The Farbers Create Hope From Heartbreak

In August 2024, Francine and Murray Farber joined with Fresno Unified School District Superintendent Misty Her and other community leaders to cut the ribbon signifying the ceremonial opening of the Farber Educational Center in southeast Fresno. The center features alternative education, civic engagement and career technical education courses. Photo courtesy of Fresno Unified School District.  All rights reserved.

When Murray and Francine Farber moved from Connecticut to Fresno twenty-five years ago, Murray thought their greatest achievements had probably already happened. Both Francine and he had lived full professional lives: Murray as an editor and public relations professional, and Francine as a school psychologist and accomplished musician. But Fresno had a way of revealing new purpose, often in places where hope felt scarce.

The turning point came through heartbreak. After the loss of their sons, Steven and Michael, the Farbers carried a grief that could have easily closed their world. Instead, it opened it. When Steve’s wife offered them a generous portion of his estate to “do something meaningful,” Murray and Francine looked toward the children growing up in Fresno’s most economically challenged zip code, many of whom attended Tehipite Middle School. They saw their chance to make lasting, generational change.

From that hope, Steve’s Scholars was born.

Francine and Murray Farber speak to students during the Steve’s Scholar celebration held at Tehipite Middle School last May.  The honored students have maintained a scholastic average of B or better, a 95-percent attendance rate or better, and completed required community service activities. Tehipite Middle School students who remain a Steve's Scholar through 12th grade in Fresno Unified can receive $1,000 for each of two years toward college tuition. The scholarship is named after the Farbers' son, Steve, who passed away many years ago.  Photo courtesy of Fresno Unified School District.  All rights reserved.

Far beyond a simple scholarship application, the program requires significant commitment from students. Beginning in seventh grade, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA, keep attendance at 95%, complete college-prep coursework and perform 10–20 hours of community service every year. And they have to sustain that commitment for six straight years, all the way through their senior year of high school. The Farbers discovered that many students were eager for the challenge. They wanted a future that felt bigger than their circumstances.

The scholarship, $1,000 for each of the first two years of college, was only the beginning. Murray and Francine wanted to offer other opportunities and open new worlds for the kids. “Our idea was not just to give the scholarship but to raise the horizon of the students here,” he said. So the Farbers took students to museums, college campuses, live theater and classical music concerts. They wanted young people to see a world that belonged to them, too.

The Farbers’ impact didn’t stop with Steve’s Scholars. In memory of Michael, who had been a passionate advocate for the unhoused, they created Mike’s Books, which are children’s libraries at two housing authority sites where kids are encouraged not just to borrow books, but to keep them, share them and build a love of reading. They launched Mike’s Books at Tehipite as a reward for students with excellent attendance. They funded math tutoring for sixth graders and helped build mini-libraries for comfortable reading.

And slowly, something extraordinary happened.

Two of many former Tehipite Middle School students were honored in May 2026 as Steve’s Scholars for completing six years of required goals.  During the annual ceremony, the students, along with many others, are awarded two $1,000 college scholarships.  In addition to the scholarships, Steve’s Scholars have opportunities throughout junior high and high school to attend college visits and local events such as performances by the Fresno Philharmonic and Roger Rockas.  Photo courtesy of Fresno Unified School District.  All rights reserved.

Students began to thrive. The first Steve’s Scholars banquet welcomed twenty-six young people, many the first in their families to graduate high school, walking proudly across the stage. They spoke of futures in medicine, teaching, technology, law enforcement and fields that would strengthen their community. More than 350 first-year scholarships and 150 second-year awards followed.

Merici Ulloa Moran was one of the first to graduate from this program. She now works with the Farbers and helps other scholars transition from high school to college.

“I am blessed to be part of this program,” Merici said. “Steve’s Scholars definitely impacted my life in so many positive ways. From going on field trips to having the scholarship as a goal for all of my work in middle school and high school.”

Merici graduated from Fresno State in May with a master's in multicultural and multilingual education. She hopes to work with special education children, especially those for whom English is not their first language.

The impact grew so profound that Fresno Unified named its new alternative education complex after the Farbers. It is a modern, light-filled campus built on the former site of juvenile hall. A place once associated with despair now carries their name, symbolizing possibility.

Through loss, the Farbers built opportunity. Through grief, they built hope. And through Steve’s Scholars, they built a pathway for Fresno’s young people to imagine—and reach—a future once out of sight.

This story is part of the Central Valley Community Foundation’s “Sixty Stories That Shaped Us” initiative to help mark 60 years since our founding. We invite you to join us in celebrating this milestone and this special place we call home. To learn more, visit centralvalleycf.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn @centralvalleycf.