Heritage Lives On

Honorees gather beneath the oaks ahead of the Deeply Rooted – NextGen Gala, celebrating 23 young leaders who are carrying forward the legacies of Indian River County’s pioneer families through agriculture, business and community stewardship. CHRISTINA YOUNG PHOTOS

Young stewards of Indian River County to be honored at gala

BY GREGORY ENNS

When Barbara “Bobbie” Secor read a newspaper article last summer about young people in Indian River County following their parents into careers in the citrus industry despite its challenges, she began to wonder.

How many young people were pursuing careers in agriculture and other fields their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents had also worked in? In Indian River County, it turns out, there are many.

That question prompted Secor, vice president of Vero Heritage Inc., which is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history and cultural heritage of Indian River County, to ask her fellow board members to honor the younger generation.

On April 11, nearly two dozen “kids,” as Secor calls them, will be recognized for continuing the work of their elders at an event called the Deeply Rooted – NextGen Gala.