FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Jamaica Plain, MA – September 26, 2024 – Nativity Preparatory School of Boston is delighted to announce the rededication of the newly-renovated Ronald E. Burton Teaching Fellow Residence, made possible by the generous support of the Yawkey Foundation. The partnership between these two organizations was founded on a shared commitment to education and began in 2003 when the Yawkey Foundation provided a grant for Nativity Prep to purchase a three-family home in Jamaica Plain as housing for the school’s teaching fellows.  

“We are grateful for the support of the Yawkey Foundation and for their commitment to enhancing the Nativity Teaching Fellow program. Through the Yawkey Foundation’s generosity, the Burton House has been home for our teaching fellows for the past twenty years, and this renovation ensures that it will continue well into the future,” says Brian Maher, President of Nativity Prep. 

Named in honor of the late Ron Burton, Sr., a long-time friend and supporter of Nativity Prep who served on the school’s original Board of Trustees for many years and provided summer camp opportunities at the Ron Burton Training Village to students, Ron understood the power of education to change a child’s trajectory and was deeply dedicated to providing access to opportunity – which led to him also serving on the Board of Trustees at the Yawkey Foundation for several years. As a former football player for the New England Patriots and a member of the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame, Ron held a special place in his heart for the students at Nativity Prep – each Christmas, he arrived at the school dressed as Santa Claus to deliver gifts and good wishes to the boys. 

The grant provided by the Yawkey Foundation funded a complete renovation of Burton House to ensure it is safe and comfortable for the six teaching fellows providing education to the 57 students at Nativity Prep. These improvements include brand-new insulation, electrical and plumbing upgrades, new flooring, updated kitchens and bathrooms, ductless mini-splits installed on each floor, and a newly renovated porch. Among those celebrating the ribbon-cutting ceremony – a celebration among Nativity Prep students, staff, Trustees, members of the Burton family, and staff and Trustees of the Yawkey Foundation – the rededication symbolizes a new beginning and hope for the future, reaffirming Ron Burton’s legacy and lasting impact on the lives of Nativity Prep students and the broader community. 

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About Nativity Preparatory School of Boston: 

Nativity Preparatory School is an accredited, tuition-free, Jesuit middle school serving boys of all faiths from underserved families residing in Boston. Staffed by experienced teachers and dedicated volunteers who work closely with families, the school prepares students for success in high school and college. Nativity’s academically challenging and highly structured environment helps students grow in a love for learning and an abiding sense of responsibility to their community. In the Jesuit tradition, the school promotes the intellectual, spiritual, social, and physical growth that inspires boys from Boston to become men for others. 

 About the Yawkey Foundation: 

The Yawkey Foundation is dedicated to perpetuating the philanthropic legacy of Tom Yawkey and Jean Yawkey, whose eight decades of quiet generosity supported individuals and families in the communities that were closest to their hearts – Massachusetts and Georgetown County, South Carolina. Having awarded more than $575 million to date in charitable grants to organizations focused on health care, education, human services, youth and amateur athletics, arts and culture, and conservation and wildlife, the Yawkey Foundation is committed to preserving and sustaining the Yawkeys’ charitable values by investing in nonprofits that provide resources, opportunity, and dignity to the vulnerable and underserved. 

For more information about the rededication of the Ronald E. Burton Teaching Fellow Residence, please contact Brian Maher at bmaher@nativityboston.org. 

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Nativity Preparatory School of Boston 

39 Lamartine Street   

Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 

https://www.nativityboston.org/ 

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