Mike Palmer, Chair of the San Bruno Parks & Recreation Commission, presenting the 2026 Community Recognition Award at the San Bruno Recreation Center, April 15, 2026.
There's a story somewhere about me jogging through the Crestmoor neighborhood with a tire and a San Bruno Education Foundation sign chained around my waist.
That probably tells you most of what you need to know about how I approach this work.
On April 15, 2026, the City of San Bruno presented me with its annual Community Recognition Award — an honor given to a resident who has given unselfishly, performed outstanding service, and gone above and beyond for the community. I'm humbled by it. I also want to be honest about what happened in that room, because it deserves to be written down.
The moment I wasn't expecting
During the ceremony, they read a quote from my 19-year-old daughter. She said I should be on the cover of Dad Magazine. She called me her best friend.
I was not prepared for that.
Alexis Petru, one of SBEF's most dedicated board members, had also tracked down a teacher from Crestmoor Elementary — someone who remembered a speech I gave in 2012 when I was PTO President. I had juggled three balls on stage to demonstrate what teachers do every day: manage classrooms, parents, administration, curriculum, and the unexpected — all at once. I had completely forgotten about that speech. Apparently, she hadn't.
"I didn't think anyone still remembered that."
The award was presented by Mike Palmer, Chair of the San Bruno Parks & Recreation Commission. David Nigel — a Hall of Famer in California parks and recreation with over 35 years of service to San Bruno — read part of my induction. It was an honor to have both of them in that room. They are exactly the kind of long-time public servants who make a city worth living in.
How it started
In 2013, I became one of the first presidents of the San Bruno Education Foundation — a nonprofit dedicated to funding academic enrichment programs for every student in the San Bruno Park School District, from Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade.
When I started, SBEF was raising roughly $10,000 a year. That number bothered me — not because it was small, but because I could see what was possible if we organized and went after it together.
Over the next decade, through the work of an extraordinary board and a community that kept showing up, SBEF grew to consistently raising over $400,000 annually. That money funds music education at every elementary school in the district, band and orchestra at Parkside Intermediate, science fairs, coding clubs, literacy programs for English learners, and professional development for teachers.
Before SBEF stepped in, only two of the district's elementary schools could afford their own music program. Today, every school has one.
The moment I'm most proud of
In March 2020, schools closed overnight. Kids who didn't have devices or internet access at home suddenly couldn't learn. Within weeks, our team raised $340,000 — partnering with local businesses, community organizations, and government agencies — to put laptops in students' hands, connect families without internet access, and provide new computers for every San Bruno Park teacher.
That chapter showed me what a community foundation can do when it has relationships already built and people willing to move fast. It's one of the reasons I've stayed involved even after passing the presidential role to Heather Latta, who leads SBEF today with exceptional vision and energy.
Why I do it
Three reasons, in my own words:
The people who showed up
This award belongs to far more than me. It belongs to everyone who built SBEF alongside me — and to the board members who came to cheer that night.
Left to right: Renee Callantine, Alexis Petru, Scott Curtner, Steve Rose, Heather Latta, Annie Yoshiyama.
And to my daughter: you made it very hard to finish that speech. In the best possible way.
If you want to support the San Bruno Education Foundation, visit sbefkids.org.