Bob Roll rocked the house at SVBC's Fifth Annual Dinner
If you were one of the over 270 guests that attended our Fifth Annual Dinner last week, then you know what fun we had. We would like to thank all our sponsors* who helped us make the dinner possible and the evening very special. In addition, we'd also like to thank the local businesses and industry partners for their generous donations of all the great product, vacations and services for our auctions.
The evening would not have been such a belly buster, though, without the personal interview with Bob Roll. Bob shared tales of his experiences riding the Giro d'Italia and working as a commentator for the Tour de France. It was without a doubt the funniest interview we've ever had at an Annual Dinner. Even the staff at the club were laughing as Bob somehow made crashes, injuries, and a nearly-fatal case of hypothermia completely hilarious.
Despite the welcome lightheartedness, there was a serious goal to the evening. As our Board Chair Shiloh Ballard put it at the beginning of the night, "This is a fundraiser. We are here to raise funds!" We were particularly interested in building the funding base for our Vision Zero: Silicon Valley initiative, which has a goal of zero deaths or major injuries for cyclists. We've had some big successes with that campaign lately, but we need to ensure its future and for that, we needed funding.
Our guests really stepped up to the plate when posed with a challenge grant for the initiative. The challenge was lead by Bob Ward, whose wife was struck and killed two years ago by a truck as she was riding on Alpine Road at the Highway 280 underpass. Bob very generously offered to put down $5,000 to match all donations to Vision Zero 1:2 that night. The support from our guests was overwhelming and they met the challenge, helping us raise over $15,000!
The event left me and the rest of the SVBC staff exhausted, but we recuperated over the weekend and have spent the week since in awe at the enthusiasm, energy, and generosity we saw last Thursday. Thanks to everyone who played a part in this very successful event and helped renew our strength in advocacy!
*Please help us thank our sponsors: