Richmond Roundup

Banner Day at Ocean Beach
In honor of the two-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist bombings, volunteers will unfurl a five-mile-long banner at Ocean Beach.

More than 2,000 volunteers will assemble at 7 a.m. at the Cliff House and beyond on Saturday, Sept. 13, for the unfurling, which will occur at 9 a.m. It will last until 11 a.m.

"We must continue to memorialize the victims," said Andrew Lee, chairperson for the event.

Local artist Pop Zhao is involved with the creation of the banner, Lee said.

For more information, call Lee at 756-7666 or go to Zhao's website at www.popzhao.com.

Geary Merchants Throw Grand Luncheon
The merchants on Geary Boulevard threw a grand luncheon Aug. 19 to promote local business and honor several long-time merchants. The merchants were honored for their commitment towards improving the quality of life for Richmond District residents.

The honorees were Michael Newell, a long-time attorney and member of the Lions Club; Daniel and Richard O'Hara, from the McAvoy and O'Hara Funeral Home; William Wolverton, CEO at the SF Federal Credit Union; and Nikkie Hoogasian, from the Ashley and McMullen Funeral Home.

Ron Miguel, president of the Planning Association for the Richmond (PAR), presented the awards.

Almost 400 attended the luncheon, which was held at the Cathedral Hill Hotel.

Entertainment was provided by Sandra Phillips, a member of the Teatro Zinzanni; Sukay and the Pachamama Band; and Noah Griffin, who sang "The Impossible Dream" to honor SF Police Chief Prentice Sanders.

The chief, who will retire Sept. 13, was in the house to get an award from the merchants for his contributions to the business community.

Also on hand was SF Supervisor Jake McGoldrick, who presented a certificate of appreciation to the commanding officer at the Richmond Police Station, Capt. Sandra Tong.

Mayoral candidates also took advantage of the large turnout to make an appearance, including city treasurer Susan Leal, former police chief Tony Ribera and San Francisco supervisors Gavin Newsom and Matt Gonzalez.

David Heller, president of the Greater Geary Boulevard Merchants & Property Owners Association, finished the program by reminding everyone of the most important message of the day's event.

"Shop Geary Boulevard," he said.

After-school Programs at Beacon Center
The Richmond Village Beacon is taking applications for after-school programs and activities for middle and high school youth. The Beacon Center is now located at the Roosevelt and Presidio middle schools and George Washington High School (Building T-5).

Activities being offered include tutoring, open computer lab, media arts, digital photography, video making, cartooning, D.Jing and hip-hop/breakdancing.

For more information, call 750-8554.

Merchants Looking for Festival Sponsors
The Clement Street Merchants Association is looking for financial sponsors and local merchants to participate in its Clement Street Kids Festival, to be held on Clement Street Oct. 18 and Oct. 19.

Outdoor music, crafts vendors, food and numerous events will be featured at the festival. The winners of the merchants annual poster contest will also be announced.

The third annual festival will be held on Clement Street, between Third and Sixth avenues, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event was extended one block further this year.

For more information or to become a sponsor of the festival, call Steven Restivo Event Services at (415) 456-6455.

Book Drive for Children
The SF Federal Credit Union is collecting books in its branches Sept. 14 through Sept. 26 to give directly to children and children's organizations, including the Head Start Program.

Credit Union locations are at 4375 Geary Blvd., 2645 Ocean Ave. and 770 Golden Gate Ave.

Mini Medical School for Women's Health
Answers to common health questions about women can be found at the eighth annual Mini Medical School on Women's Health. The six-week lecture series is designed to offer the public some of the basic facts of women's medicine, and will be led by an impressive lineup of speakers.

The lectures will be held at the California Pacific Medical Center Davies Campus Auditorium, Castro and Duboce streets, North Tower B Level, on Thursdays beginning Oct. 2. and lasting through Nov. 6., from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The cost is $60 for the six-evening series. There is parking at a nearby garage for $2, although limited street parking is also available. For more information or to register in advance, call 600-0504.

