A Helping Hand

Richard Crocker knows well the challenges some local families face in trying to achieve their educational goals. Born and raised in Santa Cruz County and a Watsonville High School graduate, Richard set ambitious goals before he was twenty. Richard was working 40-50 hours a week doing overnight shifts cleaning a restaurant in Aptos and raising a family with two young boys. On top of that, he was pursuing a business degree from San Jose State University.

“I worked hard to get an education and was the first in my family to get a college degree. I struggled to go to school, commuting to San Jose and raising a family,” Richard says.

After four years of juggling responsibilities, Richard obtained his degree. Soon after, he was able to work himself out of the night shift and bought the restaurant. Eventually, he owned more restaurants, and this led to a career in commercial real estate. Because of this experience, Richard has a deep appreciation for Santa Cruz County’s working families and the recent high school grads striving to better their circumstances.

Building a Successful Community

That’s why, after years of local philanthropic giving, the Crockers started the Richard and Theresa Crocker Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation in 2024. The award is granted to local graduating high school seniors from any Santa Cruz County high school or any Cabrillo College student in good standing that’s interested in a trade or vocational education. They have also given scholarships through Cabrillo College, Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, and Aspire Public Schools.

Richard says, “the students often come from very low-income families, have lots of responsibility, and are the first in their family to go to college. They are focused and dialed in to their academics. It’s hard to imagine how some of the students do it, but they do and when they succeed, it raises the water level for the whole community.”

Local Support for Local Students

While Santa Cruz County does not have as many trade school options as areas with larger populations, Cabrillo College is an excellent choice for careers in nursing, education, community health, construction management, information technology, and first responders.

Yadira Melgoza is one of two students who received the award this year. Yadira is graduating from Pajaro Valley High School and will enroll in Cabrillo College’s Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program with the goal of becoming a paramedic. She was inspired by the first responders who helped her when she experienced a medical emergency. Yadira says, “I want to be the first person to be there for someone when things get difficult for them. I want to be the helping hand that I had in my time of need.”

Richard and Theresa are honored to help lift up the ambitions of hard-working students who can give back to the community.

Richard says, “Scholarships are the most meaningful thing we do in our philanthropy. We have given scholarships for many years and plan to continue! I am honored to help this generation of students get through that time in life.”