Carl King, Proprietor of Mayfield Mortgage in Palo Alto, supports Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE) both as a parent -- he has two children at Duveneck Elementary School -- but also as a local business owner and community member.

"I believe in supporting local businesses to the extent possible and in exchange local businesses should support the community. It can start a cycle of reciprocity, creating a win-win situation for all," King said.

Mayfield Mortgage contributed $1,000 this year to PiE's Corporate Friends Program and also donates $300 to PiE for all new mortgage clients and $150 for all existing clients who close a mortgage with Mayfield and request a donation to be made to PiE.

"I think that one must give something, whether volunteering time or giving money, to be part of a community," he said. "Supporting PiE is one part of that community-building effort to me."

For information on Mayfield Mortgage contact King at 650.494.7470 x101 or ck3@mayfieldmortgage.com. Or visit Mayfield Mortgage

[Your Brand Here] is a promotional products agency. They provide logo merchandise, apparel and services (artwork, idea development etc.) to companies, individuals, schools and organizations. Last year Christy Wolf, owner of [Your Brand Here] in Palo Alto and a PAUSD mom, donated 100 Frisbees to the PiE-sponsored May Fete/Town Fair event. This May they will be contributing 700 beach balls.

"[Your Brand Here] is run by mothers who have children in local elementary schools," Wolf said. "We are all active volunteers at the schools our children attend. Our involvement at our children's schools gives us a first-hand look at the benefit of PiE and also reinforces in our mind the need to support a well- rounded education - we achieve this by supporting local organizations like PiE."

"A lot of business owners don't connect the youth in our communities to their own success. Businesses are held afloat by students and their families through daily commerce, and these students are in reality the future 'staff' of our city."

To find out more about [Your Brand Here], call (650) 565-9653 or contact Wolf at Christy.wolf@yourbrandhere.com or visit Your Brand Here.

Marcia Yeates, owner of Inksmith Printing in Palo Alto and a Palo Alto High School parent, is proud that for many years her business has been printing all the materials used in PiE direct mailings, the PAUSD Teacher Grant mailings as well as PiE decals, bookmarks and notepads -- and all at a 15% discount, saving PiE over $1,000 annually.

Yeates and her husband, Steve, have been supporting PAUSD schools through PiE and its predecessor organization, the Palo Alto Foundation for Education (PAFE) for over seven years.

"Education makes a lifelong difference to each and every boy and girl. Our children benefit directly from the excellent instruction from Palo Alto schools," Yeates said. "Since we can't spend time in the classrooms, we can support PiE through discounts on printing, pro bono work and finding vendors willing to do the same. We believe in supporting our community and one of the best ways to do that is to support the schools."

To contact Yeates or to find out more about Inksmith Printing, visit Inksmith Printing or call (650) 318-8033.

Picture: 1. Carl King of Mayfield Mortgage
Picture 2: Christy Wolf of [Your Brand Here]
Picture 3: Marcia and Steve Yeates of Inskmith Printing
Pictures taken by professional photographer Wendy Hopfenberg (PiE Volunteer)