CELEBRATING PHILANTHROPY

The annual Celebration of Philanthropy thanks CFMC’s fund holders, legacy society members and closest supporters. Held October 5, 2022 at The Club at Pasadera, the gathering brought together more than 250 friends of the foundation to celebrate the power of local philanthropy.

Each year the CFMC board recognizes an individual or couple who has demonstrated philanthropic leadership in our region. The 2022 Distinguished Trustee Award was presented to Bruce and Linda Taylor.

Bruce and Linda bring “Give Where You Live” to an entirely new level. The Taylors’ success was built on their deep sense of place, and they have humbly shared that success with others. Wherever there is a need, from King City to the Salinas Valley to Monterey Bay, there they are.

Their giving supports health and wellness, youth development and education. They have made a major pledge to the Blue Zones Wellness Project to unite communities and make healthy choices easier. They created the Taylor Farms Health & Wellness Center in Gonzales to bring access to rural communities with an emphasis on prevention.

The Taylors contribute to youth organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County, Digital Nest, First Tee Monterey County and the Rancho Cielo Youth Campus, where they, along with Joanne Taylor, Bruce’s mother, helped fund the Rancho Cielo Ted Taylor Vocational Center.

Creating opportunity through education is another cornerstone of their generous giving. The Taylors made a significant gift to Hartnell College for the Willard Lewallen STEM Center, which they chose to name in the former MPC President’s honor. At CSU Monterey Bay, Taylor Farms is helping establish the Monterey Institute for English Learners as well as making a lead gift to kickstart the Mechatronics Engineering degree in the College of Science.

For the last several years, the CFMC has been honored to partner with the Taylors through the Taylor Farms Scholarship Program for full-time employees and their children. They’ve awarded $3.1 million in fouryear scholarships to create opportunity and access to education for 216 students. Scholarship recipient Angela Diaz spoke about the impact of the scholarship, saying, “Thanks to this scholarship, I will be able to achieve my goal of becoming an agronomist one day in the future, and make my family proud.”

The Taylors truly lead by example. Without their support, Monterey County, and especially Salinas, would look like an entirely different place.