Benefit The Lifestyle of Giving
The Lifestyle of Giving Mar/Apr 07 $ 4.95
Anonymous Giving | Bill & Dave | Twelve Steps
Is This Seat Taken? Nonprofit boards need your skills and passion
Anonymous Giving Who wins? Who loses?
Bill & Dave The HP Way of giving
Paint the Town The American Red Cross gala: No black-tie, no little black dress
www.benefitmagazinesf.com
Yoga Behind Bars Mavericks & Visionaries 50 years of world film
Mar/Apr 07
The Twelve Steps
Pictures of recovery
0703_cover_v5.indd 1
2/22/07 9:45:37 AM
These are selected pages from this issue of Benefit Magazine, and not necessarily shown in the same order as the printed version.
contents march/april 2007 Volume 1, No. 4
Nobody Needs to Know p.100
Stepping Up p.87
87
Yoga p.106
Stepping Up
PhotograPhs by DaviD WalDorf
Working the program, one day at a time.
100 Nobody Needs to Know by tom stein anD tim Devaney
There may be good reasons to keep your gift a secret. But is it good for the charity?
106 Yoga Behind Bars by Jenny P. anDreWs
In custody, adults and teens learn to stretch, relax, and keep their cool.
113
Paint the Town Red by megan PaPay
Fashion from Saks for the American Red Cross Gala.
On the Cover: Paint the Town Red—Big Time! The American Red Cross Bay Area chapter throws its red-tie, red gown gala March 10. Page 43 Clothing supplied by Dawn Dzedzy and Linda Felts of Saks Fifth Avenue.
0703_TOC_v2.indd 13
2/21/07 11:06:26 PM
contents
In every issue Editor’s Letter Publisher’s Letter Contributors Letters Calendar Listings Philanthroscope
16 18 20 23 41 122 128
Have your cake p.66
Focus 27 TheLifestyle of Giving, Up Close Chip Conley, Janeane Garofalo, Anika Noni Rose, S.F. Students Rise Above the Odds, The Force and the SF Film Society, 360 degrees, BizWorld Foundation, Children’s Council of San Francisco’s Child Care Food Program, Princess Project, The Next Great Wave, Flash! and more.
Departments 53 Events Partying with purpose San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Encore!, San Francisco MOMA, San Francisco Opera, ZooFest Kick Off, Sonoma Jazz, Asian Arts Preview, and more.
59 Patrons Kate Smith and Anastasia DeSousa, Lauri Manuel, and Melanie Blum Voice p.126
66 FoodHave Your Cake Rubicon is serving up training, employment, and other opportunities to help thousands of Bay Area residents move toward independence. By Laura Svienty
70 Works Wanted: Skills, Experience, Compassion Nonprofit boards are looking for people with talent and commitment. What’s in it for you? It could change your life. By Anna Kirsh
76 Film Take Fifty! A spectacular showcase of worldwide cinematic innovation, the San Francisco Film Society presents the 50th anniversary of the San Francisco International Film Festival. By Lord Martine
78 Books Bill and Dave’s Excellent Philanthropic Adventure Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded one of the world’s greatest companies and established a way of giving that remains with us today. By Michael S. Malone
82 Giving Think Globally, Act Locally Tracking fundraising by national organizations—how much stays in the local community? By Susan Davis
126 San Francisco Voice Jan Wahl The Hat Lady dishes about style and changing the world. As told to Tim Gaskin
0703_TOC_v2.indd 14
2/21/07 11:06:33 PM
Letters
Julia Damasco to Julia Donasto. Thank you so much for your attention to this.
Mardi Kildebeck Trustee, Mary Wohlford Foundation
RANTS AND RAVES I was repelled by your reference to the tawdry Bored Housewives show—and your sexualizing (for sales) of the women on the cover. What’s with glorifying moms who do so much that they can’t “juggle it all”? Their kids will pay a high price.
Mrs. Pettit
Thank you very much for the article about Friends of the Urban Forest. Your story captured the community-building nature of our work, the dedication (and photogenic quality!) of our volunteers, and our commitment to work with San Francisco’s youth through our Youth Tree Care Program. With the support of Benefit and your constituents, we’ll continue to create a greener San Francisco, tree by tree.
Kelly Quirke Executive Director, Friends of the Urban Forest
Great magazine! Why don’t you write an article on Peaceful Company? We donate one percent of our sales to nonprofit environmental organizations and we are a member of One Percent for the Planet. They
are an alliance of companies that recognize the true cost of doing business and donate one percent of their sales to environmental organizations worldwide.
Sandy H. Corso Founder and Visionary, Peaceful Company
Thank you for inspiring me and others to continue and grow in our philanthropic efforts. I was honored to take part in the “Board Housewives” issue alongside such dedicated and remarkable women. Giving has never looked so glamorous!
Claudia Castillo Ross Founder, Cross Marketing
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading my first issue of Benefit. My only disappointment was to see that the name of one of the co-chairs of the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation’s Hearts & Heroes event was quite wrong. Julia Damasco (not Donasto) and Judy Guggenhime have invested a huge amount of time, energy, and personal resources into the luncheon on February 14. They deserve all the credit they can get—it distressed me that few people would connect
I wanted to write you and express my sincere gratitude for your beautifully-written article, “A Place to Call Home.” You really captured the essence of what The Contemporary Jewish Museum is all about— an institution that is a welcoming place for people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests to connect and have meaningful experiences with art, culture, and ideas. Your article is a wonderful introduction to our new facility in the Yerba Buena cultural district and the role it will play as a lively new venue that will celebrate cultural diversity by fostering understanding through dialogue and discussion. It is such a thrilling time for us as we watch the construction of our new building. Each day brings us one step closer to realizing our dream of having a home where we can continue to expand our programs and exhibitions to reach a broader and more diverse audience. Thank you for so eloquently sharing our story with your readers. We are so grateful for the support of Benefit and applaud it for recognizing the individuals who give so much to this community. Keep up the good work!
Connie Wolf Director and CEO, The Contemporary Jewish Museum
And this year’s award goes to: Benefit magazine. Finally a
professional magazine that talks about the amazing amount of volunteer and charity work that goes on in the Bay Area. There are so many community heroes raising money, awareness, and simply enriching our lives, and now they are finally getting their long-deserved coverage. In particular, I want to thank you for your recent feature on Academy of Friends, producers of the Bay Area’s biggest Academy Awards party. We present this formal party each year because the urgent need to raise money for HIV/AIDS agencies has not disappeared. In fact, it has increased as this disease continues to migrate among all races and social classes of men, women, and children. Your profile helped throw the spotlight on what we do and why, and for that, the Academy of Friends is honored to have you on the Red Carpet.
Jon Finck Academy of Friends Board of Directors
Submissions to Benefit’s Letters to the Editor should include the writer’s name, address, and daytime phone number, and be sent by e-mail to letters@benefitmagazinesf.com or by mail to The Flood Building, 870 Market Street, Suite 776, San Francisco, CA 94102. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity, and may be published or used in any medium. All submissions become the property of the publication and will not be returned.
March/April 2007 23
0703_Letters_v2.indd 23
2/13/07 10:06:31 AM
opinion janeane garofalo princess project anika noni rose child care food program
Focus
THE lIFESTylE OF gIVINg, uP ClOSE
Rebel Entrepreneur Chip Conley is changing the world, one hotel at a time.
DREw AlTIzER
“If employees are engaged and empowered as a collection of people,” Chip Conley, CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, begins, “they can make a difference. The company is the vehicle. Now you’ve created meaning.” A shaman of corporate social responsibility, Conley co-wrote (with Eric Friedenwald-Fishman) Marketing That Matters: 10 Practices to Profit Your Business and Change the World (BerrettKoehler/Social Venture Network). He continues, “If you focus on money—it’s a job. If you focus on recognition—it’s a career. If you focus on meaning—it’s a calling. If it becomes a calling, you are inspired.” Inspired he has been. To share and “create opportunities to celebrate the joys of life”: his company’s mission statement. Today, 40 California properties balance the Joie de Vivre empire. Twenty years ago the pageant commenced with San Francisco’s Phoenix Hotel—the rock star’s choice crib. >
March/April 2007 27
0703_Focus_v2.indd 27
2/20/07 3:58:52 PM
Focus < “I became a hotelier because it was about making people feel good, creating team spirit,” Conley says. Be it in life or business, destiny will get you coming and going. “I’ve always been a karmic capitalist,” he said. “I think there is a recognition that you can’t be in business and not think about how you are impacting the community.... Giving back is good for business.” Targeting four major causes—the environment, arts and culture, youth and education, health and wellness—Joie de Vivre embraces a diverse and inclusive spectrum of community, resulting in the support of hundreds of organizations. “Quarterly we do a company-wide event to support one of these causes. Whether it’s the AIDS Walk, California Coastal Cleanup....” Corporate philanthropy is a family affair, Conley explains. “Each property has a philanthropic representative who decides which event we’ll support.” Furthermore, each property is responsible for generating $200 per room, per year, to be donated to any cause they choose. This is achieved, for example, by way of gift certificates, or the donation of event space. Property managers are then not only judged on profits and customer satisfaction, but also on whether they’ve met their philanthropic goals. A brilliant amalgam of marketing and philanthropy is the annual Celebrity Pool Toss benefiting the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Center. Now in its 14th year, the popular “fun-raiser” has earned more than $3 million for the cause, and priceless PR for the Phoenix Hotel. “After former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown helped declare the pool at the Phoenix a historic landmark, I had a wacky idea to auction off local celebrities.” Conley paints the picture. “Imagine Charlotte Mailliard Swig getting tossed into the pool for $50,000, then having her hair fixed by Mister Lee as she wades out…” Every columnist’s Elysium. “...Those first years we raised $10,000 a
F L A S H !
year. Now we raise up to $130,000 a toss.” Giving does begin within. In business, however, the effects can be global. Conley chants this mantra: “If you want to be a rebel, do it through business.” His radical enlightenment radiates beyond Joie de Vivre, throughout these organizations: the Global Business Network, the Social Venture Network, and the Young Presidents Organization. Conley’s awards include Guerrilla Marketer of the Year, Emerging Growth Company of the Year, National Humanitarian Hospitality Company of the Year, Northern California Real Estate Entrepreneur of the Year, and E-Marketer of the World. “Companies are the big elephants in the room in terms of the kind of influence we have on the world,” he said. “Take global warming, for example. We now have the opportunity to employ solutions and make an impact of positive change—often faster than government can.” In practice, corporations can revolutionize transformation, and reap the benefits, rather than be strong-armed, and lose later, with federal mandates. “Service is the rent we pay to be here in the world,” Conley reminds. “When you are a child, it’s about receiving. As an adult, it’s about what you give and seeing how that impacts someone else.” And it’s not all about currency. “We always have something to give: time, attention, thoughts, opinions, spreading the message.... This creates passion. Passion creates change. If giving comes from that place, it’s easy to get creative about ways to make a difference.” —Lord Martine Chip Conley is the author of The Rebel Rules: Daring to Be Yourself in Business. Further motivations will be found this September in his new book Peak: How Great Companies Get Their “Mojo” from Maslow (Jossey-Bass). Learn more at: ChipConley.com and JDVHospitality.com.
