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Honoree: Dr. Nadine Burke

At this year's annual fundraising event, we will honor Dr. Nadine Burke with the 2010 Florence Crittenton Award for Service to San Francisco's children and their families. On May 26th, Dr. Burke will receive the award during the FCS All That Jazz Benefit Gala at Yoshi's Bar and Restaurant in San Francisco's historic Fillmore district.

A pediatrician and tireless advocate for reducing health disparities in the Bayview District, Dr. Burke is Medical Director of the California Pacific Medical Center's Bayview Child Health Center. The Center provides physical exams, immunizations and urgent care. It also has a weight management clinic and provides care for all children regardless of whether their parents have health insurance or their ability to pay.

Headliner: Wayne Wallace

We couldn't be more excited to share the news with you that our "FCS and All That Jazz Benefit Gala" will take place on May 26, 2010. It will most definitely be an event to remember!

We are thrilled to announce that the nationally-renowned jazz sensation and musical pioneer - trombonist Wayne Wallace - will be taking us on a multicultural musical voyage! And it will all take place at the legendary Yoshi's Jazz Club and Restaurant in the historic Fillmore District of San Francisco. And opening for Mr. Wallace will be the Jazzschool Big Band (Berkeley).

Coming on the heels of an appearance at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Mr. Wallace's quintet will perform to an exclusive audience of 400 individuals. All will be music lovers. More importantly, all are incredible supporters of the vital social services FCS provides to our community.

If you need additional information, please feel free to contact Brian Johns, Director of Development and Communications, 415-567-2357 x 105 or at bjohns@fcs-sf.org.

MC: Chuy Varela

We are delighted to announce that Latin Jazz educator and radio personality Jesse "Chuy" Varela has joined us as our event MC!
Mr. Varela is host of KCSM's Latin Jazz program on Sundays and co-host of Jazz in the Afternoon, as well as being a music writer and reviewer. Since the 1980's he has attracted a large and loyal audience who have come to depend on his expertise and sunny disposition. In 2000, he became KCSM's Music Director.

In addition to his shows, Mr. Varela oversees the incorporation of the KJAZ library and the digitization of its vinyl LPs. As a writer and reviewer on Latin Jazz, he has contributed articles to the San Francisco Chronicle, Latin Beat, and JazzTimes, among others.
Artists: R.K. Kidd II & Ana Homonnay

We are grateful for the participation of two talented local artists whose persistence in the face of difficulty is a testament to their creative spirit.

R. K. Kidd is a self-made man who had a difficult start in life. He lost both his parents to violent deaths and was orphaned by the age of 11. He was then raised by his grandmother in Port Huron, Michigan. For years he worked in manual labor jobs. And although he came home exhausted every evening, Kidd always found time to create. His current collection of acrylic on canvas paintings, which honors jazz musicians, is titled "Music is Color; Color is Music."

"For me painting is like a hunger deep in my soul that needs to express itself," he says. Ana Homonnay was born and raised in Sao Palo, Brazil. After a stint working in video for MTV, Ana left her native city and packed her cameras for California. Like many newcomers, she arrived in America with little more than hope. Being the mother of a young child made things more difficult. But with help from Florence Crittenton Services, Ana was able to lay the foundation for a career as a photographer, become financially independent, and send money to help support her mother in Brazil.

"What FCS meant for me, it's impossible to put into words," Ana says. "It became my second family."

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