Community Partnerships | Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good

Building Communities Organically

photo: Community Grows on Instagram Addressing the needs of a community can take many forms, and sometimes when we dig a little below the surface, we get to the roots. This holds true for Community Grows, a non-profit in the Western Addition, whose mission is “to cultivate healthy youth through growing gardens in low-income, diverse…

Congratulating Our Holstein Scholars

Please congratulate our three Holstein Scholarsfor the 2018-19 school year who demonstrate a commitment to public service, scholarship, and public policy-making programs for the common good. Pascal Boctor, ‘19 – International Studies, minor Middle East Studies Pascal Boctor is a Junior majoring in International Studies. He was raised in Egypt as a Christian in a…

Congrats to our 2017-18 Award-Winners!

As the end of the school year draws nearer, we reflect on all the people who have helped to advance our mission. Our 2017-18 awards recognize emerging leaders and influential community partners that value public service and the common good. Please join us in congratulating them! Crystal Vega, ’18 2018 Leo T. McCarthy Award for Public Service This award…

Join our April Day of Action

Tamara Walker is the Outreach Manager for the Buchanan Mall Initiative at Citizen Film, a non-profit documentary media organization and an Engage San Francisco community partner, based in the Western Addition. On Saturday, April 14th, Citizen Film, Community Grows, the Rosa Parks Senior Center and a team of neighborhood volunteers will be rolling up our…

How Cobb Elementary Transformed Me

Valeria Imendia, International Studies’18 I still remember receiving an email about a literacy internship opportunity during the fall semester of my junior year and thinking it would be a great chance for me to expand my experiences in education. As a student in the Dual Degree Program for Teacher Preparation, I decided to apply to…

Reviewing 15 Years

One month ago we celebrated our 15th anniversary. As part of the festivities, we created a photo collection of some of our most memorable moments over the years. The process allowed us to reflect on how many students, faculty, community partners and staff have contributed to our success. The photos capture moments ranging from…

Planting Seeds of Change Together

Melissa Tang, Director of Programs, CommunityGrows As San Francisco is dealing with the consequences of unequal economic growth and gentrification, there is a greater need for communities to band together in solidarity. I work for CommunityGrows, a small grassroots youth development organization grown out of the needs of residents from the Western Addition. Twenty-three…

Students in front of community center mural

Building Community Through Engage SF

For several years now, my Engage San Francisco colleagues and I have taken students, staff, faculty, supporters, and administrators on walks in the Western Addition. We intentionally don’t call them tours, as this is the neighborhood we work with, and community partners and community members join us on the walks. Most importantly, the word ‘tour’ rings of…

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