Bret Durosette’s decades of service to the community earned him the “Citizen of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award” at Friday’s Ceres Chamber of Commerce’s 56th annual Community Service Awards & Installation Dinner Banquet.

The banquet at the Ceres Community Center is the Chamber’s premier business event, highlighted by the recognition of outstanding members of the Ceres community who have made extraordinary contributions in service. It also serves as the changing-of-the-guard of the Chamber’s key volunteer leaders.

Durossette was selected by past award recipients from among other nominees including former Mayor Louie Arrollo, former state Assemblyman and grape grower Bill Berryhill and Bob Gobble, an active member and former president of the Ceres Lions Club.

Brandy Meyer who was the prior recipient of the award introduced Durossette and his long list of community affiliations and accomplishments.

“Bret Durossette has been a part of the community his entire life and given countless hours of his time and never expects anything in return,” said Meyer.

For over 30 years Durossette has teaching junior high and high school in Ceres teacher and has coached Ceres Youth Baseball. Over the years he helped students who were without homes, at times offering food and clothing and even shelter in the Durossette home. He has also mentored countless young men.

Meyer said Durossette has fed over 500 families Thanksgiving meals for multiple years.

Durossette was appointed in December 2008 to fill the vacant Ceres City Council seat created by the death of Rob Phipps. He served 13 years on the City Council before his 2020 defeat for mayor against Javier Lopez. In that time he was a part of the leadership team that saw the completion of the Whitmore Avenue freeway overpass, Ceres Community Center and the Ceres River Bluff Regional Park. He also served on StanCOG during that time.

He also has served on the Ceres Street Faire Committee for over 10 years and assisted in Ceres Relay for Life.

As a 16-year member of the Ceres Lions Club he has served as president and participated in the club’s Breakfasts with Santa, Pancake Breakfasts, Crab Feeds and the Stanislaus County Fair parking effort.

Durossette has belonged to the Old Fisherman’s Club for 12 years and has helped Soroptimists and the Ceres Unified School District.

He credited his wife Angela for driving many of the community service projects for which he’s been involved.

Durossette singled out Phil de la Porte as his mentor, recalling when he was a stuttering tenth-grader who stood four-foot-11 and weighed 85 pounds. He said de la Porte set him straight and later gave him his first job coaching baseball.

“I’ve been blessed,” said Durossette. “We’re still a small community. We still know each other. We still have connections with each other and that’s what helps us.”

Durossette explained that he hopes to retire in four years at age 61 and explained about his five grandchildren which came along quickly.

“I’ve had one of the greatest lives in the world. And that’s because I didn’t live in Modesto, I didn’t live in Turlock, I live in Ceres.”

Other awards doled out were:

• Distinguished Service – Doug Wallick;

• Nasson Sanchez –“Volunteer of the Year”;

• Young Citizen of the Year – Evette Garcia;

• Small Business of the Year –Ceres Pediatric Dentistry;

• Large Business of the Year – Howard Prep;

• Legacy Award – Lou Toste.

Distinguished Service

Doug Wallick, who has been a Ceres Lions Club member for 10 years and is actively involved in its events officer and currently president, was given the “Distinguished Service” award.

Wallick, it is said, very rarely turns down an offer to help in Ceres and has been active in the Ceres Street Faire and served as chairman in 2024. He chairs the Lions’ summer County Fair parking efforts which financially supports numerous Ceres youth groups. He is at the fairgrounds tirelessly for the entire 10-day run, supervising parking operations and usually last to leave at midnight. He is active with the Lions’ Pancake Breakfast which supports the Cub and Boy Scouts programs. He collected pull tabs for recycling to support the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Wallick is chairman of the Lions BBQ crew which cooks at many school functions, fundraisers, community events such as Love Ceres, memorials and other causes for individuals in need.

Wallick has supported the Ceres Education Foundation and voluntarily works the bar area at its annual dinner. He has been a supporter of Relay for Life through the Lions cooking team. Recently Wallick and the Lions cooking crew cooked upwards of 40 turkeys for the Turlock Salvation Army’s annual Kettle Kickoff Dinner.

Volunteer of the Year

Nasson Sanchez, who has spearheaded several events and has helped with “Love Modesto,” was honored as “Volunteer of the Year.”

