Adrienne Hirt
Born in New Orleans in the late 1940s Adrienne is a spirit-in-action, traversing realities seen and unseen, and letting in what others shut out. Many people say about their lives, “been there, done that,” but Adrienne really has. Consider the hats she has worn: A single mother on welfare, Wiccan/pagan celebrant, sex educator and surrogate, member emeritus of International Professional Surrogate Association, co-founder and former executive director of San Francisco CASA (part of a national program providing advocates for children caught in the foster system), conflict mediator, social justice advocate, networker and matchmaker extraordinaire, and a wise and generous philanthropist. I’m the executive director of the National Radio Project/Making Contact. I got to know and admire Adrienne when she joined our board. What a gift it was to have a board member who could draw on her varied personal experience and apply it with such intelligence and humor. Her characteristic response to challenges we faced was to roll up her sleeves and, with a twinkle in her eye, just get right to it. She joined our board during a major transition from founder to non-founder leadership, saying, “Change doesn’t scare me.” She was especially drawn to our radio programs around prison issues. Not surprisingly, she also supports Legal Services for Prisoners with Children and the Center for Young Women’s Development. Her vision is of a society that shares knowledge, skills, and tools more. In one instance, I was the direct beneficiary of her practical, can-do approach. Aware that I was working on overload and wanting our small organization to be vital and sustainable, Adrienne took action. She arranged a challenge match and raised enough money to allow us to hire an associate director--and take our work to the next level of effectiveness. I remember Adrienne celebrating a birthday recently with her usual joie de vivre. Putting on another one of those hats, she wowed us with her “American Songbook” jazz singing alongside her partner and pianist, Jeffrey. Her artistic generosity and joy in that moment captured for me the many varied facets of Adrienne that I appreciate so much.
Honored by Lisa Rudman |
