Leading by Example

Young Gala Host Leads by Example

Tri Valley Herald, March 2007

By Mary Ann Cruz

Well, hello there! It’s good to see you,” said Francesca Tenconi, a broad smile on her face as she held out her hand. It was an hour before the formal program kicked off at the Children’s Skin Disease Foundation’s lavish glam-slam gala, “One Enchanted Evening,” and Francesca, founder and president, was working the cocktail reception, letting key donors and volunteers know how much their support was appreciated. “Thanks for joining us tonight. Please enjoy!” As she went about her schmoozing, nearly 200 revelers from all over were converging on the Blackhawk Country Club, primed to eat, drink and raise over $100,000 for a worthy cause. Awaiting them were Francesca and her top-notch team director Elberta Bedoar and her assistant, Brian Young, event coordinator Ria Sim and graphic designer Rebecca Talley that had lovingly created all the trappings of a fabulous, marvelous, sensational and emotionally-charged happening.

There was the raffle of a diamond hoop earring set and the silent and live auctions, where the most-spirited and leastinhibited would vie for such high-end souvenirs as the keys for a weekend to the Maserati, Bentley and Ferrari sports cars that were parked in front of the clubhouse that night. There was the charming wishing tree to would help defray the cost of myriad camp incidentals, and the five-minute mission video that would tug at partygoers’ heartstrings before tucking into their New York strip steak, chicken Wellington or eggplant parmesan. There was the heartfelt keynote speech of Channel 5’s Kate Kelly, and the continuing support of generous sponsors as well as new gala sponsors: Elaine Taylor of the Taylor Family Foundation, Brett Mortensen of B. Allan Jewelers, Phillip Arndt of Comcast, Michelle Bauer of the Danville Children’s Guild, Marshall Griffin and Sedrick Tydus of Alta Alliance Bank, Bryan Hancock of San Francisco Region Toyota, Brad Johnson of Sportiva, Dr. Lincoln Krochmal of Connetics and Emilie Highly of the Porsche Club, to mention a few.

There were the core of dedicated volunteers that included Marilyn Banks, Beth Bates, Richard Bittner, Chris Collins, Georgia Couch, Jennifer DeLuca, Andrea Doehrman, Jacquie Elmore, Mary Flaig, Kellie Frawley, Peter Leben, Bruce Linn, Nicole Nishihira, Ann Saavedra, Paulette Setzer, Kim Short, Stevie Sturfa and Terry Wehber.
And then there was 22-yearold Francesca Tenconi, the lovely young dynamo grappling with a rare and potentially fatal skin disease, yet with the organizational genius and determination to move mountains and raise millions.

She became a poster child for the cause at age 11 when blisters began forming on her body, leaving massive open sores for bacteria to invade. Tests showed she had pemphigus foliaceus not before she had lost 85% of her skin _ and right away her doctors started her on aggressive chemotherapy, steroids and immuno-suppressant drugs. The good news was that they saved her life, but the bad news was that there was no cure and she would need to continue the medication for the rest of her life.

Through it all, Francesca has continued to keep a positive outlook, and in meeting other children with serious skin diseases while under care at various hospitals in the area, she realized that there wasn’t a support system or network set in place for them. By the time she was 16, she decided to do something about it, and with the help of her parents, Christine and Don Tenconi, and other family members and friends, she created the Children’s Skin Disease Foundation and Camp Wonder, a week-long medically-staffed summer camp using the Taylor Family Foundation’s facilities outside Livermore.

Since then Francesca’s vision has been transformed into significant dollars for the cause including Camp Wonder, family assistance, research and public awareness; and her winning personality, wisdom and resilience have captured the nation’s attention and made her a media darling. In the past two years, she has not only graduated
from Duke University, but was named one of the top ten college women to watch in Glamour magazine, was featured in Diablo magazine as a recipient of the Threads of Hope Award, has won the top prize in the Do Something Brick Award, was granted the Jefferson Award as one of the silver medal winners and was a guest on the Montel Williams “Triumph over Tragedy” Show. “Skin diseases can be disfiguring as well as painful,” Francesca said, “and no child should face a life of fear, pain and social rejection without at least one week of happiness each year. With a camp of their own, these kids can be free to be themselves and have fun without
any kind of embarrassment.”

Some of the children who attended Camp Wonder are so badly affected by their skin disease that it requires several hours each day just to bandage them, she continued, and due to their medical requirements, Camp Wonder is their only chance to swim, ride a horse, fish from a boat, participate in skits and sing around a campfire.

Many more children haven’t had the opportunity to attend the camp, and Francesca said that there is a lot more work to be done. As such, on the following morning, it was determined that she wouldn’t wake up to the
morning after “One Enchanted Evening,” but to Day One of the countdown to the next and one day closer to Camp Wonder. After all, every child deserves a week of wonderment.