He organizes an annual Saturn Court block party during National Night Out, organized a group and attended the Ceres Chamber of Commerce Movie Night and developed the Halloween Neighborhood Pumpkin Carving Contest at Ochoa Park. Sanchez also organizes various car shows for charity purposes with wife Sonia. He organized the Cruising for the Youth in the Barrios event, the having his low rider community hand out free ice cream cones with police to help nurture positivity between the community and law enforcement.

He has helped raise money for $500 and $1,000 scholarships by raffling off custom bicycles at festivals.

In November Sanchez and a group called Forty-niner Faithful donated 180 Thanksgiving turkeys to local field workers.

“As I look across this audience here tonight,” said Sanchez, “there is a multitude of various cultures and backgrounds but the number one thing we all have in common is this – the united mindset that we want what’s best for our community. Not my community, not your community but our community. Not only here in the city of Ceres but the neighboring towns as well. That right there is what drives me and I appreciate … being awarded this and we’re going to keep on doing whatever we’re doing together – si se puede.”

Other nominees were the Persephone Guild of Ceres, Cortney Mann and Kayla Martinez.

Small Business of the Year

Ceres Pediatric Dentistry was honored as “Small Business of the Year” for demonstrating a commitment to improving the health and lives of children in Ceres. They offer dental screenings for Ceres educational programs to teach children how to properly care for their oral health and getting parents to understand the importance of early dental checkups. They support sports teams and the CVHS and CHS Boosters. Ceres Pediatric Dentistry also supports several Ceres events such as Trunk-or-Treat and the Ceres Street Faire. The practice is the first airway focused dental office in Ceres.

Dr. Arevalo obtained both her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree and Pediatric Dental certificate from Tufts School of Dental Medicine in Boston. She is a board-certified pediatric dentist. While she enjoyed the snow on the East Coast for a few years, she missed sunny California and decided to move back to join her now husband in Stanislaus County.

“We’re not just about dental treatments, we’re about building trust, taking it back to the community,” said Dr. Arevalo. “Being recognized today is a reflection of our fierce dedication and also our commitment to being a part of this community.”

Other “Small Business of the Year” nominees were All Valley Pool and Spa and K3 Dental.

Large Business of the Year

Howard Prep (formerly the Howard Training Center) was tapped for the “2024 Large Business of the Year” for educating the community to value and contribute to people who are differently-abled. They advocate for their rights and report mistreatment, abuse or neglect. Howard Prep promotes rge successful inclusion and opportunities for people with disabilities facilitating advancement, achievement, and joyful lives. Howard Prep has been involved in many events in 2024 including a Ceres Chamber mixer and the River Classic Golf Tournament.

Howard Prep – in business for 72 years – recently renovated and made available its Witmer Hall as a community event venue.

Legacy Award

Luciano “Lou” Toste was selected to receive the “Legacy Award” which honors individuals or businesses that have contributed through service, support or volunteer efforts to the Ceres community for more than 40 years.

Toste has been affiliated with Ceres Youth Soccer Organization (CYSO) for over 40 years, most of those years as president. He has spent countless years working on bringing the Ceres River Bluff Regional Soccer Complex to Ceres. When he started with CYSO, many of the games were played at local school fields. Lou also is a youth referee administrator with Cal North CYSA’s District 8.

For 11 years, Toste was also a member of the Ceres Police Department’s VIPS (Volunteer in Public Safety) program. He has also volunteered as an instructor teaching referees for CYSO. He also was outspoken against city efforts to raise fees that would have priced out many players due to expense.

He and his wife Joann have been familiar faces at many events over the years, attending fundraisers to help support the community. Lou was named “Volunteer of the Year” by the Ceres Chamber of Commerce in 2016.

“I’m in District 8 and Ceres is the only league where everyone is a volunteer for the youth soccer program and I’m very proud of that,” Toste said at the banquet.

Toste used the occasion to advocate for the creation of a small TOP soccer field at Ceres River Bluff Regional Park for disabled youth.

“They deserve as much as the ones that play around now,” commented Toste.

Other “Legacy Award” nominees were West-Mark and Jack’s Automotive.

Since 1969, the Ceres Chamber of Commerce has recognized individuals for their service to the community; business and civic attainment on a local, state, national or international level; leadership; awareness of the needs of others; and distinctive accomplishments that have brought favorable attention to Ceres, their industry or organization.