News

A Community Honor

Last month, the Masonic Home at Union City received the 2012 Tom Kitayama Business Service Award to recognize the Home’s “exemplary dedication and outstanding contribution to the New Haven Schools Foundation.”

The New Haven Schools Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes community involvement for the funding of scholarships, educational enrichment, and a safe learning environment by partnering with parents, teachers, and community members. Its mission is to help students succeed in life through an exemplary, inclusive educational system.

The Masonic Home at Union City has partnered with the Foundation for several years. In 2008, it began hosting the Foundation’s “Mutt Strut” - an annual family-oriented fundraising event, which includes a walk/run, dog costume contest, games, and barbecue. This year, the Home was the Foundation’s first $10K business associate. The generous donation from the Home allowed the Foundation to supplement public funding for district schools, saving extra-curricular programs that would have otherwise been discontinued.

The 2012 Tom Kitayama Business Service Award is named for Union City’s first mayor, who held the position for 32 years. Kitayama was instrumental in the growth of Union City and was the first Japanese American to hold public office in California.

Photo: Richard Valle of Tri-CED – last year’s award recipient – presents the 2012 Tom Kitayama Business Service Award to Dixie Reeve, executive director and administrator of the Masonic Home at Union City.