.” This is the heartwarming sentence that he came up with: “My dad’s a regular, ordinary guy, but he did something extraordinary. Then he spent the rest of his life trying to be ordinary.” “I didn’t just describe my dad, I described most, if not all veterans, ordinary men and women, who did extraordinary things for their country, and then they came home and spent the rest of their lives trying to be ordinary. And I’m going to tell you what I told my dad, ‘stop trying to be ordinary, because you’re not ordinary, you’re extraordinary, you’re veterans.” Following Steve’s moving remarks, Jack Kelly called the in the #1240 Troops to march the flags of each military branch into the dining hall. The roomful of grateful and proud Americans then recited the Pledge of Allegiance which wrapped up a perfectly patriotic afternoon. For an event that was born out of a front yard conversation, it was remarkably successful, and proves how powerful a conversation, an idea, and community can be when people come together. As I walked through the crowds and jumped in and out of conversations, it was clear that this group of veterans wanted to see this one-time event become an annual tradition. For those of us who haven’t served in a war, we may not be able to swap service stories, but it gives us the opportunity to get to know and listen to truly special people. It’s safe to say that many of us walked away with a new or renewed appreciation for our veterans, their families, and our country. There’s power in people from all walks of life coming together, indivisible, to bond over something as extraordinary as serving and protecting our nation’s freedoms. |