Richmond Roundup

Washington Student Wins Essay Contest
Eva Poon, a graduating senior at George Washington High School, was awarded top honors and $750 in the first annual Birthright of San Francisco Essay Contest.

Poon wrote her prize-winning essay on the story of her immigrant father's perilous escape from the People's Republic of China.

The contest, open to graduating seniors who attend school or reside in San Francisco, asked seniors to write a 500-word essay about a personal hero. Teachers from a number of high schools throughout the City, an attorney, community college teacher and a retired teacher judged the essays blindly with a numbering system.

Second place was awarded to Fiona Shannon of St. Ignatius College Preparatory, who wrote about her hard-working father.

Elizabeth Dekle of Immaculate Conception Academy took third place with the story of her grandmother, who raised her from the time she was born two months prematurely.

Janice Yee of the Galileo Academy of Science and Technology was awarded fourth place with an essay about her aunt, who is joyfully raising a developmentally handicapped son.

Ford Free Tuesdays at Legion
The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, located in Lincoln Park, will have free admission every Tuesday through March 2004 with the renewal of Ford Free Tuesdays.

For more information, call 863-3330.

Local Man Earns Award
Patrick Man, a broker/principal at Grand Pacific International Ltd. on Geary Boulevard, has been awarded a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation by the CCIM Institute.

The CCIM is awarded to commercial real estate professionals upon completion of a graduate-level curriculum. Graduates are recognized experts in commercial real estate brokerage, leasing, asset management, valuation and investment analysis. Of the estimated 125,000 commercial real estate practitioners in North America, only 7,000 hold the CCIM designation. Man earned an MBA in finance at Golden Gate University and is a member of the Park Presidio Lions Club.

New Service for Business
A new collaborative has been created to help business owners and managers obtain "clear, timely and professional assistance about being accessible to customers with disabilities."

The Small Business Network, Independent Living Resource Center and Small Business Commission have joined forces to provide free services, including a telephone and web service, a technical assistance fund, educational presentations and publications and a voluntary dispute resolution process.

The collaborative is supported with a grant from the Public Entity Risk Institute. The group is currently conducting an anonymous survey of business owners and managers to determine what information is needed to better serve the members of the public with disabilities.

For more information, call the information manager at (415) 543-6222.