The husband was raised in Dos Palos and the wife in Firebaugh.
And together they have joined to lend their time and expertise to the Pro Life movement here in the Central Valley.
Mike and Delores Elkins, both Dos Palos High School graduates who now live in Fresno, were honored by the Central California Right to Life at the organization’s 35th annual Christmas Dinner & Auction, which was held in Fresno on December 1st.
Mike Elkins is a retired accountant, having worked in both the public and private sectors, as well as teaching at the junior college level. After retiring, he joined Central Valley Right to Life on the board as the treasurer. Also, he has served as treasurer and board member of the Obria Medical Clinic of Central California.
Obria is a nonprofit OB/GYN clinic that provides the full range of obstetric services, from initial ultrasounds all the way to deliveries at local hospitals. The clinic also provides well-woman exams, cancer screenings, and other gynecological services.
Delores Elkins is a longtime educator with the Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School District. For 26 years, she served as an elementary school teacher, a coordinator of the district’s English Language Learner department, and was also the district’s initial teacher for the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program.
Her involvement with RTL started with various volunteering assignments and she was also the co-chairman of the Golf for Life Tournament. At her home parish in Fresno, Holy Spirit, she is involved with the Respect for Life Ministry and serves on the Parish Outreach Committee.
And as Right to Life Executive Director John Gerardi pointed out, the couple have been heavily involved in putting on the annual Christmas fundraiser.
“Delores and Mike have been volunteering for a long, long time with fundraisers such as the golf tournament and they always help with the Christmas auction,” said Gerardi.
When Gerardi became executive director of Right to Life in 2016, Mike Elkins was already a board member and treasurer, and he was instrumental in getting the Obria clinic off the ground.
“Mike helped organize our finances and with Obria, it was established in 2019. Mike helped get it established and dealing with all the red tape from the state in regard to building and licensure,” said Gerardi. “We were able to finally open in 2022. And Delores has always done little acts, like organizing a baby shower for expectant mothers. They are both absolute pillars of our organization.”
At the December 1st dinner, the couple were honored with commendations from Assemblyman Jim Patterson and Congressman Kevin McCarthy.
The Elkins’s have a blended family of seven children and spouses, 21 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
