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Friday June 16, 2000

Dinkelspiel winner aids myriad causes

ALEZA GOLDSMITH
Bulletin Staff

Without missing a beat, Howard Steiermann declares that eating them is his favorite pastime.

But lately, the 40-year-old San Francisco resident hasn't had much time for relieving his sweet tooth. The avid volunteer has been too busy bringing relief to others.

"I volunteer because I can, and I feel like I should," said Steiermann. "I want to be involved and engaged with the world."

Steiermann joined the ranks of his older brother David and many other Jewish leaders when he accepted the 2000 Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award for outstanding young leadership on Tuesday. The award is presented each year by the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation to a federation volunteer age 40 or under at its year-end meeting.

"I am just floored and honored," said Steiermann, a self-employed real estate agent who serves on many JCF committees. "This is a tangible indication to me that the community does indeed value people even if they can't write huge checks."

Originally from Chicago, Steiermann's generosity extends far beyond the federation's walls. His contributions range from delivering traditional Jewish meals to Jewish AIDS patients through Chicken Soupers to serving as board secretary for the S.F.-based Jewish Family and Children's Services.

He also gives time to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and spends a shift every weekend volunteering at Under One Roof, a nonprofit retail store in the Castro District that funds AIDS research.

Additionally, Steiermann often leads services at Reform Congregation Sha'ar Zahav in San Francisco. And he continues to offer a hand at Brandeis Hillel Day School, where he is a past president of the board of directors.

"Whatever human beings can do for other human beings is wonderful," said Steiermann. "So many times I've seen how much good volunteering can bring to people's lives. People really feel appreciative when you reach out and make a difference."

The values of volunteerism were instilled in Steiermann by his parents, Ilse and Walter Steirman, who spell their name differently.

"They taught me a sense of responsibility to my community," he said.

Steiermann, along with his parents and brother, were previously honored for outstanding community leadership by JFCS during its annual spring event, "All Signs Point to Go."

"The whole family is committed and involved Jewishly," he said. "It's been kind of a lifelong involvement."

And for the most part, Steiermann finds his lifelong involvement "wonderfully uplifting."

However, one time, while delivering food to AIDS patients in single-room occupancy units in the Tenderloin, Steiermann thought he needed to take a step back.

"The reality that these recipients were living in was very different from the day-to-day reality that I was living in," he said. "I remember thinking I want to stop doing this and take a break for a while.

"But then I thought, I'm sure the recipients would like to take a break from their disease and they can't. That helped spur me on."

The Dinkelspiel Award was inaugurated in 1959 after the death of Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel, who served as the first president of the JCF.

Also at the meeting, the JCF awarded its Awards of Excellence for the year 2000. Recipients were Kerin Lieberman, associate director for the Bureau of Jewish Education; Henry Shreibman, head of Brandeis Hillel Day School; Barbara Isackson, a federation volunteer; Ann Bear, a federation volunteer; Elle Hoffnagel, JCF's manager of building and office services ; and Carolyn Metz, executive director of the Jewish Community Association of Sonoma and director of the JCF's Sonoma branch. Both the San Francisco section of the Children's Drama Service and the Camp Tawonga-based Grief and Growing were named Programs of the Year.

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