Millbrae trustees honor community partners; MEF presents $600,000 to district

The Millbrae Elementary School District Board of Trustees and Superintendent Lisa Hickey used part of a regularly scheduled board meeting to publicly thank more than a dozen community organizations and volunteers for support of district programs, and the Millbrae Education Foundation presented a $600,000 check to the district.

The recognition segment, which the board placed at the start of the meeting, highlighted groups that provide volunteering, equipment and fundraising support across district schools. "The level of care, commitment, and support that this community shows for its schools and its students is truly remarkable," Superintendent Lisa Hickey said as she introduced the presentation.

The board honored a mix of long‑standing volunteers and civic groups. John Celentano, president of the Millbrae Lions Club, said of his organization, "we do what we do because we love to do it, and we think it's very important." The Lions were praised for frequent barbecue events, holiday gift‑card drives and youth baseball support.

The city of Millbrae was recognized for cost‑sharing crossing guards through the Safe Routes to School program and for traffic‑and‑safety work around drop‑off and pick‑up zones. City Manager Tom Williams told the board he valued the city–district relationship and commended Superintendent Hickey and the board for their collaboration.

The Rotary Club of Millbrae is working on a larger project to place interactive smart boards at Lomita Park with additional fundraising partners; the presentation named Shirley Kwok as a major donor to that effort. The Peninsula Chinese Business Association (PCBA) and the Millbrae Community Foundation (MCF) were also recognized for past grant and program support, including pandemic‑era help and mini grants for classroom technology.

Millbrae Education Foundation president Anna Chu appeared at the podium and said, "We are here today, to present a check to the Millbrae Schools District for $600,000." Superintendent Hickey listed programs the foundation funds this year, including La Garza physical‑education classes at elementary schools, a music teacher at Taylor, STEM sessions from CAM Ed and reading support.

The board also thanked San Mateo County Library staff for author visits, mobile library card efforts and summer program partnerships; representatives Andrea and Kayla Perotti accepted recognition on behalf of the library system. School PTA and PTO volunteers from each site were acknowledged for fundraising and event organizing.

Trustees gave short remarks thanking volunteers and urging continued support; the board paused after the recognition to take group photos and a short refreshment break.

Trustees and district staff emphasized the practical impact of the partnerships: donations and volunteer time fund staff positions and programs that the district otherwise would need to budget for.

A short consent calendar and routine agenda items followed the recognition segment later in the meeting.