Tania Estrada, a former volunteer at the one-of-a-kind Women’s Building in San Francisco and now its executive director, knows quite a bit about community building.
“Seeing women come together, support each other and gain confidence and skills to pursue their goals is incredibly empowering,” says Estrada, who will be a speaker and honoree at a March 29 dinner-and-Champagne fundraiser celebrating female leaders at the St. Regis San Francisco.
“This recognition signifies that women’s issues are being acknowledged, prioritized and supported,” Estrada adds. “I want to encourage others to join in and contribute toward our mission.”
The public is invited to the four-course meal, co-presented by the luxury hotel and sparkling wine purveyor Veuve Clicquot, in the St. Regis restaurant Astra. Partial proceeds will go to the Women’s Building, an arts, education and social justice center founded in 1971 to offer a place where women feel safe and empowered.
On March 8, International Women’s Day, the Women’s Building hosted a program for its constituents with the message that women should not be paid less than men for the same job, a topic Estrada likely will address in her talk at the fundraiser.
The fundraiser also features wine and spirits expert Michelle Kofman, a specialist at Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, who will share her experiences about succeeding in a business role typically occupied by men.
The Women’s Building, in the wake of the pandemic, has been very busy.
“Clients are coming in urgently wanting to find job resources as soon as possible,” says Estrada, adding, “In January, 100 clients came without an appointment to ask support to find work. We were able to serve 75 percent of them.”
The organization, with a staff of 25, serves about 5,000 clients annually, says Estrada, offering resources for employment, housing, digital literacy, health, taxes and a food pantry. With services available in English and Spanish, Estrada points to a special focus on assisting immigrants, newcomers and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, who face greater discrimination than people in other groups.
However, about 25,000 people each year cross through the doors of the Women’s Building, which also is home to nine nonprofits with aligning missions, including Dolores Street Community Services, Mission Head Start, Mujeres Unidas y Activas and SF Women Against Rape.
Estrada says money raised from the upcoming benefit will go to upgrading the structure of The Women’s Building.
“We want to be electricity efficient. We still have an industrial kitchen and no HVAC system, no solar panels,” says Estrada, a Mexican immigrant, organizational psychologist with a master’s degree in clinical psychology, and mother of two.
Estrada, who moved to San Francisco in 2012, found a home at the Women’s Building, successfully volunteering there in the community resources room, assisting clients in accessing technology and with job searches. Helping recruit more volunteers for the organization, she became community programs director in 2013 and executive director in 2022. Under her leadership, its programs have grown considerably, and its advocacy efforts cover areas from immigrants’ rights to reproductive rights to affordable housing to family reunification.
Located at 3543 18th St., the Women’s Building, formerly a meeting hall for the Sons of Norway and a neighborhood bar, is perhaps best known for the colorful MaestraPeace (“woman teacher of peace”) mural on its exterior, painted in 1994 by local artists and restored in 2012.
“The St. Regis San Francisco and Veuve Clicquot Celebrate Women” is at 6 p.m. March 29 at Astra at the St. Regis, 125 Third St., San Francisco. Tickets are $250 at The St. Regis San Francisco and Veuve Clicquot Celebrate Women Eventbrite.