Earthquakes, Love and Other Natural Disasters: Artists from Rubicon’s Independent Living Skills program will be exhibiting their work at Richmond’s National Institute of Art and Disabilities through March 23. —Laura Svienty
An Evening of a Thousand Scowls Janeane Garofalo funnies it up in San Francisco for charity’s sake. Enjoy a night of laughter and some very funny entertainment at the 6th Annual Comedy Night, “An Evening of a Thousand Scowls,” to take place at the Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco on March 31. The event supports 826 Valencia, a San Francisco nonprofit that helps students, ages 8-18, with their writing skills in
28 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Focus_v2.indd 28
2/20/07 3:58:55 PM
Focus
Princess Project
KENT lANIER
Bay Area women play fairy godmother to Bay Area girls.
the areas of creative writing, expository writing, or English as a second language. 826 Valencia believes that students can make great leaps in their understanding of composition, grammar, and self-expression through one-on-one attention from skilled teachers and tutors working in conjunction with classroom instructors. Come support the efforts of the students and staff by attending one of the funniest and most entertaining events of the year. Last year’s event was such a success that this year’s Comedy Night,
hosted by Daniel Handler (aka “Lemony Snicket”), promises to sell out fast. It features a talented lineup of comedians, starting with world-famous comedian Janeane Garofalo, and including many other gifted comedians, such as Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, “Tig,” Al Madrigal, Jasper Redd, Brent Weinbach, and Sheng Wang. If you enjoy comedy, like to laugh, and want to help support local youth in becoming the best readers and writers they can be, you won’t want to miss this event! —Kara Emry
we all know about Cinderella—a girl down on her luck benefits from the wonder of a great dress and the help of a magical fairy godmother. while the story of Cinderella is a fairytale to most, several Bay Area women are making it a reality for local underprivileged high school girls. The Bay Area is home to an organization called the Princess Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that donates free prom dresses and accessories to San Francisco Bay Area high school girls who could not otherwise afford them. Started by Kristin Smith Knutson and laney whitcanack in 2002, the organization, with the help of corporate and individual donors, has played fairy godmother to over 5,000 girls. with many families struggling to make ends meet as a result of the Bay Area’s high cost of living, luxuries like prom dresses are often unattainable. The prom is considered one of the traditional American rites of passage, with millions of high school students across the country participating in the event each year. But the costs are often very high—a formal dress easily tops $200 and tickets for the event at some schools cost more than $100 per couple. During the Princess Project’s 2006 dress giveaway, 1,900 girls were outfitted and accessorized during two weeks of giveaway events. The girls came from 235 high schools throughout California. A majority of the girls resided in the East Bay and San Francisco; 31 percent of girls attending The Princess Project were African American, 30 percent were latina, and 30 percent Asian American. The girls are able to choose from several thousand gowns of all different colors, sizes, fabrics, and designers. In addition, make-up artists will be providing makeovers and giving out make-up tips. with corporate and individual support, the Princess Project hopes to outfit 2,700 underserved girls with gowns and accessories for the prom in 2007. The dresses will be distributed free-of-charge to high school girls at two fun-filled “dress giveaway” events on March 17 and March 24. In addition to collecting dresses and accessories, the Princess Project must raise $50,000 to cover operating expenses. For more information visit PrincessProject.org. —Kara Emry
March/April 2007 29
0703_Focus_v2.indd 29
2/20/07 3:59:03 PM
Focus Star-Studded Ruby Jubilee Anika Noni Rose and other glittering alumni celebrate A.C.T.’s 40th. Come be part of one of the most anticipated cultural events of the spring as San Francisco’s flagship theater company, the American Conservatory Theater, celebrates their 40th at San Francisco’s luxurious Four Seasons Hotel on April 22. The Ruby Jubilee will gather the Bay Area’s most outstanding community leaders and cultural philanthropists in celebration of 40 artistically-inspiring seasons and in support of A.C.T.’s internationally-renowned conservatory and youth education programs. Every year A.C.T.’s highly-praised school reaches 3,000 students of all ages through its actor training and youth education programs, and exposes over 13,000 Bay Area youth from diverse backgrounds to the magic of live theater through “Theater in Schools.” Join A.C.T. and honorary host Annette Bening for a night of cocktails and entertainment before dining in the grand Ballroom of the hotel. The event will also include many actors who have graced the A.C.T. stage in the company’s first 40 years, among them Olympia Dukakis, Bill Irwin, lisa Kron, Matt Mcgrath, and special leading light A.C.T. alumna Anika Noni Rose. In 2001 Anika was a member of the Obie-winning ensemble of Eli’s Comin’, the Vineyard Theatre’s salute to songwriter laura Nyro, and in 2004 she won the Tony Award, as well as numerous other honors, for her searing portrayal of daughter Emmie in Caroline, or Change. The evening closes with an inspiring performance by a special guest star and A.C.T.’s conservatory students. The illustrious event provides a powerful opportunity to encourage the social, emotional, and intellectual development of young people, helping them become well-rounded individuals who contribute positively to society. —Kara Emry
Compassion for compulsive behaviors
Spotlight on Bay Area recovery services. Sooner or later, most people learn that compulsive behaviors and dependency of any kind can cause heartbreaking damage—to individuals and to their relationships with family and friends. A staggering number of people find themselves, at some point, in the clutches of an addictive illness, and find their previous reserves of willpower, emotional stability, and self-confidence elusive without support and treatment. This month 360 Degrees spotlights programs that treat addiction. Many offer meetings and services anonymously, with no fees. These compassionate services depend on donations to continue. These organizations never seek to drum up business and yearn for the day when their services will no longer be needed. Until then, these Bay Area programs offer support and guidance.
with issues or questions regarding drug and alcohol dependency, the National Council on Alcoholism and other Drug Addictions–Bay Area offers a 24-hour hotline (415-296-9900), as well as individual screening and assessment, referrals to detoxification and substance-abuse facilities, a State-approved DUI Program for first offenders, classroom-based youth programming, continuing-education for a variety of professionals, and other special programs designed to further the understanding and management of chemical dependency. NCADA– BA seeks to prevent the disease of alcoholism and drug addiction by educating the public about chemical dependency, encouraging proper diagnosis, treatment, and a continuum of care for substance users and loved ones affected by alcohol and other drugs. Contact: ncadaba.com, 415-2969900.
Drugs and Alcohol A great starting point for people
Al-Anon and Alateen Family Groups recognize that
Candelabra for a cause. S.F.-based web store welldressedhome.com will donate 5 percent of its March sales to the American Red Cross and 5 percent of its April sales to Child Abuse Prevention. —L.S.
wIREIMAgE
F L A S H !
30 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Focus_v2.indd 30
2/20/07 3:59:08 PM
alcoholism affects every member of a family and offer support to all family members. Contact: ncwsa. org, 415-626-5633.
F L A S H !
Munificent mogulism. “I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act.” –Bill Gates
Gambling The California Council on Problem Gambling offers a hotline, 800-GAMBLER, where a professional counselor can provide information and local resources. Contact: calproblemgambling. org. Gamblers Anonymous can direct you to local meetings. Contact: gamblersanonymous.org, 213-386-8789. Sex An organization of psychotherapists with offices throughout the Bay Area, Sex Addiction Help provides therapy for sexual addiction and compulsion. Their comprehensive website provides therapist listings and extensive links to local and national organizations treating sexual issues ranging from pornography addiction to sexual sobriety to trauma recovery. Contact: sexaddicthelp.com, 415-459-0362. Food Addiction and Eating Disorders Founded in 1960, Overeaters Anonymous offers meetings throughout the Bay Area for people struggling with compulsive overeating. Contact: oabayarea.org, 888-4101477. The Eating Disorders Collaborative offers treatment in San Francisco and Marin for bulimia, body hatred, compulsive eating, bingeing, and anorexia. Contact: edcollaborative. com, 415-507-0827. —JP Andrews Benefit takes a look at Bay Area people dealing with the twelve steps in this issue, see page 88.
S.F. Students Rise Above the Odds Celebrate the success of young Bay Area students with KRON 4’s Wendy Tokuda. Help our youth achieve their dreams of a college education by attending the 4th Annual Students Rising Above Gala at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco on April 4. Students Rising Above is a San Francisco nonprofit created by a long-standing member of the KRON 4 News team, Wendy Tokuda. Rising Above’s main goal is to provide disadvantaged Bay Area students with the tools they need to get into college and build a better life. All proceeds from the Gala will benefit the students of Rising Above, and while you’re there you can meet the kids, hear their stories, and learn more about the program directly from those who make it such a success. With the extraordinary generosity of nearly 400 guests at last year’s Gala, Rising Above raised enough money to increase the number of kids they can allow in the program, and were able to expand the depth and breadth of Rising Above’s year-round services. By providing tuition and support for low-income and at-risk Bay Area teens, we strengthen all of our futures! Please come and join Students Rising Above and Wendy Tokuda at this year’s Gala to enjoy a silent and live auction and an evening of altruism. —Kara Emry Marxh/April 2007 31
0703_Focus_v2.indd 31
2/20/07 3:59:12 PM
Focus
F L A S H !
0703_Focus_v2.indd 34
Business and Bracelets Fifth graders love learning about business and smart money management To some, this may sound like fiction, but the BizWorld Foundation is making it a reality in classrooms every day. Through their projectbased curriculum, they have inspired thousands of children to get excited about business and entrepreneurship. “We have two programs right now, and they’re a great way for kids to relate basic academics to the real world,” says Catherine Hutton, executive director and CEO of the BizWorld Foundation.
In true entrepreneur fashion, BizWorld came about when founder and Bay Area venture capitalist Tim Draper’s third-grade daughter asked him what he does at work every day. Instead of looking for an easy answer, he saw an opportunity. “He wanted to engage her, using the basics she was studying,” says Hutton. “She could add, subtract, multiply, and divide. It started as a fun game for the classroom and from there it became a full curriculum.”
The program starts with standard classroom materials found in just about any school environment to create what the kids call friendship bracelets. “It’s a low cost, low tech way of teaching that any teacher, regardless of socioeconomic background, can utilize,” says Hutton. In the BizWorld program, students take on different leadership roles as they run simulated bracelet businesses and sell their products (using BizBucks, not real money). “We’ve had
PEETER VIISIMAA
“Wine is like sex: Nobody wants to admit how little they really know,” is what one Napa winemaker told the authors of A Moveable Thirst, a witty travelogue and guide to 141 public tasting rooms in Napa. Executive wine buyer Hank Beal and award-winning journalist Rick Kushman will be donating Napa tours and copies of their book to numerous charities, including Sacramento’s Run to Feed the Hungry. “Think Sideways if it had really been about wine,” says Kushman. A Moveable Thirst will be in stores in April. —L.S.
