Pat Kaussen: Honoring Children for 20 Years

On June 9, the Richmond District Neighborhood Center (RDNC) will host its Multi-Cultural Children's Arts Program fair. The fair is once again going to be an exciting event where Richmond District children and their families have an opportunity to enjoy a communal get-together with games, music and entertainment in the bucolic setting of the Neighborhood Center, located at 741, 30th Ave.

This year's event will be an important milestone in the history of the RDNC. For 20 consecutive years the annual fair has drawn our neighbors to enjoy hundreds of dance and music performance groups.

And this year's fair promises to once again be an exciting and festive celebration of our multi-cultural heritage where children and adults of ethnic groups representing every race and many nationalities will entertain an enthusiastic audience. Over a period of four hours, a different culture will be represented every 10 minutes in our gazebo.

Children will be able to participate in hands-on art activities, including face-painting, Japanese paper making, jewelry making and Chinese calligraphy.

This year, the RDNC will have a special opportunity to honor long-time residents who are among our most ardent supporters, including the Low-Tom family.

Joanne Low has served on the center's board of directors for 18 years; three of those years as board chair. Low's husband, Carroll, is a stalwart neighborhood volunteer; offering his time and talent not only at the neighborhood center but also at four of the neighborhood's public schools. Cari, the Tom family's oldest daughter, has been volunteering at the center since her Middle School days - 14 years! She recently graduated with a master's degree in counseling and continues to volunteer at the center whenever she is needed. Her younger siblings, Jana and Kevin, can often be seen volunteering at events and participating in center-sponsored activities.

By honoring this dedicated and generous family, we want to publicly offer a heart-felt thank you to those tireless supporters and good friends of the RDNC.

While the fair is going on, more than 10 other community groups and government agencies will offer vital information for Richmond District residents at tables located on the patio adjacent to the gazebo. Organizations represented will be, among others, the Golden Gate National Recreation Agency (GGNRA); San Francisco Free Clinic; San Francisco Library; San Francisco Police Department; and the YMCA. Food and drink will be available at modest prices.

The activities will last from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Admission is free.

Pat Kaussen is the executive director of the Richmond District Neighborhood Center.