2012-13 Citizen & Youth Honorees: Nakamura and Endo

The is pleased to announce the 2012-13 Citizen and Youth of the Year honorees for their volunteer service to Albany. Citizen of the Year is John Nakamura, owner of . Kaitlyn Endo, peer counselor with ’s Peer Help program is Youth of the Year.  Nakamura and Endo rode in a car provided by John’s dealership in the Solano Stroll Parade, Sept. 9, and will be feted at a dinner in late October.

            John Nakamura has for decades sponsored dozens of youth athletic teams and community events with an open heart and pocket. He not only donates, he and his staff often take a leadership role in involving other businesses to help promote Albany’s schools, community and civic engagement. John exemplifies the outstanding characteristics of small business owners. 

            Kaitlyn Endo is a senior at Albany High School. Since 10th grade she has been involved in the Peer Help Program, a select group of students at all grade levels who are trained to provide peer counseling and health education to their fellow students throughout the district. Kaitlyn has taken a leadership role within the group, helping to lead activities and develop new projects. She has also served as a student ambassador to the Albany High Challenge Success team, which partnered with Stanford University and other schools around the country to evaluate our school culture and definitions of success and the ways in which students' mental and physical health can be compromised in their quest to "succeed." Both of these service activities involved serious time commitments, but Kaitlyn also finds time to be an instrumental staff member of the AHS yearbook, play varsity basketball, and study for several advanced placement-level classes.

Albany is proud to honor John Nakamura and Kaitlyn Endo. Their community service is a standard we can emulate and appreciate.