R.O.C.K. Connect 25

R.O.C.K. Connect 25
An evening celebrating 25 years of service, stories, and lasting impact.
By Hayley Walker, Marketing & Development Coordinator

On the evening of October 30, 2019, R.O.C.K. supporters gathered to celebrate 25 years of service. R.O.C.K. Connect 25

came to life on the spectacular Ohana Floor of the iconic Salesforce Tower—61 floors above the streets of San Francisco. It was a perfect evening to watch the sunset from the tallest building in Northern California.

 

Guests included 250 members of the R.O.C.K. family—donors, dedicated volunteers, staff, past and present board members, community partners, and program alumni. Notable VIPs of the evening included David Louie of ABC 7 News, who emceed the event, and former Oakland Raiders linebacker, Sam Williams.

The room quickly filled with guests as they sipped on cocktails and caught up with old friends. Alumni embraced and talked about childhood memories, and original volunteers and founding board members chatted about the early days of R.O.C.K. The energy in the room was electric as people mingled, laughed, and exchanged stories. Music flowed through the room as a compilation of Stories that R.O.C.K. videos played on a larger-than-life LED screen.

After enjoying the excellent company and the breath-taking views, guest gathered around for the program portion of the evening. Emcee David Louie introduced speakers including R.O.C.K. Executive Director, Curt Yagi; R.O.C.K. Founder, Michelle Groe; and Education Advisor to Mayor London Breed, Jenny Lam. Perhaps the most powerful speeches of the evening came from two R.O.C.K. Alumni, Joi Fischer and Anthony Lorencillo, who shared their impactful stories of hope and perseverance with the crowd. At the end of the program, R.O.C.K. Board Chair Dan Florin and Board Member Giang Nguyen announced their personal donations to R.O.C.K., and asked for attendees to consider giving back to the organization that has been changing lives for 25 years.

We’re excited to report that we surpassed our fundraising goal of $125k on the night of R.O.C.K. Connect 25, and as of today we have raised over $145k for the youth in our community. We’re so grateful for every individual who donated; your generosity will help us continue to do this important work for many years to come.

We’d like to give a special thank you to our Gold Level event sponsors, William Blair & Company and Premier Talent Partners, for helping make this event so incredible. We’d also like to thank our in-kind donors from Lagunitas Brewing Company, Drake’s Brewing Company, Fort Point Beer Company, Ram’s Gate Winery, Scheid Family Wines, Native Baking Company, and Bi-Rite Market for providing beverages and desserts for the evening, and to the GMR Marketing team for being the best event volunteers we could ask for.

Be sure to watch our video recap of R.O.C.K. Connect 25 on this page and check out our event photo album, all thanks to our amazing photographers Pat Garvey and Steve Disenhof.”

It’s not too late to give back! If you’d like to make a donation in honor of R.O.C.K.’s 25 years of service, please visit rocksf.org/25.