Oralia Vallejo and Sidonio "Sid" Palmerin have taken two different paths in life, but have shared the common goal of helping the youth of Kings County.

Vallejo has worked to prevent tobacco use in Kings County through the Department of Public Health while Palmerin served for 24 years on the Corcoran Unified School District board of directors. 

Both have dedicated their time and efforts to serving the youth of Kings County and were honored for their contributions on Saturday by the Kings County chapter of the National Latino Peace Officers Association.The local chapter was formed in 1997 and has recognized a Latina during an annual dinner ceremony at the Kate Boswell Center every year since. This is the first year a Latino of the Year has also been honored.

"We also added a Latino because there's very few who have ever been recognized in spite of the fact that they've given back a lot," said chapter president Jess Martinez.

The association has about 25 members and supports Kings County youth programs in addition to awarding scholarships to high school graduates and providing food baskets and delivering toys to the needy during the holidays.

"We look for ways to give back to the community, especially when it has to do with the youth," Martinez said.

Latina of the Year Oralia Vallejo

For the last 10 years Vallejo has worked as the project director for Kings County's tobacco control program.

The Fresno resident has worked to decrease tobacco use throughout Kings County and has been successful in reducing youth access to tobacco from 20 percent to 7 percent over a period of three years.

Prior to working for Kings County she worked with children and teenagers in the Fresno Unified School District, where she realized the students who were having trouble in school were often those who used drugs or alcohol.

"Health is so key to kids doing well," she said.

Now she works to prevent tobacco use by educating both children and parents.

She also volunteers her time to be part of the Kings County Asthma Coalition and Kings Partnership for Prevention.

"I've always felt that we are here to improve everybody's quality of life and to create a better community by improving it," Vallejo said.

Her late father is her major inspiration and a driving force behind her success.

She grew up in Caruthers where her father worked in the fields to provide for Vallejo and her nine siblings.

When she began school she didn't speak English but went on to be the first Hispanic female valedictorian at Caruthers High School.

Vallejo said she is honored to be recognized as Latina of the Year because it calls attention to the work that she and her community partners are doing.

"I feel that we have been successful in achieving our objectives, but we still have a ways to go because our smoking prevalence rates are higher than the state average," she said.

Latino of the Year Sidonio "Sid" Palmerin

Palmerin's 24-year run as a Corcoran school board member came to an end in 2008 but he has left a lasting impact on the school district and community.

He can still be found attending football games at Corcoran High School or picking up one of his five grandchildren from the district's schools daily.

Palmerin was born in Hanford, and after graduating from College of the Sequoias in 1968, moved to San Jose.

He returned to Kings County 10 years later with the goal of being elected to the school board in Corcoran.

"My main reason for getting involved in so many things is that I felt an obligation," Palmerin said.

He fulfilled his obligation to the children of Kings County by going above and beyond his duties as a board member when he chaperoned school dances and attended numerous school events and activities.

He was recognized as Corcoran's Educator of the Year in 1998 and was one of the founders of the Corcoran Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Task Force.

As a member of the task force he personally volunteered to post "drug free" signs at school sites.

He's also managed his janitorial company, "Palmer's Janitorial," for 20 years and served in Korea with the United States Army in his younger days.

Palmerin has attended the Kings County chapter of the National Latino Peace Officers Association's annual dinner for many years, and said he was honored to be recognized as its first Latino of the Year.

"I wanted to make a difference," he said.

This reporter can be reached at 583-2427.

(Sept. 13, 2009)