2/20/07 3:59:37 PM
Focus teachers across the country use different products and expand the program, which is great,” says Hutton. “But we try to offer the bracelets as a foundation that the educators can build on.” Although their program works best with third- through fifth-graders (due to the one-classroom education approach), it also is applicable through the eighth grade. In fact, Tim Draper teamed up with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2005 to introduce the program to middle school students in Hunter’s Point. BizWorld’s hands-on approach to learning was just what students and teachers in Louisiana needed after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their classrooms and curriculum. “[The teachers] were looking for ways to get back to teaching and boost the morale of students; they weren’t going to be excited about cracking a book,” says Hutton. In response to their needs, the BizWorld Foundation donated 100 kits to Louisiana teachers. The feedback from the teachers, according to Hutton, has been “tremendous.” The BizWorld Foundation has touched students in all 50 states, and in 2001 its first international franchise was established in the Netherlands. Since then, the foundation has reached 84 countries worldwide. “It happened organically,” says Hutton. “Tim meets with a lot of high-profile business leaders from different countries, and they hear about BizWorld through him and want to take it back home with them.” In spite of their inter national success, the BizWorld Foundation’s mis-
sion is focused on reaching students in the United States, especially in the Bay Area, where their headquarters are located and where BizWorld began. “Our focus is here. There’s such a need for this curriculum in the U.S.,” says Hutton. “It’s great that we’re expanding to New York, North Carolina. But the most important place for us to expand is in our backyard. We have somebody who recently joined our team who is from the San Francisco School District and has made it her personal mantra to get every single San Francisco school eligible [for grants] and on board for the curriculum.” Those who want to sponsor a class or school can do so through the BizWorld Foundation website at BizWorld.org. Additionally, several universities nationwide have outreach programs that link their students to the community, enriching educational experience on both sides. One local participant is the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. If parents wants their child to take BizWorld, “They should talk to the child’s teacher,” says Hutton. “Most of the time, the teachers want it but because of budget constraints they can’t get it. Also, it’s great for a parent to help during BizWorld, especially if they have a business background. It’s a time they can use their expertise to help their child’s education.” Just like Tim Draper did when he entered his daughter’s classroom with a game involving friendship bracelets. —Pisha Wayne
F L A S H !
Collateral do-gooding. Corporate givers which increase their donations budget will see a corresponding increase in sales, according to “Is Doing Good Good for You? Yes, Charitable Contributions Enhance Revenue Growth,” a 34-page report compiled by three university professors at the Social Science Research Network (ssrn.com). The study contends that banks, retail companies, and popular-goods manufacturers can reasonably hope for a $6 increase in sales for every $1 earmarked for charitable giving. —L.S.
F L A S H !
Alms from the foodies. This year’s Fancy Food Show donated 18,000 pounds of gourmet delectability to the St. Anthony Dining Room. St Anthony’s Chef Ian Watson, of Restaurant Lulu and Oliveto fame, transformed the beneficent booty into 8000 meals for the poor and homeless of San Francisco.—L.S. March/April 2007 35
0703_Focus_v2.indd 35
2/20/07 3:59:42 PM
Focus OPINION
The Next Great Wave Getting proactive before getting rich. There’s something happening here and it’s pretty darn clear: Philanthropy and the lifestyle of giving are no longer something that happens behind the closed boardroom doors of a big foundation. That’s the old model of philanthropy: Rockefeller and Carnegie constructing libraries and hospitals. Today we’re witnessing the rise of the Second Great Wave of Philanthropy. Now giving is fun, exciting, innovative, and accessible. Giving is about you. We’re in the early stages of this new philanthropic wave. The old days were led by a small group of ultrawealthy individuals. They used their resources
to create enormous bureau cratic entities (not that there’s anything wrong with that), which supported government efforts to build infrastructure such as libraries and hospitals. But you are the leaders of a new approach. You and your neighbors, and the family down the block. Entrepreneurs, middle managers, and millions of retiring baby boomers. So how do you join the growing wave? Start with structuring your giving. You don’t have to be Bill Gates or Warren Buffett to use effective tactics. Donor advised funds are simple accounts that you can open for as little as $5,000 with your broker or community foundation. They act like
a “charitable checking account,” and when used correctly can greatly increase the tax deductions you receive for giving. Next, get proactive. Spend some time sitting down with your family and thinking about what really moves you. Then seek out the nonprofits that help further the changes you want to see and support them. But make sure to find a charity that does its job well. Use sites like GuideStar.org and CharityNavigator.org to learn more about the organizations you’d like to support. Talk to friends and family, and read Benefit magazine to find stories about the best nonprofits. Then focus
your giving on the best of the best. Think of your giving as an investment in the future and don’t be afraid to ask the nonprofits you support tough questions and demand that they be effective with the money you give them. The lifestyle of giving is coming to the forefront as the Second Great Wave of Philanthropy rushes across the nation and around the globe, as people create donor advised funds and open private foundations with just $250,000 (in this new world of giving, private foundations are easy to use, with internet-powered applications that don’t require the millions in funding they used to). Members
of the Second Great Wave are taking luxury vacations that combine sightseeing in beautiful locations with the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and help the people who live there. They’re attending film festivals where the directors are striving not just to entertain, but also to educate and raise awareness about important issues. And they’re joining Giving Circles, gathering with friends in a fun, social atmosphere to discuss their most deeply-held values and beliefs … and figuring out how to give. Join the Second Great Wave of Philanthropy. The lifestyle of giving is fun and rewarding. —Sean Stannard-Stockton
ATM altruism. Now you can donate electronically from your Wells Fargo account to Glide Memorial and other Bay Area nonprofits. Donors receive a receipt with the name of the nonprofit and the amount of the donation. “Their money will immediately be used to help real people in need,” says Glide’s Rev. Cecil Williams. The service is free and 100 percent percent of all donations goes directly to the nonprofit chosen. —L.S.
Amy Walters
F L A S H !
36 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Focus_v2.indd 36
2/20/07 3:59:45 PM
international film festival bark and whine plumpjack/link golf classic paint the town red edited by John Sakkis
Calendar Mark your books for these IRRESISTIBLE upcoming events
May 3
PHOTO CREDIT
The Force is strong with the San Francisco Film Society. The San Francisco Film Society, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of their International Film Festival, will be presenting George Lucas with the one-time-only Irving “Bud” Levin Award at this year’s Gala. The award will be presented to Lucas at the SFFS Awards Night on May 3. The black-tie event, to take place at San Francisco’s Westin St. Francis Hotel, will include an elegant dinner.
March/April 2007 41
0703_Calendar_v3.indd 41
2/19/07 8:54:30 PM
Calendar MARCH 1
Tired of the same ol’ dance partner with two left feet? Well this time you can dance with someone who really does have two left feet—your dog! On March 1, CLAW (Critter Lovers at Work) is hosting its annual Bark and Whine Ball to benefit the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SF/ SPCA). This event gives canine owners the chance to bring their furry friends for a one-of-a-kind night out on the town. The Ball will feature a cocktail buffet, a hosted bar (by Johnnie Walker and Guinness), a silent auction, and plenty of dancing to make it a heck of a party for people and pooches alike. If you’re worried about having to entertain your pup the whole time, fear not, there will be plenty of dog-walkers onsite to take care of your pal while you chat it up with other animal-lovers. Oh, and don’t forget to get your picture taken by the professional photographer, because a wild night like this happens only once a year. For more information visit sfspca.org/ barkandwhine
WILLIBIRD.COM
Bark and Whine Ball
42 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Calendar_v3.indd 42
2/19/07 8:54:33 PM
March 10
Go Red or Go Home Red is the new black! The American Red Cross Bay Area chapter puts a twist on the traditional black-tie ball with their red tie, red gown gala. The aptly titled “Paint the Town Red—BIG TIME” benefit will be held on March 10 at the Westin St. Francis on Union Square. So show your support for the Red Cross just as they’ve continually provided their support for millions in need, year after year. The annual event, hosted this year by Mistress of Ceremonies CBS5 Eyewitness News Anchor Sydnie Kohara, features dinner, dancing, and both live and silent auctions. Amazing bidding prizes include: a week’s vacation with 20 friends at a French chateau, four tickets to a Red Sox game with afterparty at Cheers, and California golf packages. So put on your best red duds and make this a red hot night to remember. Tickets start at $350; for more information call 415-427-8170 or visit redcrossbayarea.org
Mar
3
Spice!
Mar
16
Mar
22
Dinner dance honoring festival artist of the year Lowell Herrero, meal prepared by Robert Mondavi Winery executive chef Richard Haake. Benefiting Clinic Ole and the Napa Valley Festival
2007 Annual Gala: Fabulous Fifties
Paving the Way Gala
Featuring entertainment by Chorissima and Virtuose, the Chorus’ professional-level ensembles, performing a montage of tunes from the fabulous ’50s. The evening also includes dinner, cocktails, and live and silent auctions. Benefiting San Francisco Girls Chorus
Celebrate 23 years of helping the homeless. Cocktail reception, gourmet dinner, live and silent auctions. Benefiting Larkin Street Youth Services
mustardfestival.org
sfgirlschorus.org
larkinstreetyouth.org
March 21
Power of Choice Luncheon For more than 30 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has been the nation’s leading advocate for privacy and a woman’s right to choose. On March 21 they host their 12th Power of Choice Luncheon in the opulent Grand Ballroom at the Westin St. Francis. Event co-chairs Jill Hamer and Jane Wolf promise an afternoon of fine dining and advocacy with keynote speakers, many of whom are nationally-recognized leaders in the choice community. Last year NARAL Pro-Choice raised over $600,000, and this year’s luncheon promises to be another huge success. Individual tickets start at $250, with tables starting at $2,500. For more information call Jennifer Milley at 415-890-1020 x250 or email powerofchoice@prochoiceamerica.org March/April 2007 43
0703_Calendar_v3.indd 43
2/19/07 8:54:35 PM
Calendar APRIL 4
Redrawing the Scientific Landscape
A pearl of an event! Spring is here and a tradition of excel lence continues with the Exploratorium’s prodigious Annual Awards Dinner. Now in its 30th year, it celebrates great achievements in science, art, and technology by honor ing peer-selected individuals for their groundbreaking accomplishments, discoveries, or theories. Often referred to as the “Oscar Night of Science,” the Awards Dinner annually raises over $1 million and is the Exploratorium’s major fundraising event. With this year’s theme, “Redrawing the Scientific Landscape,” the Exploratorium pays tribute to Carol Bartz with the presti gious Director’s Award; Dr. Kenneth Miller and Dr. Eugenie Scott with the Out standing Educator Award; and Natalie Angier with the Public Understanding of Science Award. The event begins at 7:30 pm and culmi nates at 9:30. Individual tickets start at $500, with tables ranging from $5,000– $50,000. For more informa tion call 415-353-0424 or visit exploratorium.edu/ support/awards_dinner 44 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Calendar_v3.indd 44
2/19/07 8:54:43 PM
Focus
23–24
Mar
Celebrate Spring 2007
15th Anniversary of this fun festival. Benefiting Schools of the Sacred Heart San Francisco celebratespring.org
24
Mar
Le Gran Bal
A black-tie gala held at a beautiful estate in Hillsborough. Guests will receive invitations custom designed by Michael Osborne. Kevin Weir, caterer for the evening, will delight guests with a fabulous selection of culinary treats. An enchanted evening with music and dancing, it promises to be an affair to remember. Another highlight of the evening will be a drawing for a beautiful Bedat & Co. limited edition ladies diamond bezel watch with a mother-of-pearl Roman dial. Benefiting Family Service Agency of San Mateo familyserviceagency.org
APRIL 24
Postcards from The City Fashion, food, and philanthropy commingle at one of the longestrunning events. The Junior League of San Francisco’s (JLSF) annual fashion show gala, now in its 81st year, kicks off on March 24 with a “Postcards from The City” theme that promises to capture the glamor and elegance of our unique cityscape. For the past 95 years, as an orga nization committed to promoting voluntarism and community leader ship, the JLSF has raised over $22 million in financial support for the community. Since 2002 the JLSF has focused its fundraising efforts on K-12 education. This year’s fashion show will be hosted at the Fairmont Hotel and will feature two distinct show options: a champagne luncheon and a black-tie gala dinner dance. Each show will include a fabulous silent auction, an exciting live auction, door prizes, and a donation drawing. Donor patron levels from $300–$10,000. For more information call 415-775-4100 x34 or visit fashionshow.jlsf.org
March 24
Bowl the Planet Benefiting the Center for Ecosystem Survival savenature.org
APRIL 22
24
Mar
9th Annual Wine Tasting & Auction Benefiting Junior Achievement of the Bay Area, Inc. jaba.org
ART CREDIT
Ruby Jubilee In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the American Conservatory Theater is hosting its largest bash yet. Traditionally the home of three mega-hit fundraising events (Starry Night, New Faces, and the Young Conservatory Celebration), they’ve now merged all of the festivities into one super soirée. Swing on down to the Four Seasons, which will be decorated by the legendary Stanlee Gatti in celebration of this monumental anniversary event. The evening will feature a pre-event cocktail hour where guests can mingle and enjoy each other’s company before an inspiring performance by a special surprise guest star and A.C.T’s conservatory students. Tickets start at $1,000; for more information call 415-439-2470 or visit act-sf.org
23–25
Mar
20th Anniversary Rummage Sale Start with cocktails, dinner by the bite, and live and silent auctions on Friday at a preview party. Benefiting Junior League of San Jose. jlsj.org
March/April 2007 45
0703_Calendar_v3.indd 45
2/19/07 8:54:43 PM
Calendar April 25
California College of the Arts’ Centennial Gala and Fashion Show
Strike a pose and celebrate as the California College of the Arts (CCA) hosts its Centennial Gala and Threads Fashion Show. This year’s event will be held at the stunning Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason overlooking the Bay. Arrive early for the 6 pm cocktail reception to meet and mingle with fellow fashionistas, then enjoy a sumptuous gourmet dinner followed by a dazzling professional runway show highlighting the best work of CCA senior fashion design students. San Francisco designer and retailer Wilkes Bashford will be recognized as the CCA Fashion Industry Award Honoree. Individual tickets from $350–$500, tables from $5,000–$10,000, with all proceeds going to the college’s scholar ship program. For more information call 510-594-3776.
