Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Director Honored with Kids Included Together Founders Award, Awardee Recognized for Her Ability to Create Lasting Partnerships
San Diego, CA, April 02, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Rayna Aylward, Executive Director of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, was presented with the Kids Included Together (KIT) Founders Award at a luncheon ceremony on March 20th in San Diego. Jan Giacinti, KIT CEO, made the surprise announcement at the 5th Annual KIT National Conference before an audience of 200 after-school service providers.
KIT, based in San Diego, specializes in providing best practices training for community-based youth organizations committed to including children with disabilities into their existing programs. The KIT Founders Award was established four years ago to recognize the exemplary efforts of an individual, organization or foundation in leveling the playing field for people with disabilities. “The standards for this award are so high,” said Giacinti, “that until today there has only been one recipient of the KIT Founders Award.”
In presenting the award, Giacinti indicated that Aylward has “done more to foster the process of inclusion, advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, and motivate organizations of national scale to recognize disability as a part of the diversity initiative than she’d ever take credit for.
“She enabled a Foundation of relatively small size to turn a ripple into a wave that is reaching from coast to coast,” continued Giacinti. Aylward was selected to receive the award for her ability to make modest investments that can maximize impact and bring out the best in an organization for the benefit of people with disabilities. Giacinti shared the example of how Aylward facilitated a lasting partnership between KIT, with six employees in California, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, which has thousands of employees across the country, to make a lasting impact on the lives of youth with and without disabilities.
In closing, Giacinti said of Aylward, “Her vision is crisp and clear – create a world where all people regardless of their abilities are welcomed, valued, and included as contributing members of our society.”
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About Kids Included Together
Kids Included Together (KIT) is a San Diego-based non-profit organization specializing in providing best practices training for community-based youth organizations committed to including children with disabilities into their existing recreational, social and child care programs. Incorporated in 1997, KIT supports the inclusion of children with disabilities or other special needs in programs that occur in the non-school hours. KIT accomplishes this by creating four-year affiliations with organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs. During this affiliation, KIT focuses on sustainability so organizations will continue to provide inclusive environments long after KIT’s involvement has ceased. www.kitonline.org
About Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation:
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) was established in 1991 by the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and its US subsidiaries, with the mission of helping young people with disabilities maximize their potential and participation in society. Based in the Washington DC area, MEAF has invested more than $3 million since 2003 in its Inclusion Initiative to help organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs of America fully include more youth with disabilities. www.meaf.org
KIT, based in San Diego, specializes in providing best practices training for community-based youth organizations committed to including children with disabilities into their existing programs. The KIT Founders Award was established four years ago to recognize the exemplary efforts of an individual, organization or foundation in leveling the playing field for people with disabilities. “The standards for this award are so high,” said Giacinti, “that until today there has only been one recipient of the KIT Founders Award.”
In presenting the award, Giacinti indicated that Aylward has “done more to foster the process of inclusion, advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, and motivate organizations of national scale to recognize disability as a part of the diversity initiative than she’d ever take credit for.
“She enabled a Foundation of relatively small size to turn a ripple into a wave that is reaching from coast to coast,” continued Giacinti. Aylward was selected to receive the award for her ability to make modest investments that can maximize impact and bring out the best in an organization for the benefit of people with disabilities. Giacinti shared the example of how Aylward facilitated a lasting partnership between KIT, with six employees in California, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, which has thousands of employees across the country, to make a lasting impact on the lives of youth with and without disabilities.
In closing, Giacinti said of Aylward, “Her vision is crisp and clear – create a world where all people regardless of their abilities are welcomed, valued, and included as contributing members of our society.”
###
About Kids Included Together
Kids Included Together (KIT) is a San Diego-based non-profit organization specializing in providing best practices training for community-based youth organizations committed to including children with disabilities into their existing recreational, social and child care programs. Incorporated in 1997, KIT supports the inclusion of children with disabilities or other special needs in programs that occur in the non-school hours. KIT accomplishes this by creating four-year affiliations with organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs. During this affiliation, KIT focuses on sustainability so organizations will continue to provide inclusive environments long after KIT’s involvement has ceased. www.kitonline.org
About Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation:
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) was established in 1991 by the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and its US subsidiaries, with the mission of helping young people with disabilities maximize their potential and participation in society. Based in the Washington DC area, MEAF has invested more than $3 million since 2003 in its Inclusion Initiative to help organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs of America fully include more youth with disabilities. www.meaf.org
Contact
Kids Included Together (KIT)
Alicia Cook
(858) 225-5687
www.kitonline.org
Alicia Cook
(858) 225-5687
www.kitonline.org
Contact
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