San Francisco, CA — San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi will be among eight Asian American leaders honored Saturday by the West Bay Pilipino Multi Service Center.
West Bay’s 2nd Annual Distinguished Citizens Awards will be held from 5-8 p.m. at the University of San Francisco, Lone Mountain Campus, 2800 Turk Street. Tickets are $50 and are available both online and at the door. Go to http://bit.ly/citizenawards for more information.
Adachi was selected for his dedication to youth mentorship. In addition to legal representation, the office’s Juvenile Unit offers nationally-recognized educational and rehabilitative programs. The Public Defender’s outreach programs, called MAGIC, provide summer programming, professional development and advocacy to youth in the Western Addition and Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhoods.
“Mr. Adachi is known for his strong advocacy of summer school programs for youth, to keep them off the street and out of trouble. Also, Mr. Adachi had been a supporter of West Bay’s youth program, by participating in its mentorship program in partnership with the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California,” said West Bay Pilipino Center Executive Director Vivian Zalvidea Araullo. “Mr. Adachi met with West Bay youth and inspired them to consider a future in public service through the pursuit of a career in law.”
Adachi was nominated by University of San Francisco Professor Marie-Lorraine Mallare. Adachi was Mallare’s law school mentor.
“Jeff has always been my role-model, an inspiration with all that he does in the community, and with our legal system,” Mallare said.
Additional honorees include former West Bay Pilipino Multi Service Center Executive Director Rudy Asercion; former Daly City Mayor Ray Buenaventura; Academy of Art University Vice President for Community Affairs Rebecca Delgado-Rottman; PG&E Vice President for Government Affairs Travis Kiyota; San Francisco Mayor’s Adviser on Education Hydra Mendoza; Asian Art Museum Executive Director Jay Xu; and Philippine International Aid founder Mona Lisa Yuchengco.
The event, which will include a live and silent auction, benefits West Bay’s AfterSchool Academic Enrichment and Mentorship Program. The program provides academic and culturally competent mentoring support to youth ages 5 -17 and their families primarily from the underserved neighborhoods of South of Market and the Tenderloin.
“We are also raising funds for West Bay’s soon-to-be-launched College Prep Program for underserved youth,” said Araullo.
West Bay, the oldest Filipino-led nonprofit agency in Northern California, offers a multitude of free services to newly arrived Filipino immigrants, Filipino Americans and other underserved communities.
