Meet the Team: Allan Ma

Meet Allan Ma, Coordinator of SNBC's Program at Sunset Elementary

Mr. Allan with Ms. Ana and Ms. Stephanie at Sunset Soiree, SNBC's annual celebration and fundraiser

 Mr. Allan Ma, Coordinator of SNBC’s Afterschool Learning Program (ASLP) at Sunset Elementary is no stranger to the Sunset District. Born and raised here, Allan attended Ulloa Elementary, A.P. Giannini Middle and Lowell High School before heading south to attend UC San Diego. While completing his bachelors degree in psychology, Allan performed with UCSD’s acclaimed a capella group, The Beat, where he honed his life-long love of singing. Allan can be heard frequently entertaining his staff and program participants with songs on demand!

Mr. Allan at Sunset Olympics Week with former F.S. Key supervisor and good friend, Mr. Shawn Smith

 Mr. Allan began his relationship with SNBC as an afterschool program leader at F. S. Key Elementary in 2009. About eighteen months later, he was selected to lead SNBC’s program at Sunset Elementary, where he continues to expand and develop opportunities for kids year-round. Allan says applying for the position at Sunset was the best decision he ever made! This coming school year, the Sunset ASLP will serve 240 children from Kindergarten to 5th grade.

Sunset Elementary kids and their families, taken by Mr. Allan at the Giants game 

Mr. Allan is known among parents, students and staff for establishing traditions and planning fantastic events. This school year, he continued the tradition of taking 300+ students and parents to both a Giants and a Warriors game. Allan also holds the annual Sunset Olympics Week, which involves students competing against themselves to achieve their personal best in a number of physical challenges. On top of this, Allan and his staff arranged the first ever winter and spring dances at Sunset, both of which were wildly successful! Complete with a DJ, photo booth, food, parent volunteers and plenty of decorations, students dressed up and had a blast! 

Sunset ASLP staff also dressed up and joined in the fun!

This year, Mr. Allan, the staff, and ALL the students at Sunset envisioned and created a true masterpiece to enter into SNBC’s 9^th Annual Community Film Festival. After winning the People’s Choice Award that evening, their film “Good Time” went on to earn Runner Up in the 2nd Annual BTOP SF Youth Digital Media Showcase! 

Allan with Sunset ASLP staff and students after winning the People's Choice Award!

Mr. Allan is passionate about the work of SNBC and our free afterschool programs and family services. He says the afterschool program at Sunset allows students to branch out, be creative, develop as leaders, and just be themselves! Running every day of the school year, SNBC’s free program at Sunset includes homework help, enrichment activities, sports and fun recreational games, nutritious snacks and plenty of opportunities to make friends. Growing up with two working parents, Allan reflects on how nice it would have been for him to have a afterschool program to attend. Many students in the Sunset District have two working parents as well and they are extremely appreciative of Mr. Allan and his enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and experienced staff. This great team fosters a wonderful environment for children to learn and grow. “What we’re doing here, it’s important,” Allan says. “Kids want to be here.”

Meet the Team: Eva Ong

Meet Eva Ong, SNBC's Administrative Assistant

Eva Ong joined SNBC as our Administrative Assistant this past January. A San Francisco native (and die-hard Bay Area sports fan), Eva interned with former Assemblywoman Fiona Ma while attending San Francisco State University. Eva's introduction to SNBC came in the summer of 2011, when she and the Ma Squad volunteered at SNBC's National Night Out event. Eva had a fantastic time playing games with the kids and even won a T-shirt in the event raffle! It didn't take long for Eva to realize that SNBC was a special place.

After Eva graduated with honors and a degree in Communications Studies, she was happy to find that SNBC was hiring. Eva successfully transitioned from volunteer to staff member, and now serves as the Administrative Assistant for both SNBC and Experience Corps Bay Area. Eva is the first point of contact for both organizations and keeps the office running smoothly every day. She is known for her enthusiasm, her ever-present smile, and her kind and helpful nature. What would we do without Eva?

Eva says her favorite part of working at SNBC is getting to help people and also poking fun at the Program Coordinators. Additionally, Eva enjoys occasionally getting outside of her front-desk bubble and interacting with guests at SNBC's events, like the Community Film Festival. Say hi to Eva next time you're in the office! She will be here to greet you with a smile. 

Meet the Intern: Eileen Sinn

Meet SNBC's Communications & Social Media Fall 2012 Intern

SNBC offers volunteer and employment positions as well as internship opportunities. One such opportunity is the Communications and Social Media Internship, which was held by Eileen Sinn during the Fall 2012 semester. This fall, Eileen wrote blog posts, assisted with SNBC’s e-newsletters, created photo slideshows, drafted outreach materials, and helped improve SNBC’s communications and social media efforts.

Then: Eileen (middle) and friends after Beacon...

Eileen’s connection to SNBC didn’t begin as an intern; Eileen was in fact once a participant in SNBC’s afterschool program at A.P. Giannini Middle School! In the 3 years that she participated in the afterschool program at APG, Eileen was a part of the newsletter, photography, and student tech corps clubs, as well as the Portraits of Hope blimp painting project. For what felt like so long ago, some of the same SNBC staff who worked within this program when she was a participant are still there now! Shout-out to Sean and Nathaniel, (who have collectively worked at SNBC for over 25 years!!), who are doing such great work and are inspiring students like Eileen.

Now: Eileen and friends after classes

“SNBC has been a life changing experience. I've gone back twice and it has helped me grow both times.” Eileen loved her time there and still keeps in contact with all the friends she met through SNBC. A native San Franciscan, Eileen is currently in her third year at San Francisco State University working towards an degree in Anthropology and is looking forward to where it will take her.