25
Mar
March 31
A Night at the Marin Symphony
Benefiting the Bay Institute, to help protect and restore San Francisco Bay and its watershed bay.org
31
Mar
Spring Fling at Filoli Puppet shows, crafts, and other children’s activities. Floral displays, musical shows, and samplings in the kitchen. Benefiting Filoli Center filoli.org
Lights, Camera … Auction! Benefiting the Drew School drewschool.org
19
Apr
The 7th Annual Art Tour A terrific opportunity to view private collections and homes of prominent San Francisco art collectors. Benefiting Enterprise for High School Students ehss.org
22
Apr
MMRF Race for Research 5K Walk/Run
Crissy Field — Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Benefiting Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation mmrfrace.org
April 27
S.F. Zoological Society’s Annual ZooFest Lions and tigers and bears! Close to 600 friends and supporters of the San Francisco Zoo will gather on April 27 for the ZooFest Gala. Tanya Peterson and committee are planning a magical evening of cocktails, dinner, and dancing under the stars amid the Zoo’s lush foliage, in a dramatically lit crystal tent. Enjoy silent and live auctions featuring, among other items, ostrich eggs designed by local notables, exotic vacation packages, and maybe best of all, exclusive naming rights to some of the Zoo’s “big cats.” Animal interactions will include those from the Zoo’s Koret Animal Resource Center and Avian Conservation Center featuring Sequoia, resident bald eagle. Individual tickets start at $400, with corporate packages and tables of 10 available. For more information visit sfzoo.org
48 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Calendar_v3.indd 48
2/19/07 8:54:50 PM
May 4
Petchitecture 12 The human-animal bond is one bred of nurture and trust. Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) is an organization which provides services to over 530 low-income clients living with HIV/AIDS and other disabling illnesses, to help them maintain the love and companionship of their animals. PAWS celebrates canine culture with the Petchitecture 12 benefit. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Petchitecture (pronounced: Petkuh-tek-chur) event will feature a cocktail reception with delicious culinary delights catered to please both man and dog, as well as other pet-centered treats. The afternoon concludes with an auction featuring a host of interesting pet habitats fashioned by local architects and designers. Previous petchitects have included the esteemed At-Six Architecture, Beeline Group, Gensler, Huntsman Architectural Group, Kimpton Hotels, Knoll, MBH Architects, Pollack Architecture, Sasaki Associates, and TSAO Design Group. Petchitecture 12 will be hosted at the glamorous Westin St. Francis Hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grand Ballroom on May 4. For more information visit pawssf.org March/April 2007 49
0703_Calendar_v3.indd 49
2/19/07 8:54:55 PM
SF Ballet SF MOMA SF Opera ZooFest Kick Off Sonoma Jazz
Events
PhotoGRAPHY by Drew Altizer
2.
S.F. Ballet Auxiliary Gala
(Jan. 24) The San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary hosted their 74th Opening Night Gala Dinner “Spanish Splendor” in what is perennially one of San Francisco’s most glamorous events. With a sold-out-crowd of 1,020, the City Hall-hosted event raised an unbelievable $1.4 million in support of America’s first professional ballet company. sfballet.org
1.
S.F. Ballet Auxiliary Gala> 1. George 3. Shannon Cronan, Cheri Spolin
3.
Shultz, Charlotte Mailliard Shultz wearing Oscar de la Renta 2. Anette Harris in Michael Casey, Fran Streets
March/April 2007 53
0703_Events_v3.indd 53
2/13/07 11:13:29 PM
Events
2006 Bay Area Treasure Award (Jan. 31) Wayne Thiebaud was honored with the 2006 Bay Area Treasure Award by the Modern Art Council of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). This annual lifetime achievement award and luncheon recognizes Bay Area artists who continually define and redefine contemporary art. sfmoma.org
1.
2.
3.
S.F. Opera Appoints New Music Director (Jan. 9) Acclaimed Italian
Maestro Nicola Luisotti has been appointed music director of San Francisco Opera effective at the start of the 2009â&#x20AC;&#x201C;10 season. Maestro Luisotti made a smashing San Francisco Opera debut with Verdiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s La Forza del Destino in November of 2005. sfopera.com
5.
4.
S.F. MOMA> S.F. Opera>
5.
1. Karen Eichler, Sarah Cumbelich 2. Wayne Thiebaud, Paul Thiebaud 3. Karen Erlich, Lawrence Halprin 4. Pat McBaine, Charlotte Shultz, John Gunn 5. Nicola Luisotti, Rita Simonini, Gianluca Macheda
54 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Events_v3.indd 54
2/13/07 11:13:41 PM
Events
ZooFest Kick Off (Feb. 8) Close to 100 patrons of the San Francisco Zoological Society gathered at the home of Frank and Susan Dunlevy to celebrate the upcoming ZooFest Gala on April 27. This year’s event theme features the “big cats” of the Zoo and heralds the coming of two new Sumatran tigers and jaguars. During the evening, $2,000 was raised as part of a raffle for an ostrich egg decorated by artist Henry Jackson, won by James and Holly Farrell. The San Francisco Zoo connects people with wildlife, inspires caring for nature, and advances conservation action. sfzoo.org
1.
2.
Sonoma Jazz + (Dec. 21) Jazz was in the air at the popular Rye bar as a delicious combination of cocktails and decor was served up at Sonoma Jazz +’s chic cocktail party fundraiser (Dec. 21). Over $10,000 was raised for Sonoma Jazz +, a world-class music, food, and wine festival supporting the Sonoma community’s education needs. The second annual Sonoma Jazz Festival returns to its popular downtown Field of Dreams venue in May. sonomajazz.org
3.
4. zoofest> 1. Jim and Patsy Ludwig 2. Lisa Sonoma Jazz > 4. Matt Mayne, MacKenna
5.
6.
Lenzo, Michael Hooker, Connie Hooker 3. Tanya Peterson, Susan Dunlevy, Leslie Podell Chase 5. Nicola Fraiser, Jacqueline Leh, Mariam Amin 6. Anderson Pugash, Maxx Traina
March/April 2007 55
0703_Events_v3.indd 55
2/13/07 11:14:00 PM
Events
(Feb. 1) Champagne and caviar abounded at the Asian Art Museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eleventh Annual Preview Opening Gala Arts of Pacific Asia Show. Event co-chairs Kathy and Paul Bissinger put on an evening of cultural celebration and revelry. Art vendors displayed and sold historic Asian art ranging from artisan furniture to fine jewelry to sculpture. Guests raised $110,000 toward the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education department and programs. asianart.org
Asian Arts Preview
1.
2.
3.
5.
hosted an elegant Enchanted Evening dinner (Jan. 24) in the Green Room of the War Memorial Veterans Building in honor of the San Francisco Ballet beginning its 74th Repertory Season. The sold-out event began with a reception, followed by a sumptuous dinner and a performance by the San Francisco Ballet in the War Memorial Opera House. ENCORE! members were treated to a postperformance party. encoresf.org
San Francisco Ballet ENCORE!
4.
6.
Asian Arts Preview> 1. Brenda Mickel 2. Goretti Lui, Chef Martin Yan, Susan Yan 3. Joan Vinson, ENCORE!> 4. Elizabeth Doyel, Kelly Grimes, Laura Miller 5. Stephanie Russell, Ernest Bates 6. Beth
6. Judith Duffy San Francisco Ballet Sullivan, Lawanna Endonino, Gina Alioto
56 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Events_v3.indd 56
2/13/07 11:14:15 PM
Events
Shadow Fun at the de Young (Jan. 22) A private viewing and reception celebrating the exhibition The Sculpture of Ruth Asawa: Contours in the Air. The event raised over $50,000 and included wire weaving, Tai Chi, a treasure hunt, and jazz. The Family Arts Circle supports the award-winning education programs for children and adults at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco through ticket purchases. amartin@famsf.org
1.
2.
3.
Mount St. Joseph–St. Elizabeth Epiphany Center (Jan. 31-Feb. 1)
Julie Chaiken Trunk Show at Sarah Shaw Boutique (Nov. 28)
Local celebs came out for a special two-night soirée in support of Mount St. Joseph–St. Elizabeth Epiphany Center’s 10th Benefit Party and Show. Hosted in San Francisco and Mill Valley respectively, the event was a wild success, with cabaret performances by the likes of Cynthia Baggott, Katie Budge, Paul Pelosi, and Gualtiero Negrini. msjse.org
Sarah Shaw Boutique hosted an exclusive Trunk Show & Cocktails reception for world-renowned San Francisco designer Julie Chaiken. Bay Area fashionistas packed the store, eager to sneak a peak at Chaiken’s Fall/Holiday collection. Sarah Shaw donated 25 percent of the evening’s sales to Hamilton Family Center. chaikenclothing.com, hamiltonfamilycenter.org
4.
5.
6.
Family Arts Circle> 1. Robin Donahoe, Rafaela Donahoe 2. Shirley Robinson, Laura Sweeney Julie Chaiken Trunk Show> 3. Julie Chaiken, Sarah Shaw Mt. St. Joseph> 4. Christine Waldeck, Katie Budge 5. Sister Margarinia, Brenda Maclean (board chair) 6. Gualtiero Negrini, Paul Pelosi
March/April 2007 57
0703_Events_v3.indd 57
2/13/07 11:14:27 PM
Film A spectacular showcase of worldwide cinematic innovation, the San Francisco Film Society presents the 50th anniversary of the San Francisco International Film Festival.
