The 29th Annual Red Cross Gala
2024 event raises $950,000 to support Red Cross programs and services
Photos by Virginia and Albert Becker, Brenda Dawson Dove, Mike Seely and Gabriel Williams/American Red Cross
Themed “Building Bridges of Hope,” the gala took place on Thursday, March 21 at Pier 27 in San Francisco. The event was attended by more than 300 Bay Area notables who helped recognize this year’s honorees, the Regional Blood Services Volunteer Committee and Delta Dental, and raise funds for Red Cross Blood Services. Read our post-event press release, linked below, to learn more about this special night.
If you missed this year’s event but would like to make a donation to support our mission, please contact us at nccrevents@redcross.org.
A major financial supporter for 34 years, Delta Dental has been a Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program partner since 2017, pledging $500,000 in annual giving, ensuring that the Red Cross is ready to respond whenever disaster strikes. But their dedication doesn't stop there: they're involved in other meaningful ways, including hosting blood drives and employee engagement events, building personal hygiene kits, providing skill-based volunteers for our Code4Good program, a first-of-its-kind volunteer workforce that gives software engineers and engineering leaders an opportunity to support the Red Cross, and engaging board members.
“Delta Dental is proud to support the mission of the American Red Cross and honored to receive the 2024 Red Cross Philanthropic Company of the Year Award,” said Kenzie Ferguson, Vice President of Foundation and Corporate Social Responsibility for Delta Dental of California and affiliates.
“Our partnership not only underscores our commitment to building resilient communities but also amplifies the efforts of the Red Cross in times of need.”
During the black-tie event, the Red Cross will present new and seasoned volunteers Michael Gregory, Kathryn W. Holmes, Nichole Jordan and Jasper Smith with the 2023 Red Cross Humanitarians of the Year Award for their work as members of the Regional Blood Services Volunteer Committee. Collectively, this committee has dedicated their time and talent to the Red Cross and supported Blood Services by donating blood, hosting blood drives, providing financial contributions and innovative ideas. This team is wholeheartedly committed to the Red Cross mission and serves as an inspiration to the organization.
“The committee’s dedication to our mission and their tireless devotion to saving lives is truly remarkable,” shared Justin Mueller, Donor Services Executive for the Red Cross Northern California Blood Services Region. “We are honored to recognize their selfless efforts, and we extend our heartfelt thanks as they serve as an inspiration to make an impact within our community.”
Michael is a native of Oakland and attended UC Berkeley and Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany, receiving his BS (Biology) in 1976. Michael led local school library and playing field renovation projects before serving eight years on the San Leandro city council, two years as vice mayor, 2007 – 2014.
He’s a former two-term member of the Policy Advisory Committee, East Bay Regional Park District, and current president, Friends of the San Leandro Creek.
He retired from Red Cross Biomedical Services in 2018 after managing Northern California hospital business and relations for 16 years. He served on the Red Cross Alameda County Leadership Council for 14 years, two years as president. He currently chairs the chapter’s Biomedical Committee.
Nichole Jordan is the Chief Operating Officer of Indr, Inc. a Series A, SaaS company building a transformation platform that empowers organizations to embed transformation into working practice, making transformation successful and scalable. In this role, she is responsible for scaling the go to market strategy and building the customer success practice.
Nichole is an active volunteer and leader for several non-profit entities. She is a member of the American Red Cross Bay Area Board of Directors with a targeted focus on the BioMed committee and sickle cell initiative. She currently serves as the International Technology Chairman for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® and is a former president of the Twenty Pearls Foundation in Oakland.
Nichole has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from U.C. Davis and an M.B.A. from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. She was the first African American female to matriculate in the Wharton West Executive MBA program. Her proudest accomplishments include receiving PG&E’s 2008 President’s Diversity Champion Award and launching the MBA Fellowship program at PG&E – which provides full tuition sponsorship for high potential employees.
In her free time, she actively volunteers with her sorority and enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, wine tasting and reading. Nichole is also passionate about mentoring women of color and has served as an executive mentor for Sequoia Capital’s Ascent Mentoring program, designed to support emerging women leaders in tech.
San Francisco resident and philanthropist Kathryn W. Holmes has been involved with the Red Cross for much of her life, beginning in high school where she took lifesaving skills classes her junior and senior years.
