Rent may be skyrocketing, and it may seem like tech is taking over, but San Francisco is still full of ambitious humans who are passionate about doing good. And it’s not just NGO workers. Plenty of other unseen day-to-day heroes, such as community leaders, bouncers, yoga teachers and street sweepers, work to keep our fair city together.
We interviewed five people who are making a positive impact in San Francisco to find out what inspires them and what they love about our foggy home.
Joy Ravelli
Joy is the founder and executive director of the Purusha Seva Project, a nonprofit whose mission is make yoga accessible to underprivileged communities. One way the organization fundraises is by hosting donation-based yoga classes in Golden Gate Park on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
TBI: What are you passionate about?
JR: I am passionate about helping others find a greater sense of health, happiness and true inspiration in their lives.
TBI: Can you tell us about one time when you felt like a hero to the city?
JR: One day I left the county jail after teaching yoga there. The students were so appreciative, humble and attentive. I felt like I was doing good work where it mattered most. Sharing these practices creates a huge shift for people who are suffering. The practices bring an opening of light and hope. They are easy to implement and can create real change in both one’s perspective and life.
TBI: Describe one of your daily rituals.
JR: Smiling. Simply remembering to smile helps me pause, and when I pause, I remember to listen. I can see the beauty all around me. It’s fascinating to remember what a gift life is.
Nyla Rodgers
Nyla is the founder and CEO of Mama Hope, a San Francisco–based nonprofit focused on building self-sufficient communities in sub-Saharan Africa. To date, her organization has touched over 150,000 people in rural African villages.
TBI: What is something that you think is underrated?
NR: Looking strangers in the eyes and smiling as you walk by.
TBI: What are you passionate about?
NR: Shifting the conversation about poverty alleviation to one of prosperity creation for all!
TBI: Describe your last year in San Francisco in one word.
NR: Reverence.
Christin Evans
Christin is the owner of The Booksmith on Haight Street. She spends her free time participating in community meetings and thinking of constructive ways to improve her beloved Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.
TBI: What are you passionate about?
CE: Working with an amazing group of people to evolve the business model of independent bookstores to remain sustainable and relevant in the Internet Age. An independent bookstore has always been more than a place to simply buy a book. The community that surrounds the bookstore is rich and filled with all the things you find in book: colorful characters, stories, challenges, knowledge, wisdom and ideas.
TBI: Can you tell us about a time when you personally felt like a hero to the city?
CE: Any of a number of challenges arise on Haight Street, and our neighborhood can be divided on how best to solve these tough challenges. One example is the persistent challenge of youth homelessness—the approximately 200 folks who sleep on Haight-Ashbury, Cole Valley’s streets and in nearby parks. I try to attend community meetings to find common ground between fractious groups and help push the dialogue toward constructive ends when I can.
Mollie Tobias
Mollie is the program director at SteppingStone, an adult day healthcare center that helps seniors and persons with disabilities live in their homes and stay independent for as long as possible. She is also a licensed marriage therapist.
TBI: Where’s your favorite place in the city to witness human connection?
MT: At SteppingStone, of course. It warms my heart when I see people in their 80s and 90s, who speak different languages, greet each other and try to communicate verbally or by using body language. And I’m moved when I see volunteers smiling at seniors, asking about their families and taking an interest in learning about the past, human stories and experiences, and soaking in the seniors’ wisdom. We are all human, and kindness can be witnessed and experienced everywhere. We just have to be patient and aware.
TBI: When do you feel like the truest version of yourself?
MT: When I am exercising with seniors and persons with disabilities at SteppingStone, and I look into the eyes of the participants and see their joy. It melts away any stress or pressing issues I may have, and I can be a happier and truer version of myself.
TBI: Describe your last year in San Francisco in one word.
MT: Diligent.
Ryan Greene
Ryan, a bouncer at Churchill, is a familiar face in San Francisco. Whenever you walk past the Duboce Triangle bar, Ryan will always say hello and make your day a little brighter. He’s been protecting San Francisco streets since 1983.
TBI: Describe your last year in San Francisco in one word.
RG: Enlightening.
TBI: When do you feel like the truest version of yourself?
RG: Working as a bouncer at the doors of the finest bars and clubs in San Francisco. And when I’m hugging people back harder than they hugged me.
TBI: When have you personally felt like a hero to the city?
RG: I meet, greet and provide security and entertainment for about 5,000 to 8,000 people a month as a security guard, a band leader and a drunk-person handler. I’ve been involved in only a dozen serious fights in 28 years of working in the industry, and I like to think that that makes me heroic.
Know anyone else who should be recognized? Tweet it to us at @thebolditalic.