Lerin Winchester

Lerin Winchester

Lerin Winchester, associate director of the Student Recreation Center at Fresno State and a faculty member dedicated to service-learning in the Department of Recreation Administration, is the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Faculty/Staff Spirit of Service Award, presented by the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning.

A Fresno State alumna, Winchester earned her bachelor’s degree in recreation administration and master’s in education with an emphasis in higher education. She was a member of the Fresno State soccer team for three years and later served as the intramurals program coordinator, prior to joining the Student Recreation Center.

The Central California Blood Center remains the leading source of blood products for the Valley’ patients. Serving a population base of over 1.9 million people, the blood center must collect between 5,000 and 6,000 pints of blood each month to meet the Central Valley’s needs. 

Understanding this great need for blood, Winchester became a blood center ambassador on campus in 2019. She has inspired and recruited numerous students, faculty and staff to support on-campus blood drives, and she personally has donated blood more than 20 times on campus, offering hope and healing to countless recipients.

“Donating blood is a simple act that can make a life-changing difference,” Winchester said. “Whether it’s helping someone through their worst day or supporting a new mother after a difficult delivery, every donation matters. As a blood center ambassador, I want to share how easy it is to save lives — because giving just a little can mean everything to someone in need.”

During the 2023-24 academic year, Fresno State faculty, staff and students completed 1.44 million hours of service, which is estimated to have an economic impact of $57.2 million, according to the Ricther Center’s annual Service Impact on the Community Report. It marked the 15th straight year faculty, staff and students have topped 1 million hours of service.

(Story by Taylan Parker, Richter Center)