Almost 90 years after his birth and 20 since his death, the story and legacy of Cesar E. Chavez continue to inspire Americans from all backgrounds, especially young Latinos, like 11 year-old Adrian Gomez.

“Cesar Chavez inspires me every day,” said Adrian, a seventh grader who is president of the Cesar Chavez Service Club at Roosevelt Middle School in San Diego. “He tried helping the farm workers who worked hard under conditions that were not good. I want to work hard like Cesar, to help my classmates. He also inspired me because I did not want to be elected club president, but I saw this as an opportunity to serve my school and my class.”

It is because of the lives that Chavez continues to touch, like Adrian’s, that his life and legacy will be celebrated on Thursday, March 28 at 7 a.m. at the Jacobs Center, 404 Euclid Avenue, in San Diego.

In addition, the 4th Annual Las Mañanitas Breakfast will honor four San Diegans who, like Cesar Chavez, blazed new trails in their respective professions.

The event will recognize Leon Williams, San Diego’s first African-American City Councilmember and San Diego County’s first and only (to date) African-American Supervisor; Lucy Killea, former State Senator and San Diego City Councilmember; Armando Rodriguez, first Hispanic to hold an administrative position with San Diego Unified School District, first Latino Commissioner of Education in California, former Commissioner of U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and Gracia Molina de Pick, a life-long advocate for feminist, Chicana and human rights education and literacy philanthropist.

“The four honorees embody our club’s mission of inspiring young people to believe in themselves and to know they can make a difference,” said Cesar Chavez Service Clubs Director Carlos LeGerrette. “It’s important that the young people in our community recognize the contributions the honorees have made to our society and the positive manner in which they have led others.”

For Molina de Pick, being a role model for young people, like Chavez was, is her biggest reward.

“I am humbled for the recognition and feel very fortunate that in my lifetime I have been able to serve and give back to my community,” she said. “I am fortunate that my strong commitment to education, love of the arts and passion about women’s issues are what will be my legacy. Those are three of the ten values taught to the Chavistas and I am proud to be a part of what they are learning.”

There are 24 Cesar Chavez Service Clubs in San Diego’s schools, and membership has grown 25-percent in the last year to more than 500 students.

The clubs provide leadership and community service opportunities for young people. The “Chavistas,”as the Club participants proudly call themselves, range from third grade through college age.

“Chavistas” learn how to accomplish their goals by following the Club’s Ten Values of Cesar Chavez: Service to Others, Sacrifice, Non-violence, Respect for Life, Celebrating Community, Determination, Helping the Needy, Accepting of All People, Knowledge and Innovation. In total, Cesar Chavez Service Clubs will invest 15,000 hours in leadership development activities in 2013.

“I like to be active in a group, and I enjoy encouraging my classmates be more active and to follow the Chavista values,” said Adrian Gomez, the Roosevelt Middle School student. “I am a Chavista president, and I am very proud of that. ‘Be Proud’ is one of the ten core values. I believe I can reach out to my classmates by being a good role model and following Cesar’s values.”

The Annual Las Mañanitas Breakfast serves as a fundraiser for Cesar Chavez Service Clubs. Tickets to the event are $50 each or a table of ten can be purchased for $500 at www.ChavezClubs.org.