San Francisco Ballet Welcomes New Great Benefactors

Meet Shelby and Frederick Gans, David and Vicki Cox, and the Flora Family Foundation

Since its founding in 1933, San Francisco Ballet has grown into one of the world’s leading ballet companies and schools. This evolution has been made possible through the steadfast and generous support of patrons in the Bay Area and throughout the world. Great Benefactors are donors whose cumulative giving to SF Ballet is $1 million or more. This year we are pleased to acknowledge Shelby and Frederick Gans, David and Vicki Cox, and the Flora Family Foundation as Great Benefactors.

For three decades, Shelby and Frederick Gans have supported SF Ballet, sponsoring numerous productions and initiatives. Shelby, a performing and visual arts enthusiast and community volunteer, joined the SF Ballet Board of Trustees in 2011. She has served on the Board’s school, planned giving, governance, and artistic committees. “We are so excited by the amazing talent we see at San Francisco Ballet—the extraordinary skill of the dancers and the incredible repertory programming is astounding,” says Shelby. “It is truly a special institution, with exceptional leadership, and we are so proud to be involved.”

David and Vicki Cox have been SF Ballet subscribers for twenty years. David joined the SF Ballet Board in 2010 and has served as president of the SF Ballet Association, chair of the marketing committee, and on the executive, artistic, finance, and governance committees. “We love what Helgi has created with San Francisco Ballet,” he says. “The diversity of choreography and the immense talent that he has fostered in this Company is like none other.”

The Flora Family Foundation was established in 1998 by the family of William R. Hewlett (co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard Company) and his wife Flora Lamson Hewlett. The Foundation’s giving to San Francisco Ballet began more than twenty years ago and has focused on the Ballet’s education and community programs, including the Dance in Schools and Communities (DISC) program, believing these programs are critical to bringing dance to under resourced public schools and fulfilling SF Ballet’s vision of sharing the joy of dance with the widest possible audience.

We are thankful for the ongoing support of Shelby and Frederick Gans, David and Vicki Cox, and the Flora Family Foundation.

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