- Press Releases
The theme of Jewish Family and Children’s Services’ 29th Annual Fammy Awards Gala, to be held on Saturday evening, March 9, at San Francisco’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel, is “Love Stories”—and for good reason. This year’s honorees are esteemed community members who, with love and concern, have transformed painful situations into opportunities to help others.
Gala awardees include United States Senator Dianne Feinstein, community leader Roselyne “Cissie” Swig, journalist John Rothmann, Max R. Garcia, Earl Rabb, and Naomi Lauter, as well as Allen, Norman, and Tauba Weiss and the late Lonny Darwin, who is being recognized posthumously. They are all being honored for paving the way for Holocaust education and commemoration in the Bay Area—including the JFCS Holocaust Center—following the opening of a Nazi bookstore in San Francisco in 1977.
Also being honored are Olga Barksy, who, after losing her husband to a terminal illness, is now providing support as a volunteer in JFCS’ Palliative and End of Life Care Program, as well as Andjana Pachkova and Martin Herbst, who have become advocates for children with special needs following the help they received for their son at Parents Place’s Center for Special Needs.
“It is an honor to be among this distinguished group recognized by Jewish Family and Children’s Services,” said Senator Feinstein. “JFCS provides essential social services to an astounding 75,000 children, families, and seniors in the Bay Area every year. I applaud them for their dedication to the Jewish community in San Francisco and for their relentless leadership in fighting anti-Semitism and promoting Holocaust awareness.”
Added Roselyne “Cissie” Swig: “It is a privilege and an honor to be part of such a distinguished and cherished group of friends being recognized for their efforts in advancing tolerance and understanding in our community and beyond. Our community is indebted to the JFCS for their consistent commitment and leadership in helping so many in our Jewish community and the diverse cultural communities in the Bay Area . It makes me so proud to have been a part of this commitment.”
The Fammy Gala includes a cocktail reception, beginning at 6:30 pm, along with a silent auction, dinner and dancing, and an awards ceremony program with videos highlighting the accomplishments of this year’s honorees. Gala Chairs are JFCS Board of Directors member Jim Shapiro and his wife, Sally. Regional Co-Chairs are Barbara and Ron Kaufman (San Francisco), Karen Pell and Heather Lupa (Marin County), Deborah and Craig Hoffman (North Peninsula), Daryl Messinger and Jim Heeger (South Peninsula), and Marlene and Martin Stein (Sonoma County).
For more information or reservations: 415-449-1256, [email protected], orwww.jfcs.org.