By Lord Martine
Take Fifty!
Young mavericks: In 1969 an amazing group of independent-minded film makers who preferred to work in San Francisco rather than Los Angeles massed at Francis Coppola’s new studio, American Zoetrope, including, from the left: John Korty, Carroll Ballard, Tim Huntley, John Milius, Barry Beckerman, Lawrence Sturhahn, George Lucas, Dennis Jakob, Al Locatelli, Robert Dalva, Francis Coppola, Steve Wax, Walter Murch, and Jim McBride.
“Don’t underestimate the Force.” (Darth Vader, Star Wars)
Founded in 1957, the International (as it’s affectionately called) is the longest-running film festival in America. Since then, this celebration of motion pictures has shown over 6,000 films from more than 120 countries to approximately two million people. The procession continues, emphasizing the Festival’s dedication to contemporary trends in feature, documentary and experimental film and video production. The San Francisco Film Society (SFFS) is a nonprofit arts and educational organization devoted to the appreciation of film and media in all forms. Yearround programs concentrate on four areas: internationalism and cross-cultural exchange; educating and inspiring Bay Area youth; showcasing Bay Area film culture; and exploring new digital media. This includes restoring masterpieces and curating major retrospectives. SFFS executive director Graham Leggat says this year’s golden birthday will be epic, “We have a historic and moral obligation to knock everybody’s socks off. We will bring the best of the world of cinema with more than 120 unique programs and events, more than 200 film industry professionals, and 230–250 films from over 50 countries.” Talk about energy. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded the SFFS its
76 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Film_v4.indd 76
2/19/07 8:46:54 PM
Film major three-year foundation grant. Greg Beal, Academy program coordinator, said: “Everyone’s excited about being a part of San Francisco’s 50th. It’s one of the most important film festivals in the world.” “This is an extraordinary vote of confidence,” Leggat responds. “To feel the Academy’s arm around our shoulders is priceless.” With the support of Mayor Gavin Newsom and the San Francisco Film Commission, the International will celebrate its opening night gala in the Rotunda at San Francisco City Hall. “No film festival in the Americas has done more for its city and the people in it, for as many years, as the San Francisco International,” Mayor Newsom said. “The International has brought the world to these shores,” Leggat adds. “San Francisco is very much a city of world citizens. The Festival is a reflection of that and contributes mightily to its sense of open-mindedness and intelligent filmmaking.” Among the projections in this year’s flick parade is the world premiere of Fog City Mavericks, directed by Gary Leva. The film chronicles and applauds the exceptional cinematic achievements of San Francisco/Bay Area filmmakers, with a spotlight on how their work reflects the spirit of invention and independence that makes ours a remarkably artistic community. A galaxy of iconoclastic filmmakers are featured in the documentary, including: Brad Bird, Bruce Conner, Carroll Ballard, Chris Columbus, Clint Eastwood, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, John Korty, John Lasseter, Phil Kaufman, Walter Murch, Sofia Coppola, and Saul Zaentz. “This film celebrates movie industry lions,” Leggat explains. “The Bay Area’s a Shangri La of trailblazing innovation, and nowhere is this more true than in the extraordinary group of filmmakers who have called it home in recent generations.” Lucas and several fellow Fog City Mavericks (Saul Zaentz, John Korty, Phil Kaufman, Bruce Conner, Dominic Angerame, and Rob Nilson) will be present for the festivities that evening. Lucas will also receive the one-time-only Irving “Bud” Levin Award—named after the founder of SFIFF—to be presented at the gala awards night of the International. The Levin Award honors our champion for his appreciation for movies as an art form, his recognition of the important role that San Francisco plays in the world of art and cinema, his flair for innovation and entrepreneurship, and his spirit of adventure and passion for community. “In terms of the creation of an epic universe,
the blockbuster film, merchandising,” Leggat notes, “Lucas changed the way people think about film.” Also new this year, SFFS and Jaman, Inc.—a premier online community for world cinema—will launch The International Online. The six to ten films selected for this digital experience will be available worldwide for download to a select number of viewers during a limited window of time. “For the past 50 years, the International has been bringing the world to San Francisco. Now, The International Online will bring our films and filmmakers to the world,” Leggat comments. No film festival Additionally, over 1,500 global submissions of documentary and animated films, in the Americas shorts, and works created on video or for television are judged in the Festival’s Goldhas done more en Gate Awards competition. The contest for its city and bestows 14 awards and cash prizes totaling $28,500, including $10,000 for best docuthe people in mentary feature. Emerging filmmakers are eligible for the it, for as many $10,000 New Directors Prize, which was established in 1997 by the Festival to recognize years, as the a first film with a unique artistic sensibility. San Francisco The powers that be keep it kinetic yearround. International. In 2006 SFFS launched its SF360 series of initiatives, which include: SF360.org, —mayor gavin newsom a daily online magazine co-published with indieWIRE.com; the “one city/one film” SF360 Movie Night; SF360 live panels and discussions; and SF360 Film/Club screenings. Events are held at non-traditional venues across The City, strategically chosen to bring the Festival to new and underserved audiences. “It’s about audiences organizing in a novel fashion around film and video,” Leggat explains. “For example: Quarterly we host 360 Movie Night. A DVD is sent out to members who are instructed to watch it at 8 p.m. on a Monday. People arrange viewing parties across The City—then meet up afterward at Tosca’s to discuss it.” For our rising stars, SFFS’s education program has engaged more than 30,000 Bay Area students (aged 8 to 18) from 500 institutions in 15 years. The curriculum introduces them to international cinema and media literacy. The Film Society will present the second annual San Francisco International Animation Festival in October 2007, the eleventh annual New Italian Cinema festival in November 2007, and a new S.F. International Youth Media Festival in early 2008. The landmark 50th International runs April 26 through May 10 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinema, the Castro Theatre, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco; the Pacific Film Archive Theater in Berkeley; and Landmark Aquarius Theatre in Palo Alto; as well as several smaller satellite venues. For tickets and information, contact: sffs.org, 925-8669559, or visit the main ticket outlet at the Sundance Kabuki Cinema (1881 Post Street) or the satellite ticket outlet at Virgin Megastore (2 Stockton Street). For additional information: 415-561-5000. B
March/April 2007 77
0703_Film_v4.indd 77
2/19/07 8:46:55 PM
1234567891011 123456789101112 Stepping Up Working the program, one day at a time
For more than 75 years people with addiction issues have been turning to a process commonly known as the Twelve Steps. Created by the original people behind Alcoholics Anonymous, the process has lent itself to support groups addressing everything from sex addiction to gambling to issues with food. Though the specific implementation of the approach can change from group to group, from person to person, the tenets remain the same: looking yourself in the eye and making a commitment to change. On its own, each step is not a cure-all. As Benefit approached individuals for this step-by-step examination of how some Bay Area residents have turned to the Twelve Step Program to turn their lives around, one said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I maintain that isolating one step as the most important one is like asking which spoke on your bicycle is the most important one.â&#x20AC;? Here are images of ordinary people rebuilding their lives one step at a time.
Photographs by David Waldorf Edited by Scott Adelson
March/April 2007 87
0703_12step_v4.indd 87
3/1/08 10:12:24 PM
We admitted we were powerless over (our addiction)—that our lives had become unmanageable.
1
Name: Edward Addiction: Narcotics Time in recovery: 7 years, 10 months Who helped: Bi Bett Corporation, Diablo Valley Ranch Annex “We didn’t stumble into this fellowship brimming with love, honesty, openmindedness, or willingness. We reached a point where we could no longer continue using because of physical, mental, and spiritual pain.”
88 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_12step_v4.indd 88
3/1/08 10:12:41 PM
Name: James Addiction: Alcohol and cocaine Time in recovery: 3 years “I am a Buddhist predominantly So to some people it doesn’t make sense. I say ‘exactly!’ It works if you do it. Godspeed.”
2
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
March/April 2007 89
0703_12step_v4.indd 89
3/1/08 10:12:56 PM
Name: Susan Addiction: Drugs Time in recovery: 23 years Who helped: Friends in the healthcare business “My life was unmanageable. I couldn’t work; I couldn’t leave the house because of paranoia. My friends had given up on me. I was alone and afraid. This step was the jumping off point for a new life.”
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
3
90 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_12step_v4.indd 90
3/1/08 10:13:07 PM
4
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Name: Christina Addiction: Alcohol and cocaine Time in recovery: 16 months Who helped: Marin Fellowship â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was instructed to write down an exhaustive list of all the people I resented, and what I resented them for. It came out to be 20 pages long. My sponsor took me through each one and asked me to find my part in every resentment.â&#x20AC;?
March/April 2007 91
0703_12step_v4.indd 91
3/1/08 10:13:18 PM
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Name: Roger Addiction: Alcohol
Time in recovery: 46 years
5
Who helped: Nobody
â&#x20AC;&#x153;As I share my experience, strength, and hope with others, it is my wish and deep desire to give back that which has so graciously been given to me.â&#x20AC;?
92 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_12step_v4.indd 92
3/1/08 10:13:30 PM
Name: Alan Addiction: Alcohol Time in recovery: 11 years Who helped: Mandana house â&#x20AC;&#x153;This, too, shall pass.â&#x20AC;?
6
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
March/April 2007 93
0703_12step_v4.indd 93
3/1/08 10:13:43 PM
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
7
Name: Papamalo Addiction: Alcohol and cocaine Time in recovery: 6 years Who helped: Highland Hospital “I can identify as an addict/alcoholic, but the truth is, for me, that these are only symptoms of a greater malady: the addictive mind and body.” 94 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_12step_v4.indd 94
3/1/08 10:13:55 PM
Name: Mary Addiction: Alcohol Years Sober: 7 years Who helped: Henry Ohlhoff House, Stepping Stone House, National Council on Alcoholism, St. Anthony Foundation “It isn’t just a list, it’s about forgiveness. Forgiving everyone. Then you can move freely through your life.”
8
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
March/April 2007 95
0703_12step_v4.indd 95
3/1/08 10:14:15 PM
Name: Dianna Addictions: Alcohol and codependency Time in recovery: 21 years Who helped: My brother, Mom, and private therapy “Sometimes amends may be not contacting that person.… The sense of being lighter and resolution is amazing upon completion of this work.”
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
9
96 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_12step_v4.indd 96
3/1/08 10:14:27 PM
10
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it
Name: Bridgett Addiction: Food Time in recovery: 6 1/2 years Who helped: Other 12-steppers “I think of surrendering to the fact that I’m a food addict and surrendering to the fact that I need help outside of myself to recover. Two things that I would never want to admit about myself before.”
March/April 2007 97
0703_12step_v4.indd 97
3/1/08 10:14:40 PM
Name: Clare Addiction: Alcohol Time in recovery: 19 years Who helped: Neighborhood Center, Bernal Heights “I’m meditating well when my thoughts become suspended and I merge into the quiet expanse in between the thoughts. From there I am restored to sanity, renewed vitality, creative inspiration, and ineffable contentment.”
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
11
98 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_12step_v4.indd 98
3/1/08 10:15:02 PM
12
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Name: Al Addiction: Heroin, beer, marijuana Time in recovery: 10 years, since 7:15 a.m. when I woke up this morning Who helped: Stanford Medical Center, Henry Ohlhoff House “I can’t fix me.”
