PVPSA Names New Building After Mayou Family

Pajaro Valley Prevention And Student Assistance, Inc. is proud to announce that the new building at 411 East Lake Avenue in Watsonville will be named after Janet and Leon Mayou — honoring the legacy of the Mayou family that has reached throughout the Pajaro Valley.

Leon was raised in the area, and Janet came here as a young bride. They both grew up in families committed to giving back to their community and have carried on that legacy in the Pajaro Valley.

Leon has served as a Boy Scout leader for over 25 years, as a volunteer at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, and as a board member of the American Production and Inventory Control Society, which supplied education to employees of many manufacturing companies in the Monterey Bay Area.

“My parents graduated from Watsonville High School — we are from here,” said Leon. “My father was involved in Boy Scouts and my mother was very involved with Watsonville’s Community Hospital Service League. Today, we recognize that there are many young people who need support, and we, along with PVPSA, are committed to helping youth persevere and fulfill their lives with meaning and purpose.”

Janet Mayou, a founding Board Member of PVPSA and Chair of the Capital Campaign Committee, cited her mother’s role as a therapist for being a guiding force for her life of service, and a personal connection to the mission of PVPSA.

“Giving was taught by my parents. My father and mother were equally involved in the community and in helping different organizations,” she said. “As a therapist, my mother was always helping people and that was one of my inspirations for helping to found PVPSA. I have always been committed to instilling in children and youth that education is the key to success in life – and if you need help along the way, PVPSA can help.”

Janet also served on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s Site and Facilities Committee, on the Board of Trustees of PVUSD, as Chair of the SPECTRA committee which advised the Arts Council’s program of artists in the schools, on the Board of the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County, on the board of Girl Scouts of Monterey Bay including on their Development Council, was a founding member of the Watsonville High School Foundation, on the M.A.I.A. (Migration and Adaptation In the Americas) board, and still found time to volunteer in classrooms at Hall District School for 25 years and at Tres Pinos School for well over a decade.

The Mayou’s donate to organizations in the local community that support live theater, education, public radio/tv/news, health issues and animal care. Janet’s work with PVPSA has been her most significant and long-term, which is why they were honored to sponsor the new facility which will be named PVPSA’s Mayou Family Center.

A Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening for PVPSA’s Mayou Family Center will be announced later this year.

The new building at 411 East Lake Avenue is just down the street from the PVPSA administration office at 335 East Lake Avenue.

This new facility will allow PVPSA to grow and serve more children and families, have an efficient central location for staff, and to unify services.

This new home will be a warm, welcoming environment for children and families; a place where they will feel safe, supported, and encouraged to move forward to a thriving life.

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For more info: valguardiola@gmail.com