Sunset Prenatal Care Center Celebrates
Ocean Park Health Center has provided quality and comprehensive prenatal and postpartum services to expectant mothers and newborn babies since 1992. Expectant women can get pregnancy testing, regular health check-ups and pertinent tests to ensure a healthy delivery. Health education, nutrition counseling and breastfeeding classes are also part of the regular visits. The clinic also provides referrals and assistance to women who speak English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Russian as they apply to other healthcare resources for aid. For more information, call 682-1900.

Child Support Help
San Francisco's Department of Child Support Services has been recognized as one of the best child support programs in the state. It provides residents with a location of non-custodial parents and their assets, establishes paternity judgments, establishes child support and medical insurance orders, enforces and modifies existing child support orders and collects and distributes child support payments directly to their families or to the SF Department of Human Services as reimbursement of public assistance already paid to families.

All of the major services are free of charge. For more information, call 401-4322.

Richmond Residents Receive Top Honors
San Francisco State University honored Richmond District residents Nelly Lau and Brandon Brown as two of the university's most distinguished graduates in the class of 2003. Lau also received a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship that will help her in a doctoral program at Stanford University.

Local Artists Open Studios
Artists that live and have art studios in the Richmond District and are members of the Park Presidio Art Association will be featured in two Open Studios preview shows as a kick-off to the main event in October.

Art enthusiasts and members of the community are encouraged to attend the preview events and then visit the artists at their studios on Saturday, Oct. 4 and Sunday, Oct. 5, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 386-1001.

The first preview show will run from Monday, Sept. 1 through Sunday, Sept. 28 at the Bazaar Café, located at 5927 California St. The second show will run from Thursday, Sept. 4 through Saturday, Sept. 13 at the M.H. de Young Art Center, located at 2501 Irving St. It will be open to the public for free from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

St. Thomas' 80th Anniversary
In honor of its 80th year serving God and the community, St. Thomas Apostle Catholic Church invites parishioners and the public to a series of special homecoming liturgies.

Upcoming services include Sunday, Sept. 14, honoring those who were baptized, confirmed or received First Eucharist at the Richmond District site. On Oct. 1, those ordained or entered a religious life from St. Thomas Apostle, as well as priests and others who have served there, will be honored. The service on Nov. 16 will celebrate all those who were married at St. Thomas, and on Dec. 7, the St. Thomas Apostle School and Chinese School alumni will be honored.

Last June, the liturgy recognized those who presently minister to others at the church.

All of the Sunday services will be held at St. Thomas Apostle, 3835 Balboa St., at 11 a.m.

For more information, call 387-5545.

Student Makes Grade
Evie Fong, a Richmond District resident and graduate from George Washington High School, is one of the 25 top incoming San Francisco State University freshmen to receive a four-year, $17,000 Presidential Scholarship. Fong plans to study accounting and hopes to be a Certified Public Accountant.

Experience Corps a Win-win Program
Young people are not the only ones going back to school this Fall. In the Richmond District and elsewhere around San Francisco, they are joined by 76 retirees who work as tutors and mentors in public schools and after-school programs.

Six local San Francisco retirees are featured in a new national marketing campaign developed by Experience Corps, a nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for older Americans to take part in community service in 12 cities. The campaign's goal is to encourage older Americans to join the 1,000 Experience Corps volunteers nationwide already devoting time, talent and experience to their neighborhood schools.

A few of San Francisco's local volunteers include: Steve Halpern, a retired engineer, who is "still shaping the future" building robots with kids, and Tess Manalo-Ventresca, a retired community activist who is "still keeping things lively," by teaching origami, sign language and environmental awareness to youth.

"Last year, 76 volunteers devoted over 15,000 hours to serve 600 students in San Francisco," said Eunice Lin Nichols, director of the local Experience Corps project.

For more information on Experience Corps or to volunteer, call Janet Oh at 759-3690.