CLOVIS (KMJ) — Community members who went beyond the call of duty to help out their fellow citizens – have themselves been honored for their service.
In the Clovis Veterans Memorial District Wednesday morning, the ’26th Annual Fresno and Madera Counties Police Chiefs Association’s Citizen Award Ceremony’ saw companies and individuals from the two counties congratulated for their works.
“This is a chance to [acknowledge] the folks out there in the community who really don’t need to step up but choose to out of the kindness of their heart”, says Fresno County Sheriffs Department’s Tony Botti.
“We want to make sure they get recognized as well”.
Among the recipients were reserve officers who had served their area for more than 40 years, members of the public who had put themselves in harms way to stop a crime in progress, a newspaper delivery person who’d saved a customers’ life, and two motorists who pulled someone out the way of a speeding train.
“I’m just grateful I was able to help somebody out”, says Air Force Senior Master Jeffrey Ginther. He risked his own life to save two men from a Fresno canal late July.
“It’s just an amazing experience. It’s something I did not expect in any shape or form”.
The crowd also heard of the story of Don Caballero, who turned around a life of crime to become an associate pastor and work in transitional living in Merced.
“It’s very humbling”, revealed Don after the ceremony. “I think a big part of it is that the people that I now work with inside of the county jail – it’s come to a point that they trust me enough to where I have my own key”.
In all, more than 30 awards were handed out by representatives from both Fresno and Madera Counties.
Hear the report as it aired on KMJ:
