Jake McGoldrick: Thanks to Community Leaders

I want to take the opportunity during this Thanksgiving month to offer my thanks to folks who continue to give to our District 1 community. These folks make a real difference to all of our lives and it has been my pleasure to learn from them as their supervisor. Of course, there are always so many more people deserving of thanks than space to acknowledge them, so my apologies in advance for leaving out the deserving.

First, I want to thank Pat Kaussen of the Richmond Neighborhood Center (RNC) for continuing to nurture and grow the wonderful gift to all of us that is the RNC. She has given many years of her life and countless hours of positive energy toward creating a safe environment where our families can find community. RNC hosts family-focused non-profit programs for everyone from seniors to kids and is a great gift from Kaussen to all of us.

One of those who works closely with Kaussen is Christopher Chow, who runs the Richmond Village Beacon (RVB) at George Washington High School. Chow facilitates a wonderful program using school space during after school and weekend hours that provides a wide range of services for youth and adults. RVB currently offers more than 50 different programs including computer classes, sports, arts, tutoring, parenting groups, college and career services, self-defense, dance, health and leadership activities in a safe, comfortable place for residents to learn skills, develop friendships and participate in building the Richmond community.

Another gift to our community is Sandra Fewer. She has been a tireless advocate for our children in District 1 and citywide, initially as president of several Parent Teachers Associations with public schools that her children have attended. Fewer has also worked in recent years with Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, helping parents learn how to be effective advocates for youth. She has dedicated much time and energy to projects to help families in San Francisco, including securing funding for our public schools and for after-school programs in District 1.

Shirley and Richard Hansen are a retired couple who have called District 1 home for many, many years. In recent years, the Hansens have become active in local politics and have brought their boundless energy and enthusiasm to bear on registering new voters. They have made a practice of showing up very early to every ceremony where new citizens are sworn in to help ensure that every new citizen becomes a new voter. Richard, a former engineer, also serves on the Public Utilities Commission's Citizen Advisory Committee. The Hansens clearly demonstrate to all of us that retirement years are an opportunity to give back to our community.

Finally, I want to give thanks to a very special young person. In partnership with the Youth Commission, each December the SF Board of Supervisors recognizes 11 young people on Youth Recognition Day. During this ceremony, I and other members of the board have had the great pleasure and honor of recognizing one youth from our district for their contributions to the community. It is always a difficult task to choose among the deserving nominees, but this year's recipient is outstanding.

Benish Khan is a talented and creative young Muslim woman who has shown an amazing ability to make connections between her culture's respect for equality for all and progressive advocacy for culturally disadvantaged communities.

Khan is a member of and leader in a number of organizations at Washington High School, including the Muslim Student Alliance, General Service Society, Young Women's Health Conference Planning Committee, Latino Club, Beacon Teen Advisory Board and the health department's Youth Outreach Worker Program.

Khan also played a key role in organizing Transgender Remembrance Day activities last year for the Richmond Village Beacon's go program for gay and straight youth. She also has facilitated homophobia sensitivity training for Presidio Middle School students as well as UCSF's Young Women's Health Conference.

Khan has managed to do all this while also supporting her family through great illness, including serious medical problems afflicting her mother, father and grandfather. She clearly is a gift both to her family and to our greater community and I hope you will join me in thanking her.

This has been a time of great polarization as both national and local elections have divided our communities. It is so easy in such times to forget the ways in which we all help one another, to forget the many values we hold in common, and to forget to take a moment to give thanks for the many gifts we give to one another. So, let me finish with a simple message to these wonderful individuals - thank you.