Local musician and cultural activist John Santos was honored at the San Francisco Foundation’s annual Community Leadership Awards ceremony at Herbst Theater, Sept. 27.
Santos, who performed at the opening and closing of the event, was awarded the Helen Crocker Russell Award for making a significant and ongoing contribution to the Bay Area. His music, according to many, continues to inspire and evoke social justice.
Students from Mission and Balboa High Schools were also recognized at the event. Maria Figueroa, Christopher Quinteros, Makda Beyene and Huimin Yang received donor-sponsored scholarships of $7,000 each.
Figueroa, an undocumented student from El Salvador, has achieved academic excellence and is an advocate for immigrant youth.
“I want to help other undocumented students learn English and know about their rights,” she said.
Other honorees included Gonzalo Rucobo, director of Bay Area Peacekeepers, and Bishop Yvette Flunder and the Ravenswood Family Health Center.
“This is a multigenerational acknowledgment of leaders, both students and mentors,” said Sandra Hernandez, CEO of the foundation. She added that the foundation was “awarding some of the best from public schools in San Francisco, including charter schools within the district.”
The non-student honorees and their organizations received awards of $10,000 and $20,000 respectively from the foundation endowment to further their causes.