Carl and Lulu Mitchell, via Community Medical Centers

The Association of Fundraising Professionals California Valley Chapter will recognize 14 individuals, businesses and organizations at its National Philanthropy Day Luncheon on Nov. 13 at Ft. Washington Golf and Country Club in Fresno.

Among the honorees are Carl and Lulu Mitchell, who will receive the Outstanding Philanthropist award. The Clovis couple are Powerball lottery winners who took home $123.4 million after taxes in 2013. The former Community Medical Centers employees—Lulu worked as a registered nurse and Carl as a radiology and nuclear medicine technologist—donated $2 million to Community Medical Centers through their family foundation. Their most recent $1 million gift in 2019 supported the Community Cancer Institute, funding breast cancer technology, early cancer detection and nurse navigators.

Lulu is a breast cancer survivor herself, making their commitment to cancer care deeply personal.

OK Produce will be honored as Outstanding Corporation, represented by CEO Brady Matoian. The third-generation family business was founded in 1950 by Brady’s grandfather, Charlie Matoian, who started by delivering produce from a flatbed truck in the 1930s. Charlie’s son Matty spearheaded an expansion into its Downtown Fresno facility in 1986.

Matty’s sons Brady and Chad joined the company around 2000, taking over operations in 2008.

Today, the Fresno-based wholesaler services about 1,000 independent retail operations across California, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona, according to orangicproducenetwork.com. The company installed 12,000 solar panels at its Fresno facility and operates a fleet of electric trucks.

The GL Bruno Family Foundation will receive the Outstanding Foundation award. Founded in 1996 by Gary Lee Bruno, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam and later established the service-disabled veteran-owned construction company G.L. Bruno Associates, the foundation has raised more than $2 million for nonprofits focusing on supporting socially and economically disadvantaged people, particularly women and children.

The foundation supports organizations including United Cerebral Palsy Central Valley, Make-A-Wish, and Art of Life Cancer Foundation through its annual golf tournament and other fundraising efforts. Gary Bruno passed away in November 2023 after a battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Craig Fourchy, partner at Madera-based farm fertility products manufacturer Ultra Gro, will be recognized as Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser. The Fourchy family has been active in supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (now known as Blood Cancer United) and other charitable causes in the Fresno area.

All Star Plumbing and owner Lance Marks will receive the Spirit of Philanthropy award. Founding All Star Plumbing in 2011 with over 15 years of residential plumbing experience, Marks has made cancer awareness and support a personal mission after losing both parents to cancer and an employee to the disease.

In October 2023, Marks presented a $2,000 check to Fresno’s Art of Life Cancer Foundation and operates a distinctive pink van to raise breast cancer awareness, reported KMPH, honoring his employee’s memory and supporting families impacted by cancer.

Other honorees include the King Richter Estate (Legacy Award), Amelia’s Angel Fund (Outstanding Program), BreAnna Trejo (Distinguished Achievement Special Award), Jeannie Neathery, CFRE (Outstanding Fundraising Professional), Grace Persons (Outstanding Youth), Joan Eaton and Paul Gibson (Special Award for Philanthropic Leadership), John Tony Flores (Spirit of Philanthropy), Dale Melville (Spirit of Philanthropy), and Doris Wright (Spirit of Philanthropy).

The luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 13. The Association of Fundraising Professionals represents more than 27,000 members in over 200 chapters worldwide who raise over $100 billion annually for charitable organizations and causes. The AFP California Valley Chapter represents more than 50 charitable fundraisers in the local area.