Pamela Levine. Photo by Pam Hamilton.
The Pamela Levine Arts Education Fund
Pamela Levine, Youth in Arts’ Executive Director from 1996 to 2006, passed away in April 2007 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Her passion and dedication to Youth in Arts and to our mission of arts education will always be remembered. With a generous donation in Pam’s memory, Youth in Arts established The Pamela Levine Arts Education Fund. The Fund serves as seed funds for an endowment for Youth in Arts. Tax-deductible donations can be made to the Fund by making a note on your check or Paypal donation (using the button to the left) to indicate your wish to donate to this special cause.
The Pamela Levine Arts Education Leadership Award
Each year, Youth in Arts honors one or more individuals, or an organization, for exceptional work in providing or supporting arts education in Marin. Important criteria include effective collaboration and success in building links between programs and the community. Awardees are selected by the Staff and Board of Youth in Arts in collaboration with the family of Pam Levine. The $1,000 award is presented during Youth in Art’s annual Italian Street Painting Festival on the second weekend in June.
2010 Recipient
Vice President & Director of Community Relations of the Bank of Marin, Joan Capurro has been selected to receive the third annual Pamela Levine Arts Education Leadership Award. She will be honored on June 13, 2010, on the main stage of the Italian Street Painting Festival.In her capacity as Vice President of Bank of Marin, Joan Capurro was part of the original group that provided seed money for Youth in Arts to get off the ground and helped to support the beginning of the Italian Street Painting Festival. Joan even helped to grid the streets for the first few years of the festival.
Joan has been a longtime supporter of the arts in Marin, in addition to Youth in Arts she has supported The San Anselmo Art Festival, California Film Institute, Art Works Downtown, to name a few.
Joan Capurro’s 40+ years of banking experience and community dedication, combined with her vivacious nature make her a valuable asset to the entire community. She began her career as a bookkeeper and outgoing bank teller and ultimately advanced to branch manager. Joan joined Bank of Marin as one of their first employees in 1990 as manager of the newly opened San Rafael office.
As the current Director of Community Relations, Joan supports the Bank’s mission to “positively impact the communities in which we operate through a combination of human and financial contributions.” Joan manages Bank of Marin’s community contributions, reviewing hundreds of requests a year, and ultimately donating to approximately 250 non-profit organizations each year.
Joan actively recruits and coordinates the volunteer efforts of close to 200 Bank of Marin employees, who collectively volunteer over 6,000 hours each year. (Joan herself volunteers hundreds of hours a year!) She also serves as a community resource to countless individuals and non-profit groups, offering advice on fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and grant sources, and provides numerous networking opportunities for her many contacts. Joan’s countless hours of volunteering with local nonprofits include not only Youth in Arts, but also the Salvation Army, Marin County School Volunteers, Center for Volunteer and Non-profit Leadership, Work Force Investment Board, and College of Marin. Joining a prestigious group of women in our community, Joan was inducted into the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame in 2010.
Past Recipients
2009: Joy Phoenix and Ingrid Purcell, for their long time volunteer service on the board of Youth in Arts, respectively running the Photography Team and creating the Volunteer Program for the Italian Street Painting Festival.
2008: Marty Meade, Teaching Artist, for her exemplary work with students of all ages and abilities, including highly at-risk youth.
From the Levine Family
Pam lived a full and rewarding life in her 52 years. She was born in Brooklyn, grew up in New York and moved to the Bay Area in 1977 to complete doctoral work in Psychology. She married Dr. Stephen Levine in 1982 and was deeply proud of her children Jacob and Sasha. Before coming to Youth in Arts, Pam was President of RVSC (now the Yes Foundation) and served on the Ross Valley District School Board. At Youth in Arts, Pam oversaw the expansion of the organization and received extensive accolades for her work. Pam’s soul was sweet, artistic and overflowing with love. A sculptor and dancer in her youth, she was dedicated to enriching the Marin community through the arts and arts education. Pam, a non-smoker, would have liked to give thanks to all who showed their love and support during her three-and-a-half year battle with lung cancer.