THANK YOU EILEEN for all your hard work at SNBC this fall! You were a fantastic addition to our Communications team and we were so glad to have you on board! Best wishes in 2013! Love, The SNBC Team

Meet the Team: Mandy McGowen

Meet Mandy McGowen, West Sunset Rec Connect Program Coordinator

Mandy McGowen, SNBC’s West Sunset Rec Connect Program Coordinator, has always loved San Francisco and, while living on the East Coast, swore it was the only place in California she’d ever live. Mandy moved to the Bay Area for a position as a Camp Director in Mill Valley. When the job was over, Mandy was so happy enjoying family, food, and the sites of San Francisco that she decided to stay a while… and it led her to SNBC!

WRSC’s Program Coordinator, Mandy McGowen, dressed up for Superhero Day as Captain Kale.

Mandy started at SNBC in the fall of 2010 as a Program Leader at SNBC’s afterschool program at Ulloa Elementary School. For Mandy, it quickly became clear that SNBC was an organization she believed in and felt proud to be a part of. In addition to working with 5^th graders at Ulloa, Mandy taught the Mini Meals cooking class at SNBC’s West Sunset Rec Connect (WSRC). She has since made the jump to full time employee, serving as the Program Coordinator at WSRC, and she is ever so happy to be an integral part of the SNBC team! 

Mandy holds a bachelor’s degree in English from UC Irvine and a master’s degree in educational theatre from NYU. While in school, Mandy aspired to teach in the public education sphere, but now that she’s found herself working in out-of-school-time learning, she’s discovered many ways to flex her teaching best practices and loves it! Thank you, Mandy, for being such as wonderful and fun-loving part of SNBC!

Tony Talarico: Why I Give

Take a moment to hear from one of the parents of a child in our afterschool program. Tony Talarico tells you why he supports SNBC and why he's asking you to do the same:

SNBC's Sunset Elementary Afterschool Learning Program (ASLP) provides wonderful opportunities for our children.  Each afternoon Mr. Allan and his team of teachers take our children through engaging enrichment activities that reinforce the curriculum they receive during the school day and enhance their daily educational experience. The program provides a valuable benefit to parents, too, in that it is easier for me to concentrate on my work during the afterschool hours when I know that Yvonne is in a safe environment where she can get help with her homework, participate in clubs, and interact positively with classmates and friends. 

Outside of Sunset Elementary, SNBC is an active participant in our community. In addition to afterschool programs, SNBC also offers computer technology programs and skill building classes for adults. They consistently promote education by being a constant presence at neighborhood celebrations, street fairs and events. Serving a total population of 1,000 children and adults every week, SNBC is critical to the vitality of our neighborhood.

The Sunset Elementary Afterschool Learning Program is offered free of charge to all students. By joining me in donating, we can help Allan and his team do even more for our Sunset ASLP students, and we can help SNBC be an even greater participant in our community.  Gifts of any size will be helpful and appreciated.  I am proud that Yvonne is a participant in the Sunset ASLP, and I hope that you will join me in participating in this important campaign. 

Sincerely,

Tony Talarico

Parent of Yvonne (4^th Grade, Ms. Adams and Mr. Todd)

Friend of SNBC

Ashley Summers - Why I Support SNBC

With Christmas is just 1 week away, it's the perfect time to make a gift to SNBC! Your donation to SNBC helps us fulfill our mission of connecting people to their PASSION, POTENTIAL, and COMMUNITY. 

Hear why recent donor Ashley Summers gives to SNBC:

"I give to SNBC because they provide invaluable services to youth, adults and families in our community. SNBC is a pillar of the Sunset District and administers programs that without them we would not have in this neighborhood. I used to work for SNBC and I can attest that the staff are a very dedicated, enthusiastic and kind group of people."

This holiday season, can you too make a gift to SNBC? Thank you for your support!

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: Adult Evening Programs

Adult Evening Programs: San Francisco Chinese Line Dance

One of things that makes our Adult Evening Programs unique is that we are able to partner with other community organizations that wish to offer services to the community, but lack the space to do so. At our hub site at A.P. Giannini Middle School, SNBC is able to partner with organizations to provide a wide range of programming to the Sunset Community. In addition to SNBC's partnership with Bay Area Asian Sports and Loong Mah Sing See Wui (Dragon Horse Lion and Dragon Dance Association), one of the great success stories of the past year has been our collaboration with San Francisco Chinese Line Dance.

San Francisco Chinese Line Dance (SFCLD) founder Philip Hui had heard that SNBC ran free programs for adults in the evenings and approached us to see if there would be a space available for their group, which had only been operating for about a year at that time, since they were currently restricted to meeting outside in public places during the daytime such as the area near West Sunset Playground. SNBC agreed to open up space to them once a week and the response from the community was overwhelmingly positive. SFCLD would consistently pack the gymnasium with community members looking for a fun, safe, and culturally unique program to connect with others in the Sunset. That it was free, operated on a drop-in basis, and was a great workout to boot were just added bonuses!

Now in their third year, SFLCD -- which is comprised of both regular SNBC Evening Program participants as well as community members from all over the city -- has become one of the cornerstones of the Evening Programs and has expanded to meeting twice a week, providing its services to between 75-90 community members each week! SFCLD is fun, inclusive, and culturally relevant to the community it serves. Partnering with community groups such as SFCLD is just one of the ways SNBC is working hard to provide the Sunset with free, quality programming.

For more information about San Francisco Chinese Line Dance, check out www.sfcld.org. If you have a group or organization that would like to provide a service to Sunset residents but are needing a reliable, safe space, please contact SNBC’s Evening Programs Coordinator, Patrick Montgomery.