SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 10, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A chance meeting between Professor Geng Tao, a virtuoso bamboo flute player from China, and representatives from the Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center (SNBC), one of the country's best afterschool programs, will culminate in a free community concert in San Francisco's Sunset District on Oct. 20.
Currently a professor at the School of Music at the South China Normal University of Guangzhou, Geng was performing in California last year when he crossed paths with Michael Funk, SNBC's founder and director. The two men struck up a conversation, which ultimately ended with Geng offering his musical talents in support of SNBC's mission to provide children and teens with educational and enrichment-based afterschool programming.
Geng's highly-anticipated flute performance will be a part of an evening celebration that will also include ribbon dances and steel pan drumming performed by children enrolled in SNBC's afterschool programs and a keynote address about the importance of preserving afterschool program funding by Funk. Sponsored by Recurrent Energy, the community concert will mark SNBC's 12th annual Lights On Afterschool celebration.
| Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center Community Concert |
| Special musical guest: Professor Geng Tao |
| Date: Oct. 20 |
| Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. |
| Location: Ulloa Elementary School Auditorium (42nd Ave. and Vicente St.) |
| Cost: Free, donations welcomed to help fund programming |
| Information: 415-759-3690 or www.snbc.org |
"Proposed federal funding cuts would force the Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center to significantly scale back afterschool learning opportunities for hundreds of San Francisco school children," said Funk. "We hope the concert will help the public to better understand and appreciate the importance of the work we do."
A program of Aspiranet, SNBC is a community development nonprofit in San Francisco's Sunset District, providing daily afterschool programs, adult education opportunities, technology and media arts classes, and family support services. The center serves more than 900 youth daily and over 300 adults weekly at five middle and elementary schools and a recreation clubhouse. SNBC is recognized as one of the country's best afterschool programs by the Afterschool Alliance and MetLife Foundation.
Children and teens benefit from educational and enrichment-based afterschool programming that includes urban dance, cartoon and anime art, peer resources, sports activities, the MOUSE Squad (a program providing youth access to technology education) and more.
Launched by the Afterschool Alliance, the 12th Lights On Afterschool will be celebrated across the country by more than one million Americans in over 7,500 communities to commemorate afterschool programs that provide kids with a safe place to learn and grow.
For more information, visit www.snbc.org.
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