$250,000 endowment supports students from Kern, Kings,
Tulare and Fresno Counties
MERCED, CA - Prompted by its commitment to improving educational
opportunities for Central Valley students, Paramount Farms donated
$250,000 to an endowed scholarship fund at the University of
California, Merced. The endowment will provide low-income students
from Kern, Kings, Tulare and Fresno Counties with the opportunity
to achieve their education goals at UC Merced.
“Our friends at Paramount Farms understand that higher education
is a student’s direct path to potential in their careers and their
lives,” said John Garamendi Jr., vice chancellor for University
Relations. “An investment in their education is one which will
provide dividends not only for the students, but also for their
families and the community.”
Paramount Farms and its owners Lynda and Stewart Resnick have
been longtime supporters of UC Merced. The Resnicks and Paramount
Farms have supported UC Merced since its founding, helping the
young campus get off of the ground.
“As a graduate of the University of California system and as a
Central Valley business owner, I am proud to support the youngest
of the UC campuses,” Stewart Resnick said. “A UC Merced education
can open doors otherwise unavailable to hard-working high school
graduates and we are happy to do what we can to bring a college
education within reach for students from the Central Valley.”
Paramount Farms, the largest farmer of tree crops in the world,
grows and processes almonds, lemons, oranges and pistachios.
Paramount Farms is headquartered in Los Angeles, with operations
throughout Central California. The Resnicks also own FIJI Water,
Teleflora, Paramount Citrus and POM Wonderful.
Resnick’s first gift of $200,000 in 2003, aided members of UC
Merced’s first freshman class to afford the costs associated with
college. Since that first gift, about 200 UC Merced students
received scholarships thanks to the Resnicks and Paramount Farms’
generosity. Additionally, the Resnicks and Paramount Farms have
donated to help fund the expansion of the UC Scholars Early
Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) to the Delano region.
“I thank Paramount Farms for helping me see the UC system as an
option,” said scholarship recipient Jesus Medina, a freshman from
Wasco. “The UC Scholars program showed me the opportunities
available, but scholarships are what allowed me to come here to UC Merced.”
The first nine scholarships from the Paramount Farms Endowed
Scholarship Fund were awarded this fall, allowing students to focus
more on their studies and less on their finances.
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