Last Thursday, March 22, we gathered at the historic Bimbo’s 365 Club to celebrate our students and friends at our annual fundraising party, the Bookeaters’ Bash. The event was even more fun (and successful!) than we could have dreamed, thanks to our wonderful guests and supporters who helped shine the spotlight on our students and their work. Students are the reason we do this work, so what better way to raise money—and awareness!—than by featuring our favorite writers?
We kicked off the celebration with a beautiful video highlighting our students in the Tenderloin community, and as the evening went on, students proudly read their pieces while guests dined, mingled, and got to know more about our programs. Our former student and intern, Josselyn Bonilla, also gave a powerful speech on the importance of education and pursuing your dreams, bringing the crowd to its feet in a much-deserved standing ovation.
Emcee Glynn Washington, creator and host of Snap Judgement, our inspiring co-founders, and the comedy group Killing My Lobster kept everyone in high spirits (with some help of delicious wine and dessert!)
And so, with a room packed with enthusiastic guests, we turned a night of fundraising into a night of magic and hope, raising over $400,000 to keep funding our free programs for the year ahead.
Our 2018 Bookeaters’ Bash was a huge success, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have spent this wonderful night with all of you. Thanks to the generosity of our amazing supporters, more students in the SFUSD will have access to the individualized attention that helps them thrive. To all of you who attended, donated, or supported us in any way: THANK YOU!
And a big thank you to our incredible sponsors: Bonterra Wine, Fort Point Beer, Dolby, Airbnb, Pinterest, BBDO, Ubisoft, Morgan Lewis, The What, The Graybird Foundation, Killing My Lobster, Aesop, Charles Schwab, Next Draft, and Microsoft! And to the amazing folks that helped us put this event together: Babylon Burning Screen Printing, Beth Sandefur, Bimbo’s 365 Club, Denise Goldstein Special Events, Glynn Washington, It’s-It Ice Cream, Luis Peña & World War Seven, Malcolm Eaton, Melons Catering, SFJAZZ High School All-Stars, and Zan Aufderheide. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Check out more photos of this incredible night here and here.