CLOVIS, CA – Valley Public Radio is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2019 California Nonprofit of the Year by Senator Melissa Hurtado for Senate District 14.
Joe Moore, President & General Manager of Valley Public Radio, says the honor is a tribute to the station’s service to the valley. “For over 40 years, Valley Public Radio has been a trusted source for news and classical music in Central California. To be recognized for our service to the community is a great honor, and the credit goes to our dedicated staff, our hard working volunteers and our generous individual, corporate and foundation supporters. Together, they have all helped to build the station that we have today, and have helped make our region a better place,” said Moore.
Representatives from Valley Public Radio will travel to Sacramento next month to join with one hundred other nonprofit leaders to be honored by their state senators and assemblymembers during a celebration luncheon as part of California Nonprofits Day on June 5th.
Moore said the strength of the local nonprofit sector makes this award even more special. “We have so many amazing nonprofit organizations in our region that do such great work. To be selected among all of them in Senate District 14 is a tribute to the impact that our station’s programming has on people’s lives. From the beautiful sounds of classical music and the showcase we provide for students on Young Artists Spotlight, to the local news stories we’ve covered that have resulted in new policies and legislation, public radio makes a big impact in our communities,” said Moore.
“Nonprofits are often hidden in plain sight,” explains Jan Masaoka, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits). “California Nonprofits Day is an opportunity for our elected officials to celebrate the good work they see nonprofits doing in their districts, and for everyone to appreciate the collective impact of nonprofits in our communities.”
The Nonprofit of the Year recognition comes just weeks after the station received another major honor – the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting, awarded by the Radio Television Digital News Association. The station’s entry in that contest has now proceeded on to the national Murrow Awards competition.
Valley Public Radio is the National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate in Central California. It operates stations KVPR (Fresno FM 89.3) and KPRX (Bakersfield FM 89.1). The non-commercial radio station features news and information programming from NPR as well as local news and classical music. Valley Public Radio also operates KVPR.org and the KPVR mobile app for smartphones and tablets. In 2016, the station moved into a state-of-the-art broadcast center in Clovis, and last year the station celebrated the 40th anniversary of its first broadcast. For the last five years, Valley Public Radio has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that evaluates the business practices and governance of nonprofit organizations. Less than 10 percent of nonprofits nationwide have achieve that coveted four-star rating for five straight years. The station serves listeners in Kern, Tulare, Kings, Fresno, Madera, Merced and Mariposa Counties.
Additional Background
California Nonprofits Day, now in its fourth year, was formally recognized by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 62, authored by the chair of the Assembly Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector, Assemblywoman Monique Limón (Santa Barbara), who will speak at the celebration luncheon. Senator Holly Mitchell will keynote the luncheon. The day is organized by Assemblymember Limón and CalNonprofits.
According to “Causes Count,” a 2016 report commissioned by CalNonprofits, the nonprofit sector is the 4th largest industry in the state, employing nearly one million people. Each year, California nonprofits generate over $200 billion in revenue and bring in $40 billion in revenue from outside of California. The unpaid labor contributed by volunteers at nonprofits is equivalent to 450,000 full-time jobs every year.