March/April 2007 99
0703_12step_v4.indd 99
3/1/08 10:15:12 PM
nobody needs to know
100 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Anon_v3.indd 100
2/20/07 12:35:56 PM
There may be good reasons to keep your gift a secret. But is it good for the charity? By Tom Stein and Tim Devaney
The chairman of the capital campaign nearly dropped the phone. A donor was calling to pledge $1.4 million to his cause: a drive to raise $2 million for a Bay Area private high school in need of upgraded facilities and enhanced student development. There was one stipulation: the donor insisted on absolute anonymity. Anonymity? The notion seems positively quaint these days, when most philanthropists insist their names be chiseled on university halls, emblazoned on hospital wings or noted in a plaque on the local park bench. Indeed, a study led by James Allen Smith, professor of philanthropy at Georgetown University, found that less than 1 percent of large donations to institutions like universities and hospitals are made anonymously. At the very least, the Bay Area high school donor could have asked that the gymnasium be named in her honor. A drinking fountain? Nope. The woman has a child currently attending the school and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want her son singled out and treated differently.
January/February 2007 101
0703_Anon_v3.indd 101
2/20/07 12:35:57 PM
A risk of giving publicly is the
“The donor feels teenage years are challenging enough without adding new labels that don’t really need to be applied,” says the chairman of the school’s capital campaign, who requested that both his name and the name of the school be concealed. “Part of fundraising is honoring the request of donors, and in this case we were more than happy to do that.”
Moral Imperative?
There are a lot of reasons why people give anonymously. Historically, anonymous philanthropy has been part of religious tradition from the Apostle Matthew to Maimonides, a 12th-century Jewish rabbi and philosopher. Many religious leaders believed it essential to protect the dignity of the poor by remaining anonymous. “When thou doest alms,” wrote Matthew (6:3), “let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.” In scriptures from the Talmud to the Koran, anonymous giving is praised as the highest form of charity. Not only because it frees recipients from the uncomfortable feeling of indebtedness—and perhaps resentfulness for their inability to reciprocate—but also because it removes from donors the temptation to feel superior. “The Stoic philosopher Seneca was probably the first person to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of anonymous giving,” says Professor Smith. “He knew only the rare individual would remain anonymous, because gift giving was essential for creating friendships as well as social and political ties.” But Seneca also knew there were occasions when it would be best for givers to hide behind the veil. Not only to be more altruistic and less egoistic but to deflect the wrath of people who think you’re giving to the wrong person or wrong institution. Today that rationale might be invoked by a member of one religion who gives to charities associated with a different religion. Or by the Canadian philanthropist who anonymously footed the bill for a recent exhibition of masturbation art at the Banff Centre in Alberta.
Behind the Veil
Who gives anonymously? The question, obviously, can be a difficult one to answer. Or not. Paul Schervish, professor of sociology and director of the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College, points out that the majority of us give anonymously. “It’s important to note that most people, including you and I, give anonymously. If you give to a church it’s often only the treasurer who knows, and not even the pastor. If you give to Save the Children only the people following the accounting transaction know who you are.” In other words, anonymous giving is not so unusual. What is unusual is the anonymous donation of large amounts. Who gives them? Again, hard to say. Several years ago Schervish conducted a study of 130 millionaires who gave anonymously. Titled “One Hand Clapping,” the survey included philanthropists from a Detroit chemicals manufacturer to a Seattle real estate developer. Anonyomous donors who give large amounts may be from new money or old money. Rich families may have a long tradition of anonymous philanthropy. Recentlywealthy givers may choose anonymity because they’re not yet comfortable with the idea of handing out money. “People who are newly wealthy often want their new wealth to be private,” says Sandra R. Hernández, CEO of the San Francisco Foundation. “They don’t want people to know exactly what they’re capable of. They haven’t figured out what their giving is going to be like.” Hernández says donors to the San Francisco Foundation, which makes community-development grants in the Bay Area, range from the older wealthy donor who in January gave $1.5 million, to the taxi driver who walked in after the Asian tsunami, emptied his pockets on the counter, said, “This is for the people over there,” and walked out again. Hernández also has her own anonymous fund at the San Francisco Foundation. “It’s named for my grandmother. No one would
know it’s from me.” She’s quick to add that she’s “by no means wealthy.” She’s the former director of health for the city and county of San Francisco and still practices as an AIDS clinician at S.F. General. She says she set up her fund simply to “reflect the spirit of my grandmother.”
Modern Giving
The motivations for anonymous giving in contemporary society are mixed and complicated. Most have little to do with religion or morality. Professor Smith says that, according to his research, only five percent of anonymous donors cite religious convictions. One of the most common reasons modern-day donors hide their identity is to shield themselves from “cultivation,” the inevitable and constant requests for more donations from other organizations, says BoardSource, a resource for nonprofit board members. Give to one nonprofit and it’s not long before you find yourself on the mailing list of 20 others. “I know some philanthropists who simply get frustrated by the number of people calling them,” says Mari Ellen Reynolds, chief of staff of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which funds programs in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. “A lot of donors give anonymously as a way of saying, ‘Don’t bother me with anything else. I don’t want to be cultivated,’” explains Chris Grumm, CEO of the San Francisco-based Women’s Funding Network, which makes grants to programs that support women and girls locally, nationally, and internationally. She says the WFN often receives gifts through a financial adviser. That way, donors are protected from further solicitation. She estimates 10 of her organization’s 300 major donors are anonymous. “They make decisions about whom they want to give to and they don’t want anyone else interfering with that. These are people who have a very clear understanding of their philanthropy and what they want to be giving to and what they don’t want to be giv-
102 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Anon_v3.indd 102
2/20/07 12:35:58 PM
e
e
expectation that the gifts will keep coming.
ing to and they’re concerned about being besieged.” Anonymous donors may also want to keep their generosity a secret from heirs and other family members. Professor Smith has heard of several cases where someone going through a divorce gives anonymously to cloak real assets. They may want to obscure the extent of their wealth and deflect requests from friends or associates who need money. Or they may simply be shy. “What I’ve seen in churches is that people don’t want to be distinguished from everybody else they go to church with,” says Grumm, whose father was a minister. They don’t want to appear prideful to their fellow churchgoers. “There are many people of wealth who don’t live with their wealth being very apparent,” Grumm points out. “I’ve talked to many a donor who said, ‘Most of my friends don’t know I have money. I want to give anonymously, one, because the gift is the important thing and, two, I don’t want my neighbors thinking I’m different than they are.’” Another risk of giving publicly is the expectation that the gifts will keep coming. “Sometimes an anonymous gift of a large size is from somebody who isn’t a philanthropist and is only able to make one large gift,” says Schervish. “They may have one gift to make and don’t want to be put into the philanthropic circle because they don’t feel they belong there.”
Higher Calling?
There are many good reasons to give anonymously. But is anonymous giving necessarily better than public philanthropy? Steve Kirsch, an active Bay Area philanthropist who serves as chairman of the Kirsch Foundation, doesn’t think so. “It’s often the donor who benefits from anonymous giving,” he says. “I can’t think of any benefit to the cause that’s being supported.” Kirsch, who founded the internet search engine Infoseek, has donated more than
January/February 2007 103
0703_Anon_v3.indd 103
2/20/07 12:36:07 PM
Public gifts induce other people to give and
$25 million to numerous causes, including Earthjustice and the American Musical Theatre of San Jose, since he established his foundation in 1999. He belongs to the school of thought that believes donors should be vocal and active supporters of their causes. “If you look at what encourages so many people to donate, it’s because they see other high-profile people giving as well,” he says. Kirsch does more than give publicly. Often, when he does donate to a cause, he gets on the phone and urges others to join him. In the late ’90s it came to light that some 102 Bay Area nonprofits were about to lose their funding because the United Way’s annual drive had fallen $11 million short. When he heard the news, Kirsch was the first to step in with a $1 million contribution. But he didn’t stop there. He called anyone he could think of who could help, including several media outlets. His donation, coupled with his efforts to spread the word around Silicon Valley, helped bring in a total of $14.6 million for the cause. “I tend to focus on the result of the giving,” he says. “I don’t care so much about whether I get recognition.”
Seeking Clarity
At many Bay Area museums, development officers do care, because they agree with Kirsch: a large gift from a well-known figure can spur others to give as well. But convincing an anonymous donor to go public can be difficult, especially when those donors give money to fund a gallery or an exhibition. “All developers have stories about donors who give anonymously because they want the art to get the attention, not the gift,” says Doria Leong, director of development at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. “But often the museum convinces the individual to come forward because it adds recognition to the exhibit.” Professor Schervish says that where large gifts are at stake, anonymity is often a process of negotiation. “Sometimes the lack of anonymity reflects the desire by a charity to receive a gift that will induce other people to give, that will activate networks of giving.”
104 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Anon_v3.indd 104
2/20/07 12:36:16 PM
a
d
activate networks of giving.
He calls these “lead” gifts, because they inspire people in the network and set a standard. If someone gives a large amount in a public way, he notes, “someone else might say, ‘Well, I have as much as he does. Maybe that’s what I should give.’ Or, ‘I have more. Maybe I should be giving more.’” While even the staunchest critic would admit that giving anonymously is much better than not giving at all, there are cases where anonymous philanthropy can actually harm a cause. For instance: the early years of the AIDS epidemic. Many people supported the fight against AIDS but did so privately. That kind of giving, critics say, added to the stigma of the disease. “When AIDS first appeared there was great fear because of misconceptions like you could get it from a sneeze,” says Mari Ellen Reynolds. “Even the giving around AIDS was an underground thing until some prominent families and celebrities came forward and started to talk about it openly.” She thinks the strong philanthropic support currently behind AIDS charities is the direct result of a few brave yet influential people standing up for the cause and leveraging the weight of their names. “Going public makes a huge difference, because it gets people’s attention and encourages them to follow,” she says.
Going Public: The Silver Lining
Phil Halperin, president of the Silver Giving Foundation, was one of the most active anonymous philanthropists in the Bay Area—until he changed his ways. From the end of 1998, when Halperin launched his foundation, to the beginning of 2004, every penny he donated was given anonymously. He even hired an executive director to act on his behalf, so none of the recipients would know where their donations came from. Halperin, whose giving targets education and underprivileged children, says anonymity allowed him to put on training wheels and learn philanthropy as he went. “It gave us time to adjust our approach
and gain a deeper understanding of what we wanted to accomplish,” he says. Relieved of the pressures and demands faced by most foundations, Silver Giving was able to sharpen its focus and better identify the causes it truly wanted to support. But San Francisco is small town. After awhile, people were clamoring to know who the mystery donor was. Some people thought Silver Giving was a conglomeration of rich Silicon Valley matrons. Others believed it was backed by the late Steve Silver, the legendary producer of San Francisco’s Beach Blanket Babylon. In 2004, Halperin left his full-time job as a venture capitalist at private equity firm Weston Presidio to focus exclusively on his foundation. He felt the time was right to go public. “I was leading this double life where people I worked with had no idea what I was up to,” he says. “I even had friends on the board of many of the organizations we supported. I knew our cover would be blown eventually and some people did start to figure it out.” Halperin, who acknowledges being a very private person by nature, says his philanthropy has always been about the organizations, not about him. A fifth-generation San Franciscan, he says the idea of giving back to the community is, for him, as necessary and natural as breathing. “My family has a long history of contributing to the Bay Area,” he explains. “This is a very special part of the world, not least because of the generosity of its people over the past 150 years.”
Seeing the Light
The entire concept of anonymous giving is now being questioned by experts and practitioners like Halperin and Professor Schervish. “I don’t accept Maimonides and the hierarchy of gifts that says the greatest gift is one where both the donor and the recipient are unknown to each other,” Schervish argues. That may be the case, he says, but the idea that anonymous philanthropy is always the highest form of giving is something a lot of experts reject.
Anonymous giving “can be manipulative,” Schervish explains. “What is a very high intention—to change someone’s life positively—can cause great harm. I think the most dangerous thing with anonymous giving is when it’s a form of voyeurism— allocating money into a sphere and simply watching what happens, even when it’s negative.” He says he’s seen anonymous givers who fall too easily into the role of “demigod,” especially when they’re giving to an individual rather than an organization with a track record that knows how to use donations. “If the sums of money involved are so large that they disrupt the recipient’s family cohesion, then that’s an irresponsible form of giving,” Schervish says, even if it’s anonymous. There are many philanthropy experts who say that being good and generous is not what donors should be aiming at. Instead, they should be wise and treat people the way they need to be treated. An anonymous gift, says Schervish, is not necessarily a caring gift. “Every gift accomplishes several things, some that are needed and some that are not,” he says. “What you must do is figure out the array of outcomes, and then maximize the positive and minimize the negative.” For Halperin, the advantage since going public is that he can now spend quality time with the organizations he supports, including the Jamestown Community Center, the Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco, and the Tenderloin Childcare Center. “Rather than just throwing a check over the transom, we now have a close partnership with many of these organizations.” Halperin is also free to corner friends at cocktail parties and proselytize for his favorite nonprofits. On the flip side, of course, everybody now wants a piece of him. He has to answer a lot of tough questions—and look some worthy people in the eye and say no. “People want to know why you’re making a grant to this organization and not that one,” Halperin says. “Some people understand and some don’t. That’s the hardest part.” B
January/February 2007 105
0703_Anon_v3.indd 105
2/20/07 12:36:16 PM
In custody, adults and teens learn to stretch, relax, and keep their cool. Juan, 59, looks me in the eye, gaze unwavering. I ask him what crime brought him to San Quentin 28 years ago. “Murder.” “That was a violent time for me,” he explains. “Today, I advocate nonviolence, no matter what. People here call me a ‘sissy.’ I don’t care about that. I’m not interested in being macho any more. I realize that living as a violent person is a choice. If you choose to be reactive or explosive, it will hurt people.” Juan neither minimizes nor glorifies his crime. He does not shift blame nor deny culpability. He expresses open remorse. What does Juan credit for his transformation? Yoga. He is not alone in his belief in the powers of yoga. Bay Area yoga teachers are taking their good karma behind bars,
By Jenny P. Andrews Photographs by Gates Houp
106 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Yoga_v5.indd 106
2/20/07 8:04:48 AM
Time of refuge: Hernandez, Ben, and Alfonso meditate at the beginning of their weekly yoga class at San Quentin.
0703_Yoga_v5.indd 107
2/20/07 8:04:56 AM
All’s well that bends well: Bhavani Kludt explains to women in the San Fancisco jail how inverted postures assist the immune system. Below: James Fox leads an advanced yoga class for “lifers” at San Quentin.
You acquire aa practice of being able to be in a calm state. Someone “mean mugs” you, and instead of raising up, you settle down. —PJ, “lifer” at San Quentin
108 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Yoga_v5.indd 108
2/20/07 8:05:23 AM
and a growing body of research suggests that yoga does reduce repeat offending. The class of 20 San Quentin “lifers” take yoga seriously. Many have been in the weekly class since it began three years ago. They refer to it as their sangha (family and community). Different races mix easily within the class, unlike other areas of the prison. Instructor James Fox leads an advanced practice. The sequence is rigorous and the alignment instruction meticulous, but it is the level of calm and concentration in the room that is striking. In a low steady voice, Fox invites the men to “take this time of refuge, drop into the deepest part of yourselves.” Eyes closed, they do. As sun salutes and standing poses challenge them physically, the only sound is slow synchronized breathing, propelling each pose into the next. While in a seated forward bend, Fox speaks: “With these yin poses held a long time, often unpleasant sensations arise, a desire to get out of the pose and away from the sensation. Stay with it. Let it be there. Learn not to react to the discomfort. Allow your breath to work with it and notice how the sensation changes.” The going rate to roll out your mat in a trendy San Francisco studio yoga class is nearly $20, which raises the question: Who’s paying for prisoners’ yoga? Yoga is one offering of the Insight Prison Project (IPP), which is funded by foundations and private donations. IPP offers 18 classes for 300 San Quentin inmates per week. Fox teaches two weekly yoga classes, each with a waiting list. Prison programs are not easily marketed to taxpayers, as many favor punishment over rehabilitation. The Bureau of Justice Statistics puts the number of prisoners held in federal and state prisons and local jails at more than 2.1 million. The vast majority, 95 percent, will at some point be released into local communities. How successfully do these former inmates reintegrate? Of the 4.9 million on some form of probation or parole, only 45 percent successfully complete their term of supervision. Jacques Verduin, IPP founder and director, explains how yoga teaches impulse control. “They learn to pay attention to their reactions—to be less reactive. That can be the difference between committing a crime or not.” Verduin rolls out a mat and takes the class alongside the inmates. The students praise yoga for helping them manage emotions. “Yoga gives me a moment-to-moment focus,” explains Rusty, age 50, who has been in custody 29 years. “In this environment of darkness and negativity, it gives you a clarity and peace that is unparalleled. You can walk through the noise and the chaos and maintain a center and peace. When you take a sense of wellbeing with you, it’s easy to let things go.” PJ adds, “You acquire a practice of being able to be in a calm state. Someone ‘mean mugs’ you, and instead of raising up, you settle down.” The men practice on their own between classes. Several have taught their cellies (roommates) yoga and marvel at how it helps with cabin fever during lockdowns. Fox himself spent a little time in a cell to research teaching a “cell vinyasa” class, poses that work in the small space. After 28 years, Juan is up for parole for the fourth time. Three times he has been granted release dates, only to have the governor reverse the decision. “I don’t know what I would have done before yoga. People hang themselves over those reversals. But I am not bitter. I brought myself to prison. Everything that comes in that package is mine to deal with.” He smiles. “I hope I will get out this time.”
Standing recidivism on its head at the San Francisco Jail Tara, 26, entered the San Francisco jail miserable, because she was kicking heroin. Cristina, 22, wears a memoir in tattoos. Both say that the weekly yoga classes they have attended for several months in jail will help them stay out once released. Tara hopes to return to Detroit and stay clean; Cristina wants to reunite with her children, ages two and four. They are two of the 36,818 thousand people booked into the San Francisco Jail in 2006. We observers are among the few who enter the jail by choice, stopping at the entry to leave our identification with a deputy sporting a colorful bicep tattoo that reads “love.” Door after door slides open, then quickly seals us in with a clang-click. After a labyrinth of windowless hallways, clang-click, clang-click, doors open into “E Pod.” Deputies with overcrowded utility belts gather on a raised platform to monitor the two-story pod which circles them, providing the “direct supervision” which reduces violence and suicide. A typical jail stay here is just over a month long. Most of the 88 women of E Pod attend classes for a high-school diploma during the day, and evening classes like writing, parenting, and yoga. As a deputy booms “Yoga class! Yoga upstairs!” seven women filter into a tiny beige classroom with the faint citrus smell of industrial cleaner. The space fills with chirpy greetings and boisterous giggling. It could be a sorority tea, but with more tattoos and everyone dressed identically, head to toe in the color of traffic cones. As each woman sits cross-legged, teacher Bhavani Kludt—sporting a tee that reads “All’s well that bends well”—urges the women to relax and not strain. “Yoga is about nonviolence, so we don’t want to do violence to our own bodies.” Cristina translates for Spanish-speaking Lupita. As she rolls her head backward, I find myself studying the tattoo “Insane Ways” scrolled across Cristina’a neck. She catches me looking and offers a quick girlish smile. Later she happily shows me the tattoos: cartoons, her Salvadoran nickname, gang symbols. Kludt’s easy laughter doesn’t disguise her control of the room. With steady confident instructions, she leads the women through strength-building lunges and rigorous sun salutations that prompt them to gather their hair into ponytails over glistening necks. Kludt is undaunted by constant interruptions. A deputy pulls one woman out of class for “pill call.” An intercom barks. A woman reads a composition defiantly in a neighboring class. (“I had few friends. I didn’t care that people thought I was weird,” she confesses aloud.) Constant cries for validation from the yoga students. “My feet are slipping.” “Am I turning red?” “Damn, did you hear that pop?” Kludt catches me raising my eyebrows at the ceaseless racket. “This is a quiet day,” she says. Though they chatter rebelliously, the women adore Kludt. Tara, who has been in the class five months, comments, “We like Bhavani. She’s straightforward, and people don’t run all over her.” There are few quiet moments, but a sense of calm somehow emerges. Deeply affected by the incarceration of a family member, Kludt was a volunteer teacher for seven years prior to receiving grant funding this year, coordinated by Community Works in Berkeley. She still teaches a few free jail classes. “Yoga had such a huge benefit to me physically and mentally,” Kludt explains. “I thought maybe people incarcerated could benefit from it too.” Kludt guides them into a final relaxation. “Notice the stillness, maybe a little pulsing in your fingers. Feel your breath moving in
March/April 2007 109
0703_Yoga_v5.indd 109
2/20/07 8:05:25 AM
and out. Is it warm or cool? Watch your thoughts come and go. Observe them, don’t run off with the thoughts. Be in the stillness between the thoughts.” The class closes with a Sanskrit chant: its translation “may the entire universe be filled with peace and joy and love and light.” By the students’ request, it is repeated twice. Cristina sums up the appeal of the program amid the turmoil of jail, gangs, relationship woes, and missing her children. “Yoga makes you relax. It makes you feel like not crying.” Eileen Hirst, chief of staff for Sheriff Hennessey, praises Kludt and the yoga program. “Yoga is becoming really important. It teaches people to deal with stress. They can take that with them when they leave. It gives them a tool for success in the community.” According to Yoga Journal’s 2005 “Yoga in America” survey, 7.5 percent of U.S. adults, or 16.5 million people, now practice yoga. With its principles of non-violence and non-stealing—and its goal of potential liberation—yoga seems a logical match for the incarcerated. In another section of the San Francisco jail, yoga is mandatory for prisoners in the award-winning Resolve to Stop the Violence Program (RSVP), a comprehensive program for violent offenders that seeks to heal offenders, family, victims, and the community. A study from Harvard University found that offenders who participated in the RSVP program for more than four months were 80 percent less likely to be re-arrested for a violent crime one year after being released.
