Outpouring of incredible support from generous donors nets NorCal SCI $190,000 at fundraising event

Raymond Wu, the recipient of a grant that enabled him to spend eight weeks of intensive rehabilitation.

Going into last Saturday’s 4th Annual Fundraising party, INSPIRE, a virtual affair for the second year in a row, we had no idea how many people will show up or how much we may be able to raise in support of our ambitious programs. We were pleasantly surprised last year, at the height of the pandemic when most people spent their days and nights at home, with the tremendous success of our event but what about now? If there is one thing we have learned in the 4 1/2 years of our existence, it’s that we’ve always looked to our donors to inspire us and they have always come through with their generosity. Last Saturday was yet another reminder of their strong belief in our mission as they rallied to help us net $190,000 during a 90-minute virtual program filled with stories showing the resiliency of our community.

Emma Whaley, recipient of a donated stairlift system from NorCal SCI’s donated medical equipment program and installed thanks to a NorCal SCI grant.

It was an emotional evening as we paid tribute to our friend, mentor, Board member and the emcee of our last three fundraising parties, Chris Wilder, who experienced a major stroke over seven months ago and is now home working hard en his recovery. We dedicated the evening to Chris while introducing a long-time friend and supporter of NorCal SCI, Colin Macnab, who took over the emcee duties for this year. And in an interesting twist to the evening, Colin did his duties at 3 a.m. while attending to a family matter in England and rallied our guests to a record amount of donations. Thank you, Colin.

We are entering some exciting times at NorCal SCI, filled with optimism that we will soon be able to launch our most ambitious project ever, the opening of an extended rehabilitation facility for those with SCI. We will have more details on that in the coming weeks.

Finally, if you feel that our work is deserving of your financial support, we hope you will share your generosity with us by contributing whatever amount you’re able to. Details can be found HERE.

Thank you for your continued support.

Nick & Franklin, co-founder