For the past 10 years, Kathryn has been a staunch supporter and advocate for the organization. A member of the regional Tiffany Circle, she joins a prestigious group of women philanthropists dedicated to furthering the mission of the Red Cross. She is on the Bay Area Chapter’s Board of Directors and is proud to support blood services as a biomed committee member.
Jasper Smith, affectionately known as Mr. #BuildWealth, is an author, speaker and financial services expert with over fifteen years of industry experience. He currently works as a Financial Planner with Prudential and is the chief visionary of a financial education company called The #BuildWealth Movement®.
He works tirelessly to disrupt generational poverty® for everyone, so their kids, kids, kids can live a life of privilege.
He's married to his lovely wife TiYanna and they have one daughter, Jaslyn.
Elizabeth’s first connection with the American Red Cross was in San Francisco after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. As a Red Cross volunteer, she escorted people back to their homes down ghost-town streets in the Marina. She was struck how lives were upended by this natural disaster and how the Red Cross’ care and attention was critical during this dire time.
Elizabeth believes in the “the power of our volunteers” who can and do engage to improve our community. She applied volunteer management and fundraising skills she’d learned from such organizations as the Arthritis Foundation of Northern California, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Salvation Army to her work at the Red Cross. As an American Red Cross volunteer, Elizabeth wishes to use her experience to expand its visibility and mission and reach out to current and future supporters.
She co-chaired the 2023 Gala with Red Cross board member Kenzie Ferguson, an event that raised more than $1M for Red Cross services, including disaster relief. She is pleased to co-chair with Pat Hayes to help create the 2024 Red Cross Gala, “Building Bridges to Hope.”
Pat Hayes is the Vice President of Government Affairs at The Clorox Company, where he leads the Global Government Affairs function. He has over 25 years of experience in governmental and regulatory affairs, working with coalitions, associations, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and focusing on public policy and public/private partnerships.
Raised in the East and Midwest, Pat gained a firsthand understanding of the Red Cross's critical role in disaster relief, spanning from floods and tornadoes to hurricanes along the East Coast. Since relocating to California, he has witnessed the organization's remarkable response to wildfires and recent floods. This experience has deepened his appreciation for the Red Cross's essential mission in ensuring swift and effective disaster responses. Pat takes pride in Clorox's contribution to the Red Cross mission, including through the donation of vital supplies like bleach for water purification and surface disinfection to aid disaster survivors.
Devon Bell brings intelligence, passion, humor, and an entertainer’s sensibility to everything he does. His commitment to helping people runs to his core and has guided his path throughout his career.
Devon’s first career was as a real-time captioner for the deaf and hard of hearing. Over the course of 20 years, he has captioned for U.S. Presidents, astronauts, and during live surgeries. “The pace and the pressure of a live event, the sense of accomplishment and achievement with its success,” says Devon, “were all good precursors to becoming a fundraiser.”
Devon grew up in the same small town as lifelong friend Greg Quiroga, who first recruited Devon as a ring man in 2010. Devon was hooked, and he joined Stellar Fundraising Auctions (www.stellarsf.com) as an auctioneer in 2014. Well over 100 auctions later, he still loves the work.
“It’s an honor to be part of any nonprofit fundraising/benefit event,” says Devon. “It’s joyous and poignant and so much fun to help facilitate a community’s expression of support for an organization they love. I feel blessed to play a role, and I try to bring that celebratory feeling to every performance.”
Devon works with schools, arts organizations, and public interest groups throughout the Bay Area and beyond. He lives in Davis and takes any and every opportunity to play music, to play with his kids, and to play music with his kids.
We’re turning up the heat for the Gala After Party with the high-energy live music from the Lucky Devils Band! Dance the night away as this seven-member group keeps the vibes going all night long.
From LA and Las Vegas to Phoenix, the Hawaiian Islands and San Francisco, the Lucky Devils have shared the stage with some of the music industry’s best, including Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, Santana the Dave Matthews Band, to name a few. A premier event band, they’ve been booked by Bank of America, Rolex, the U.S. Air Force, Google and the NHL.
Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to get down!
Pooja Klebig
November 14, 2023
Photos by Albert and Virginia Becker, Roger Bunch, and Gabriel Williams/American Red Cross.
Please direct event inquires to Briana Foster.