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PBS SoCal Names 2025 Local Heroes Honorees Celebrating Community Leaders Making a Difference in Southern California

Annual holiday community celebration to honor Local Heroes nominees and recognize East LA College Child Development Center for transformative work with children and families.
November 6, 2025

Press Contact

Chelsea Grosbeck
cgrosbeck@pbssocal.org
747.201.5202

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Pictured (from left to right): 2025 PBS SoCal Local Heroes honorees Jacqueline Broxton and Darious Harris. Also pictured are Marcia Cagigas and Jacqueline Zavala, who will accept the Bryson Transformative Leader in Early Childhood Award on behalf of the East Los Angeles College (ELAC) Child Development Center. (Image courtesy of PBS SoCal)

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Los Angeles, Calif. – Nov. 6, 2025 – PBS SoCal, Southern California’s flagship PBS organization, announced today the individuals named as honorees of the Local Heroes and the John and Louise Bryson Transformative Leader in Early Childhood Award initiatives. The 2025 Local Heroes were selected from an inspirational group of southern California nominees by the organization’s Community Advisory Board. Honorees were named as Darious Harris CEO of Never Stop Grinding Impact (NSG Impact) as well as Jacqueline Broxton President and CEO of The Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation (BMCF). All nine 2025 Local Heroes nominees will be celebrated at an annual private Holiday Community Celebration event that will be held this year at PBS SoCal’s Burbank Studios on Thurs., Dec. 4.

The Holiday Community Celebration will also honor the Los Angeles Community College District, East Los Angeles College (ELAC) Child Development Center. Director Marcia Cagigas and Vice Director Jacqueline Zavala will accept the John and Louise Bryson Transformative Leader in Early Childhood Award on behalf of the Center. The award recognizes their unwavering support for early learning and reflects John and Louise Bryson’s lifelong commitment to children and families in Southern California. The Center was selected for its strong dedication to creating learning environments that value and empower every child and family. Over the years, it has expanded to include pilot programs, informational sessions, family workshops and community events that promote literacy, socio-emotional and STEM learning. The award continues the Brysons’ legacy of improving access to high-quality early childhood experiences for all.

2025 Local Heroes Honorees
The Local Heroes program recognizes the accomplishments of those who are dedicated to making a difference in the community: activists, community leaders and visionaries doing critical work that often goes unrecognized in the Southern California region. PBS SoCal Local Heroes Honorees and Nominees were put forth through a community nomination process and selected by the organizations’ Community Advisory Board (CAB), an active group of volunteer leaders from around the region that plays an integral part in the planning and implementation of many outreach programs including the Local Heroes initiative. Among this year’s honorees are two individuals whose work demonstrates the impact of local leadership, service and lasting community impact.

Darious Harris is the Chief Executive Officer of Never Stop Grinding Impact (NSG Impact) and Never Stop Grinding LLC and an undefeated professional boxer. Harris has transformed his personal motto, “Never Stop Grinding,” into a movement dedicated to uplifting underserved communities. Since 2020, Harris has led the organization in providing over $500,000 in social services annually across San Bernardino County. The organization supports thousands of families each year through monthly food distributions, free dental and vision clinics, financial literacy workshops and youth development programs. Harris also spearheads innovative boxing and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programs in schools that adresses youth mental health, bullying and recidivism through mentorship and fitness. In addition to his nonprofit work, Harris is the CEO of NSG Insurance and founder of NSG Boxing Gym and Community Center, which opened this year as a hub for fitness, education and community empowerment.

Los Angeles native Jacqueline “Jackie” Broxton serves as the President and CEO of The Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation (BMCF). A formerly enslaved woman, Biddy Mason, won her freedom and that of twelve additional slaves in the Los Angeles courts in 1862. Mason became a legend for the care and philanthropy she offered the community. Inspired by Mason, the BMCF provides service and support to the foster care community in LA County, which is home to the largest foster care population in the nation. Since 2018, the Foundation has awarded over $700,000.00 in academic scholarships to current and former foster youth, and hosted events designed to help foster youth take advantage of resources and information. Additionally, the BMCF has created support groups for Kinship (bio relatives caring for children, in place of parents), along with a support group for mothers who have a history with foster care.

The additional individuals selected as the 2025 PBS SoCal Local Heroes nominees are as follows:

Profiles including complete bios for this year’s Local Heroes nominees and honorees can be found at pbssocal.org/localheroes.

For more information, follow us on social at @pbssocal

About PBS SoCal

PBS SoCal uses the power of public media for good, strengthening the civic fabric of Southern California and providing our community with an essential connection to a wider world. As a local, donor/member-supported non-profit organization, PBS SoCal is available to stream on the PBS app and the PBS Kids App and reaches nearly 19M viewers across 7 Broadcast channels — including 2 primary channels, PBS SoCal and PBS SoCal Plus and 5 digital subchannels. Select programming is also available on PBS SoCal’s YouTube channel. With a commitment to make content available anytime and anywhere for free, PBS SoCal offers programming that reflects the diversity of Southern California and showcases the full schedule of beloved and trusted PBS content spanning Education, News, Environment and Arts & Culture. PBS SoCal also sparks the sharing of ideas at in-person cultural events and community conversations as well as prepares children for kindergarten and beyond by bringing bilingual, hands-on learning experiences to the community for free.

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