Santa Cruz Warriors among winners of 8th annual Be the Difference Awards

The 8th annual Be the Difference Awards ceremony was held Tuesday in Santa Cruz.

The ceremony, held by the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County, honored 65 people for their service to the local community.

Among the honorees:

Christy Licker: She founded Caroline’s Non-Profit Thrift Shop in July 2011 in memory of her daughter Caroline, who died at the age of 16 due to complications after a surgery. During Caroline’s life, she and Christy received services and support from many organizations. Opening up the all volunteer run thrift shop was a way for her to give back to the community. Over the years, Christy and her team have given over $200,000 in grants to local nonprofits working to improve the lives of children.
Jacob Martinez: A committed advocate for youth in Santa Cruz County, Martinez has spent the past decade working to introduce Watsonville teens to technology through after-school engineering and computer classes in the Pajaro Valley School District. As Project Director at ETR’s Watsonville TEC, Jacob led a variety of technology programs that supported youth from rural communities to pursue higher education.
Walnut Avenue Women’s Center: For over 80 years, Walnut Avenue Women’s Center has been serving Santa Cruz County. As a family resource center, WAWC’s four core programs include: an Early Education Center, Youth Development services, Domestic Violence services and a Community & Resource Development department that manages a mini-food pantry and donation station to help meet the basic needs of participants in all of its programs.
Teen Kitchen Project: Since 2011, the Teen Kitchen Project has provided teens with an opportunity to learn cooking skills, while giving back to the community. Chefs and nutritionists help teens learn to cook healthy, nourishing food. The meals are delivered by adult “Delivery Angels” to individuals and families in crisis due to illness. To date, teen chefs have volunteered over 2,600 hours. The Project serves about 40 clients and their families at a time.
Santa Cruz Warriors: The team — including staff, coaches and players — has participated in more than 100 community events in the past year, including the Santa Cruz School District Read-to-Achieve program, youth basketball programs, fit clinics and more.

The sold-out event took place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hotel Paradox on Ocean Street.