The Ceres Post 491 of the American Legion has been awarded the "2017 Volunteer of the Year" by CalTrans for its Adopt-A-Highway program within District 10.
District 10 encompasses Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties.
The Ceres post has been involved in the program since 2013 and has adopted a section of southbound Highway 99 from Hatch Road. The Ceres post volunteers have picked up more than six tons of debris from this section alone, said Steven M. Whitney, past commander of the local post.
In further appreciation for the Ceres Post's community volunteer work, Congressman Jeff Denham presented the post with a "Certificate of Congressional Recognition."