When Watsonville Mayor Maria Orozco was a student at Freedom Elementary School, she remembers running around the playing field, pock-marked as it was by holes and other signs of age and wear.
“I remember dreading it, because when we were done, my knees used to hurt,” she told a crowd gathered at the school on May 24 to dedicate the school’s newly restored soccer field.
Named for Ken Morena—a longtime Driscoll’s employee whose service to the community was lauded during the afternoon gathering—the new facility has three fields, and can accommodate games with both 11 and 9 players.
Gina Castañeda, who leads the Aztecas Youth Soccer Academy, said her players found it difficult during practices to use the former field.
“It was uneven, full of gopher holes and the grass was just weeds,” she said.
The Ken Morena Soccer Complex boasts new fencing, a parking lot, new irrigation and soil and new grass.
Under an agreement with Pajaro Valley Unified School District, the Pajaro Valley United soccer club will keep the field maintained, Castañeda said.
Driscoll’s CEO Miles Reiter, who worked with Morena for five decades, described his friend as gracious, caring, thoughtful and authentic.
“…and a lot of times those qualities don’t come all together,” Reiter said.
“He took particular satisfaction in giving young people an opportunity,” he said. “That’s why I think this field of dreams out here is particularly appropriate for someone who made such a big difference in the lives of so many young people.”
Morena joined Driscoll’s in 1977 as assistant to the President, and was promoted to president two years later. He semi-retired in 1999.
During his time with the company, he encouraged employees to contribute to their community. He spearheaded the company’s first adopt-a-school program with Pajaro Middle School, for which employees would tutor students, perform minor maintenance projects and give class presentations.
He also encouraged Driscoll’s to create internships for Cabrillo and Hartnell college students.
After the 1995 floods he led efforts to keep employees working, as well as clean up and rebuild farms.
In a brief speech, Morena said he was humbled by the honor.
“I’ve always loved sports, played them when I was young and I watch them now,” he said. “I’ve always felt that the more time young people spend on a field such as this, the less time they’ll have to get in trouble, and I think that holds true today.”
Castañeda, who is a county probation officer, founded the Aztecas Youth Soccer Academy in 2008 for juvenile probationers who affiliate with both Norteño and Sureño gangs. The goal of that program was to steer those teens away from gangs and incarceration by connecting them with positive role models while using the beautiful game as an entry point.
She has also run seven annual soccer camps, serving more than 175 youths per year from South Santa Cruz County to North Monterey County.
She said that sports gives young people a pro-social activity.
“Every child you see on the field out there has a support person, has a coach, has a system of support, someone they can come to when they need help,” she said. “It’s an investment in kids’lives, especially in this community where there are no county or city parks. There is not a lot of programming for kids, and this elementary and middle school is surrounded by gang activity.”
The $469,000 project was funded by Driscoll’s and the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, in addition to several private donors.
