Proclamation Honoring Nevida Preston Butler
for Her Service to East Palo Alto and in Celebration of Her 80th Birthday WHEREAS, Nevida Preston Butler served on the East Palo Alto City Council in the 1990's and has received civic awards such as the Tall Tree Award, the American Leadership Silicon Valley, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award; and WHEREAS, she was born in St. Louis Missouri, but she spent her early years in Arkansas before returning to Missouri where she became the first in her family to earn a high school diploma while employed as a domestic worker; and WHEREAS, she arrived in San Mateo County in 1973, with her family now established in East Palo Alto, Nevida volunteered at a local non-profit organization called the Ecumenical Hunger Project in 1976; and WHEREAS, in 1981 she became the Executive Director of the Ecumenical Hunger Program, which under her capable leadership grew steadily and added new services and programs so that by 1994 the number of low-income families from East Palo Alto and Menlo Park grew to 3,000; and
WHEREAS, Nevida has received countless additional awards from the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce, and the California State Assembly; and
WHEREAS, during a long and productive career, she has demonstrated in countless ways her dedication to the welfare of others and has earned the respect and affection of people from all walks of life and all ages.
NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Ruben Abrica, Mayor of East Palo Alto, along with the City Council, do hereby deem it an honor and pleasure to extend this proclamation honoring Nevida Preston Butler for her service to East Palo Alto and in celebration of her 80th Birthday, with best wishes for many more happy, productive years.
EAST PA
O Dated: April 19, 2022
Ruben Abrica, Mayor