Community leaders honored for philanthropy
EL CENTRO — The Imperial Valley Community Foundation on Thursday commemorated National Philanthropy Day at the Old Eucalyptus Schoolhouse in El Centro, where individuals and entities were honored for their charitable efforts.
Among this year’s honorees were several Distinguished Philanthropists, who included Shelvie and Ann Crittendon, John and Cathy Kennerson, as well as Maria de Lourdes “Lulu” Castro.
Those recognized as Distinguished Volunteers included Cliff Caldwell, Abraham Rubalcava, Barbara Deol, Sheriann Hess, Paul and Kim Hamby, Robert Trimm and Adrienne Dymond
The Lifetime Achievement recognition went to Ed and Patty McGrew, of Holtville.
The pair met while attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1958, and wed in 1960. The McGrews have pursued and enjoyed a number of successful business ventures including various farming and cattle feeding operations, the development and management of Rio Bend RV & Golf Resort for 25 years, and a wellness center complex in Calexico.
Currently, the couple both stay busy with their own projects, including Patty running Heart & Hand Assisted Living Facility along with their youngest daughter, Jennifer. Ed is the owner of RVMGMT, LLC and manages the Sunbeam Lake RV Resort.
Patty served as a community leader for Imperial County’s 4-H program for 15 years, foods and nutrition leader for 20 years, and 25 years as clothing leader. She is a past board member and vice chair of the Imperial Valley Community Foundation. She was instrumental in the organization’s revitalization beginning in 2007.
Patty McGrew served on the board of the California Mid-Winter Fair & Fiesta for 18 years, and is also a member of the California Mid-Winter Fair Heritage Foundation, where she serves as a clothing judge for youth and adult entries at the fair. Prior to immersing herself into her kids’ activities and business ventures with Ed, Patty was a home economics teacher at Holtville High School and substitute teacher at Central Union High School.
Ed McGrew served honorably in the U.S. Army California National Guard, and has continued to be a dedicated public servant throughout his life.
Ed is a past president of the El Centro Rotary Club, founder and past president of the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association, and director of the Imperial Valley Food Bank.
He is a past president of the El Centro Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, during which he started the annual “Snowbird Breakfast” and the Chamber’s monthly networking mixers. In 2014, he was recognized by the El Centro Chamber of Commerce with the William Duflock Business Leader award, and served as the Grand Marshall of the city’s Christmas parade that same year.
He was appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson to serve on the Board of the California Department of Food and Agriculture as the Southern Representative from 1992 to 1996, and was recognized by USDA in its yearbook “Americans in Agriculture: Portraits of Diversity.”
As a young farmer he participated in the Outstanding Young Farmer of the Year program, served two terms on the Meadows Union and Holtville Unified school district boards, and was a member of the Centinela State Prison Citizens Advisory Committee. He also served on the board of Valley Independent Bank for 25 years, and continues to serve on the local advisory committee for Rabobank.
Brawley residents Craig and Vicki Elmore were recognized as Philanthropists of the Year.
Craig is the owner of Desert Sky Farms and Vicki is a retired Brawley elementary school teacher. Both Craig and Vicki attended the University of Southern California, and Vicki later earned her Master’s degree in cross-cultural teaching from National University.
Carrying on a long family tradition of community-mindedness and generosity, the Elmores have supported a wide array of organizations, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley, Pioneers Memorial Hospital Foundation, the First Presbyterian Church of Brawley, City of Brawley youth sports and academic programs, Imperial County 4-H, Imperial County FFA, Imperial Valley Food Bank, American Cancer Society, youth scholarship programs, Brawley Chamber of Commerce, Imperial Valley Community Foundation and the Imperial County Historical Society.
This year’s Spirit of Philanthropy (Volunteer of the Year) recognition went to Donna Grizzle.
Grizzle has been a longtime volunteer of the Imperial County Historical Society and ICHS’s Pioneers Museum since 1989. She started as a member of the Building and Fundraising Committee before the current museum was constructed.
She served as the official hostess of the capital effort to help the various gallery groups raised monies for their exhibits, including cultural events and dinners. She has organized, catered and decorated countless dinners and auctions benefiting the museum over the years, as well as rolling up her sleeves on a regular basis to focus on her passion at the museum — the ag gallery.
She also spent a year and a half as the office manager to handle the day to day operations, gardening and curating while the museum recovered from its capital campaign and the museum’s construction to help the Historical Society replenish its coffers.
Grizzle also spent about 10 years on the board of the California Mid-Winter Fair & Fiesta, serving as its president for three. During that time she volunteered building displays, cleaning buildings, doing landscaping and planting projects, coordinating youth and adult volunteer groups, and hosting appreciation events for the fairgrounds’ other volunteers.
El Centro-based El Toro Export, LLC was recognized as the Philanthropic Corporation of the Year.
The corporation is an industry leader in the handling, processing and marketing of various agricultural commodities produced in Southern California and Oregon, with operations in the Imperial and Willamette valleys.
El Toro Export has been a generous supporter to numbers organizations serving the Imperial Valley, including American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, Boys & Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley, Cancer Resource Center of the Desert, Imperial Valley Community Foundation, Imperial Valley Economic Development Corp., Imperial Valley Food Bank, Imperial County Farm Bureau, Imperial County Office of Education, Imperial Valley Velo Club, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Vice President Jeff Plourd is a past president of the Holtville Rotary Club, past president of the California Seed Association, past director of the California Crop Improvement Association, and vice president of the Imperial County Farm Bureau. He is an advisory committee member for the IVC ag program, chairman of the National Hay Association’s International Market Development and Nominating committees, and a member of the IID’s Energy Consumers Advisory committee.
Jeff Plourd’s son Blake currently serves on the board of the California Grain & Feed Association.
President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Plourd is a past president of the El Centro Rotary Club, treasurer for the El Centro Rotary Foundation, board member of the El Centro Education Foundation, board director for the Coalition of Labor, Agriculture, and Business, advisory board member for the SDSU Lavin Entrepreneurship Center, Fowler College of Business, and as a board member of the San Diego-Imperial District Export Council.
He has also served as a director of the California Wheat Commission, director and president of the California Grain & Feed Association, and the co-founder, president and co-chairman of the National Hay Association’s Export Processors Council.