Not for poseurs: Incarcerated teens learn mindfulness There are things about juvenile hall that make San Quentin seem positively uplifting by comparison. It’s bleak to see kids locked up, traveling down the path of neglect or delinquency. When we arrive at the Alameda County Juvenile Hall’s “Unit B-2,” the teens are doing morning “check in.” One by one they stand and state how they are feeling (on a one-to-ten scale) and their goals, things like “get out of here” and “stop flashing on people.” Many shift to look at us, new people with notebooks and cameras. Some begin performing with jokes or sarcasm. They are quickly silenced and directed to stand in line with their hands clasped behind them. Focus is the greatest challenge in the yoga classes. A dozen pairs of eyes and points of attention bounce around the room like exploding popcorn. The teacher, Erin Hill, 30, instructs the class firmly. Her brisk pace and continual instruction—“Extend your right arm up, press your left toes into the mat, gaze just in front of your foot, inhale and feel the belly rise”—leave little time for distraction or interruption. They protest, “This is dorky.” “It’s okay,” she laughs, urging them to “embrace dorkiness.” Her relentless enthusiasm wins over their attention. “Notice your heart beating. Listen to the sound of your breathing. Notice what emotion you’re feeling—relaxed, agitated? Notice your body sensations in relation to your emotions.” Still, some chuckle, scoff, or just sit down defiantly and stop participating. But some don’t. Some find a sense of relaxation. Some step forward to teach a pose proudly. Some sincerely chant “om, shanti … peace be unto all beings in the universe.” With funding from the Probation Department and Health Care Services, Niroga Institute offers yoga every weekday morning to the teens housed in B-2, a unit for twelve boys and eight girls. A Niroga study demonstrated that youth participating in yoga had improved self-control and reduced stress. Niroga founder Bidyut Bose explains. “Yoga is a comprehen-
sive discipline. We use breath to affect state-of-mind and facilitate introspection.” One boy, 18, says he does yoga postures and breathing exercises in his room. “It helps me find a place to relax, to deal with the counselors and peers, just to get through the day. The mornings before court I breathe a lot and do some of the hard poses.”
Camp Glenwood Incarcerated youths typically spend around 20 days in juvenile halls. With longer stays of six to nine months, detention camps offer opportunities for expanded programs. San Francisco’s Mind Body Awareness Project (MBA) connects with up to 300 young people per month in five Bay Area counties, at juvenile halls, detention camps, and aftercare programs. “In a ten-week camp class, we can really build a skill set, a foundation in mindfulness,” explains executive director Gabriel Kram. To observe an MBA class at a boys’ detention camp, I carpool with co-teachers Jonathan Weinstock and Gabriel Kram along what Weinstock calls “the best hour commute in the Bay Area.” His Prius hugs the cliff and the Pacific rolls out a carpet of sparkling blue. Fifty miles down Highway 1, we turn away from the coast toward La Honda, winding past cows to come upon Camp Glenwood, run by the San Mateo Probation Department. With its square classrooms connected by breezeways, it looks like a typical rural California high school. Passing deer mingle with parked trucks. There is no gate, no fence. Nonetheless, 60 teenage boys, aged 14 to 18, are sentenced to be here by the juvenile courts. If they run away, they face reassignment to a locked facility. In the classroom, Weinstock and Kram pull several bench couches into a circle. Kram lights incense and the room begins to smell less like the adjoining weight room and more like a Grateful Dead show. Eleven teenage boys enter in a precise line, politely shaking hands with both instructors. Each boy has been selected based on his written letter of interest in the class. Several have done yoga before at Juvenile Hall. A few request specific poses by name. One asks if there will be eye pillows for the relaxation. At the outset, each boy names the animal he would choose to be on that day. Slouched against the bench cushions with heavy eyelids, one offers “I’d be a tiger because they’re ‘sick.’ They circle their prey before they attack, and that’s what I do.” Even with the obvious bravado, it is chilling. Kram leads a series of yoga poses. As the boys balance in eagle and tree, they begin to breathe deeply, audibly. When they resume their seats, they are visibly more awake and relaxed. There is less slumping, less fidgeting. Weinstock introduces the idea of mindfulness. “Pay attention to what’s happening right now,” he repeats. “Are you hungry, tired, bored?” He reminds them frequently “There are no right answers. Whatever your experience is, it is welcome in this class. You don’t have to agree with everyone, just give mutual respect to each other.” The yoga and meditation tap into something sincere. At the end of the class, when queried about issues he hopes to address, the boy who idolized the predatory tiger quietly responds “to control my anger.” It’s a common response. Other top contenders include “clear my head,” “relax all the nervousness,” “focus better,” and “sleep better.” Unlike the opening circle, there are no chuckles and no jeers. David [not his real name], 18, explains why he has returned to assist in the class after taking the last session. “When I was in the
110 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Yoga_v5.indd 110
2/20/07 8:05:28 AM
Yoga gives me a moment-to-moment focus. In this environment of darkness and negativity, it gives you a clarity and peace that is unparalleled. —Rusty, “lifer” at San Quentin
class, when I got mad, I could just sit by myself and think. Before, I would cuss and try to fight.” “Not to be too new age-y,” says Kram, his unruly curls bouncing into his face as he sips green tea from a mason jar, “but you take these tools of movement and meditation to people who need it, and it can transform their reality.” Kram’s current gig as MBA director and teacher is a long way from dropping out of a neurobiology program at Yale to go through his own “massive rebellion,” during which he says “meditation was one of the things that kept me alive.” This story arc is familiar: MBA founder Noah Levine chronicles his own path from Santa Cruz street punk junkie to meditation teacher in his roller coaster of a memoir, Dharma Punx. From idealistic beginnings, the MBA Project has grown to employ nine teachers, with funding from private foundations and individual donors. I come home from Camp Glenwood to find the spare tire stolen from my car, in front of my house. I read that crime is up 29 percent in my neighborhood. Not too long ago, a dozen middle school kids swarmed and beat a businessman walking down my block toward BART, taking photos with cell phones and boastfully posting the beating on the internet. Will yoga somehow change all this? A 2005 study of participants in MBA mindfulness classes showed measurable improvement in stress levels, self-control, and tendency to respond with anger to provocative situations. Though more research is needed, a study of Camp Glenwood mindfulness participants suggested a reduced number of individuals who received a new sustained felony charge after release from camp. “David” will be released in two weeks, back to living “on the outs” as they say at Camp Glenwood. He’s adamant that yoga will help him stay out of trouble. “When I want to do a crime, I just try to relax. I take a deep breath to relax and try to just chill. I think about the consequences.” Hopefully he’ll never be in the San Quentin yoga class. B
How to help… For more information about local programs offering yoga to inmates, or to make a donation of your time or money, contact these organizations: Insight Prison Project currently offers 18 classes per week for 300 San Quentin inmates, including violence prevention, victim-offender dialogues, substance abuse, and yoga. IPP seeks additional funding, and plans to double its programming to reach 800 inmates per week. 805 Fourth St., Suite 3, San Rafael, CA 94901, 415-459-9800, InsightPrisonProject.org. Niroga Institute trains and coordinates a pool of yoga teachers to teach therapeutic yoga at juvenile halls, cancer centers, and programs for at-risk youth and other underserved populations. 3101 Arizona St., Oakland, CA 94602, 510-883-1250, niroga.org. Mind Body Awareness Project teaches mindfulness to teens at juvenile halls, camps, and aftercare programs throughout the Bay Area. 3001 19th St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94110, 415-824-2048, mbaproject.org. Community Works is the service provider for the RSVP program at the San Francisco jail, as well as an extensive jail arts program and additional yoga classes for inmates. 1605 Bonita Ave., Berkeley, CA 94709, 510-486-2340, community-works-ca.org. San Francisco Sherriff’s Department oversees all jail programming, including yoga, substance abuse, arts, and vocational training. Room 456, City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton Goodlett Pl., San Francisco, CA 94102, sfsheriff.com.
March/April 2007 111
0703_Yoga_v5.indd 111
2/20/07 8:05:35 AM
Red
HOT Text Page
Patricia may need a bulletproof vest with all the shrapnel flying around Capital City. She says Washington “is what it is.” That’s why I’m so glad we’re all together for the Paint the Town Red: BIG TIME gala! The Red Cross Bay Area chapter is everyone’s favorite. • It’s clearly a new, better day for her and dad. Lord, a lady, a “mom,” is heading up Congress, and a San Francisco girl at that? And dad’s retirement hasn’t slowed him down. The judge in Jack will never go away.... • The Red Cross is once again painting the town red. Finally a chance for that family portrait of Hillary and grandparents, Jack and Patricia. Pre-gala parties galore ... Switzerland’s Consul General Jean François Lichtenstern, Japan’s Makoto Yamanake, and Martin Uden from the UK. Color and light even before San Francisco gets its glorious hands on it.... • The Westin St. Francis. A silent auction. SFO’s throwing down global. Hillary is, of course, already ready, and Patricia and I are so up for it, too.... And Jack? He’s Jack. Men are so cleverly ready....
photography: billywinters.com stylist: megan papay, artists-services.com fashion contributors: elyse adams, maria muzio
March/April 2007 113
0703_Fashion_v2.indd 113
2/20/07 10:54:42 PM
On Jack: Cashmere camel blazer, Zegna. White shirt, Zegna, Navy pants, Zegna. Yellow bow tie, Carrot & Gibbs. Black belt, Ferragamo. On Patricia: Yellow jacket, Carolina Herrera. Ivory top, Carolina Herrera. Ivory eyelet skirt, Carolina Herrera. Pearl necklace, Wasabi (available at Divine Girls). Gold coin bracelet, stylistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own. Opposite, on Sydney: Navy dress, Oscar de la Renta.
114 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Fashion_v2.indd 114
2/20/07 10:54:53 PM
On Sydney: White lace dress, Sari Gueron. On Hudson: Tuxedo, Burberry. White shirt, Armani. Bow tie, David Donahue.
March/April 2007 115
0703_Fashion_v2.indd 115
2/20/07 10:55:00 PM
116 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Fashion_v2.indd 116
2/20/07 10:55:07 PM
On Hillary: Dress, Prada. Earrings (available at Divine Girls). Gold necklace, stylist’s own. On Patricia: Shirtdress, Carolina Herrera. On Jack: Navy suit, Zegna. White shirt, Zegna. Navy “chain link” tie, Gucci. Opposite, on Sydney: Pink beaded chiffon gown, Carlos Miele. Necklace, vintage (available at Divine Girls). On Patricia: Taupe beaded chiffon gown, Carlos Miele, Earrings, vintage (available at Divine Girls).
0703_Fashion_v2.indd 117
2/20/07 10:55:18 PM
On Jack: Navy suit, Zegna. Blue shirt, Zegna. Tie, Hermes (stylist’s own). On Patricia: Rose “foliage” gown, Carlos Miele. Gold bracelet, vintage. (Available at Divine Girls) Black Tahitian pearls, stylist’s own.
Opposite, on Sydney: Black and white lace gown, Monique Lhuillier. Silver cuff, stylist’s own. Silver ring, photographer’s own.
118 Benefitmagazinesf.com
0703_Fashion_v2.indd 118
2/20/07 10:55:29 PM
On Hillary: Black and white knit bolero, Peter Som. Black bubble dress, BCBG. Black patent bag, Christian Dior. Opposite, on Hillary: Black and white tulle dress, Charles Chang Lima. Black patent boots, Sigerson Morrison. Black suede gloves, Juicy Couture. Gold bird necklace, Betsey Johnson. Black wool cap, Eugenia Kim. On Chris: Tuxedo, Hugo Boss. White shirt, Armani. Black tie, David Donahue. On Scott: Tie, David Donahue.
March/April 2007 119
0703_Fashion_v2.indd 119
2/20/07 10:55:40 PM
William Salit Design magazine art direction / production / publishing services
wmsalitdesign.com