FACES for the Future Coalition
Dr. Tomás A. Magaña Receives the Regional Jefferson Award for Public Service
FACES for the Future is happy to announce that our Coalition Director, Dr. Tomás A. Magaña is a recipient of the Regional Jefferson Award for Public Service.
In 1972, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard established the Jefferson Award to recognize the vital role of public and community service in our nation. Awards are now given on both the national and local level, with KCBS acting as the San Francisco regional media partner. The Jefferson Awards have been given to such notable figures as Lance Armstrong, Barbara Bush, Jimmy Carter, Walter Cronkite, Peyton Manning and many others. On a local level, KCBS strives to highlight the work of the Bay Area’s “Unsung Heroes” who work daily to create positive change in our communities.
Dr. Magaña’s life’s work stems from his passion for serving underrepresented youth who are facing the realities of youth violence, economic and health disparities, and community road blocks that make it difficult for them to achieve academic and personal success. As an Attending Physician of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland, Dr. Magaña is on “the front lines” of combating the repercussions of our nation’s neglect of its youth. FACES for the Future was created with the purpose of giving positive personal, academic and youth leadership support to students, while introducing them to the options of a career in the health professions. In so doing, young lives are literally transformed and saved, and FACES changes the landscape of health by diversifying the workforce needed to challenge existing health disparities in communities of color.