Members of the Caglia family celebrate in January this year the announcement of Sally Caglia as the 2023 Leon S. Peters Award. Photo by Alex Scott

The Fresno Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday that Sally Caglia is this year’s recipient of the Leon S. Peters Award.

As with every year, the announcement was a surprise to this year’s recipient. Fresno Chamber President and CEO Scott Miller made the announcement along with other chamber partners and members of the Cultural Arts Rotary Club.

From her role as board member with multiple organizations to opening her home to foreign exchange students to assisting nurses in New Delhi for National Immunization Day, Caglia has lived a life of service and dedication to the community.

“This is a tremendous honor to be the third in this family to receive this [award] and I’m honored to have served in my father’s legacy,” said Caglia.

 

Her father Frank received the award in 1988 and her brother Richard in 2014.

“The Leon S. Peters award is in memory of a man who was a respected businessman, civic leader, and philanthropic contributor,” said retired judge and 2002 recipient Robert Oliver. “But most importantly, he cherished his community and made the continued betterment of that community his personal mission. Because of these values, we are delighted to present this distinguished award to Sally Caglia.”

Caglia remembers meeting Leon S. Peters when she was a young girl answering phones for her father’s office. After calling and asking to speak with her father and being put on hold, Peters told the young girl that he would send his secretary to teach her how to answer phones. Caglia laughs looking back on the memory, never having thought she’d received the esteemed award named after him years later.

While selling ads for her high school annual Caglia remembers Peters taking out a full-page ad and congratulating her on a job well done.

“Mr. Peters was a wonderful, wonderful man,” said Caglia. “In any event I’m speechless by this tremendous honor.”

Caglia attributes her philanthropic nature to her father, Frank Caglia, who taught her from a young age the importance of giving to the community. She hopes her family legacy continues to serve the community for generations to come.