White House Honors School Fund-Raiser

Longtime community fund-raiser and volunteer John McMillion says he did not pay much attention to the rumors that he would soon be honored for his years of service. Then he received a fax informing him he was getting a Presidential Citation from the White House.

The Tarzana businessman’s deeds include donating funds and raising money for schools and youth groups in the Valley.

“I wish I had a half-dozen guys like him,” said Allen Weiner, assistant principal of Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda.

In the past year and a half, McMillion has donated $5,000 to the school and raised an additional $15,000 to purchase materials and fund drama programs there, Weiner said.

His work for the school began after McMillion attended the school’s career day in 1996. He saw first-hand the lingering effects of the 1994 Northridge earthquake on the school.

“I saw students eating lunch in tents in the yard,” he said. “I thought a school must be functional for these students to concentrate on their education, so I began helping out.”

McMillion, 41, has also donated money to Keeping Youth Doing Something (KYDS) and has mentored more than 285 at-risk youths in the Valley, helping them obtain both an education and employment. In addition, he volunteers at the Tarzana Treatment Center and sponsors trips to the state capital for students in the Teens Making a Difference organization.

Despite all his accomplishments, McMillion, who owns a real estate business, said he is just a regular guy.

“I’m not a special person,” he said. “I just do special things.”