You Get a Backpack! By Sarah Meike, Special Projects Coordinator The week before school started, the Visitacion Valley community came together to make sure that our kids were ready for school. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee came out to aid Mercy Housing’s initiative to provide 5,500 backpacks...
R.O.C.K. the Brew 2017! By Sarah Meike, Special Projects Coordinator We did it again! We R.O.C.K.ed the Brew for the second year in a row! Thanks to everyone who came out and spread around the R.O.C.K. love. Whether it was drinking beer, bidding on our silent auction,...
Hidden Figures By Sarah Meike, Special Projects Coordinator In my short but sweet interview with former R.O.C.K.er Christine Liu, I couldn’t believe all that she has accomplished in her 24 years! Neuroscience PhD student at Berkeley, the creator of some amazing scientifically themed murals, and mentor to...
By Sarah Meike, Special Projects Coordinator My favorite part of volunteering at our Elementary School program is watching our kids swarm toward a speaker whenever music comes on, and then perform song after song in perfect choreographed steps. This is due to our dance program and...
By Sarah Meike, Special Projects Coordinator Every year, R.O.C.K. hosts a charity race team in the iconic Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Jerry and Kelsey Gee are filling two of our spots as a father daughter duo. In June, Jerry turns 50 and the two wanted to...
By Curt Yagi, Executive Director R.O.C.K. is a household name in the Bay Area that has been recognized by Time Magazine for our innovative approach to youth development. Our programs are a fine-tuned machine in which every service we provide sets our participants up for success...
By Sarah Meike, Special Projects Coordinator One of Joi’s most memorable experiences was going to farm camp as an elementary school participant with R.O.C.K. The contrast between the endless concrete of Visitacion Valley and the vast space, pastures, and animals on the farm was incredible to...
By Sarah Meike, Special Projects Coordinator You could say R.O.C.K. goes so far back with Taz, it’s where he got his name. Taz’s full name is Mumtaz Yusuf. He renamed himself when Heidi, a former longtime staff and volunteer at R.O.C.K., asked him what his name...
By Curt Yagi, Executive Director As I was setting up for our first-ever R.O.C.K. Alumni barbecue, I felt a bit of nervous energy in anticipation of seeing our past participants, some of whom I hadn’t seen in well over a decade. Over the prior few months,...
By Sarah Meike, Special Projects Coordinator “The mission of R.O.C.K. is to nurture the healthy development of children by listening attentively to their needs and by providing opportunities to those who might not otherwise have access.” When I talked to Derrick Connors, now 28 years old, about his experience...