Voices of the Community George Koster

In this episode our featured voice is that of long time Executive Director of Friends of the Urban Forest Dan Flanagan
This past summer and fall we experienced the triple threat of a global pandemic, economic meltdown, and catastrophic wildfires that blanketed the San Francisco Bay Area in deadly smoke and toxic air. Our urban forests are one of the most important green infrastructures we can have to help us deal with climate change and the hottest years on record.
Trees in our city help us address the social and environmental justice issues facing our fellow community members in low-income neighborhoods.

In this episode our featured voice is that of winemaker and food entrepreneur Barbara Gratta of Gratta Winery and Market in the Bayview district of San Francisco
We’ve been sharing stories about economic development and small business incubation in the Bayview Hunters Point communities since 2015.

Intro Hayes Valley Bakeworks - In this episode our first featured voices are Mark Bailey the head of operations and Martha Martinez the head of production and training at Hayes Valley Bakeworks. We wanted to share the story of Hayes Valley Bakeworks because of its unique self-supporting social enterprise model to provide a workforce training program in the culinary arts

In this episode, our featured voices are Michelle Lynch Reynolds the Executive Director, and Joe Goode the founder and artistic director, of Joe Goode Performance Group. Over the last thirty-plus years, Joe Goode Performance Group has promoted understanding, compassion, and tolerance among people through innovative dance.

In this episode our featured voices are Randy Rollison the Executive Director and Allison Snopek the Deputy Director of Intersection for the Arts. This week’s show with Randy and Allison is part of our end of year theme to highlight the importance of nonprofits in our community. Our conversation focuses on the arts and culture organizations they work with and to get their insights into how the Covid-19 pandemic is impacting these organizations that bring joy and inspiration to our communal lives.

In this episode our featured voices are Jacob Harold the Executive Vice President and Anna Koob the Director of Data Standards of Candid. Back in April 2020 when we decided to create this series on Covid-19’s impact first on nonprofits and then on small businesses in the San Francisco Bay we like you had no idea how long the pandemic would go on and what the health and economic impact would be on our community.