11th Annual GLIDE Legacy Gala, A Virtual Gathering

GLIDE and the GLIDE Legacy Committee join GLIDE President and CEO Karen Hanrahan in welcoming all to the first-ever virtual edition of the GLIDE Legacy Gala and in announcing the winners of this year’s GLIDE Legacy Awards. The 11th Annual GLIDE Legacy Gala, A Virtual Gathering, will bring supporters together online for an evening of joy and community during these challenging times on Saturday, August 15 and will feature a panel discussion and live Q&A with the 2020 honorees culminating with a digital dance party set to irresistible beats by DJ KingMost.

Each year, the GLIDE Legacy Awards honor individuals for their impact in their communities, innovative leadership, and passion. This year’s Reverend Cecil Williams Legacy Award will go to musician/activist Michael Franti, while the Janice Mirikitani Legacy Award will go to poet, activist and change-maker Amanda Gorman. Franti is a globally recognized musician, humanitarian, activist and award-winning filmmaker revered for his high-energy live shows, inspiring music, devotion to health and wellness, worldwide philanthropic efforts and empowering optimism. Twenty-two-year-old Gorman is heralded as “the next great figure in American poetry.” She made history in 2017 when she became the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate in the United States. Both awardees will take part in the evening’s panel discussion and live Q&A.

In addition to presenting this not-to-be-missed virtual gathering, the GLIDE Legacy Committee also aims to raise $100,000 to help support GLIDE's critical work in San Francisco like providing thousands of free meals a week, harm reduction outreach, behavioral health counseling, rental assistance, spiritual community, and more.

“It is incredibly inspiring to see the spirit and passion of the next generation of change makers and all the supporters of the GLIDE Legacy Gala,” said GLIDE President and CEO Karen Hanrahan. “The enthusiasm and generosity will help ensure that GLIDE continues to provide important essential services to individuals, families, and children in need during this unprecedented public health crisis. GLIDE remains committed to addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time including racial and social injustice, poverty, housing insecurity, drug use disorder, and food insecurity.”

A donation of any amount (suggested minimum donation of $25) will grant attendees access to the 11th Annual GLIDE Legacy Gala livestream, featuring a virtual panel discussion and live Q&A with 2020 honorees, and a dance party set to irresistible beats by DJ KingMost. A donation of $100 or more includes exclusive entry to the Legacy Gala VIP rooms featuring a SnapFiesta photo booth, improv classes hosted by Speechless, a bartending demo from Tonic Go, and more. A donation of $1,000 or more includes VIP room access and a custom Legacy Gala Kit complete with exclusive GLIDE swag, all the fixings for custom cocktails from Tonic Go and Tres Agaves, and delectable treats from a number of San Francisco’s most beloved eateries, including 25 Lusk, Pa’ina Restaurant & Lounge and Petit Crenn. Sponsorships begin at $2,500.

Past Legacy Award honorees have included The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Mpumi Nobiva, Lateefah Simon, Alicia Garza, Jeremy Affeldt, Renel Brooks-Moon, Chip Conley, Vernon Davis, Dave Eggers, Chris Gardner, Kamala Harris, Chinaka Hodge, Felicia Horowitz, Van Jones, Ronnie Lott, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Shaka Senghor, Shiza Shahid, Andres Torres, and Kristi Yamaguchi.

About Michael Franti:
Throughout his multi-decade career, Franti has earned Billboard No. 1’s with triumphantly hopeful hits “Sound of Sunshine” and “Say Hey (I Love You),” and his current single, “I Got You”, is sitting Top 5 at AAA with hopes of taking home another #1 this summer. The song was recently featured on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna in support of his new album Work Hard & Be Nice (Thirty Tigers), available now. Work Hard & Be Nice, Michael’s 11th studio album, came out in June 2020 topping the charts with hit songs like ”I Got You,” “I’m On Your Side,” “How We Living,” and “Start Small Think Big.” During the crisis of COVID-19, in an effort to continue to bring music and positivity to his fans, Michael has begun hosting monthly paid interactive livestream events which have brought together thousands of dancing fans for unforgettable nights of music.

In January 2019, Franti released his self-directed documentary “Stay Human,” which won an array of awards at film festivals worldwide and influenced his writing for the album Stay Human Vol. II (Thirty Tigers), which debuted at No. 1 on both the Americana and Independent Album charts and received critical acclaim from USA Today, Billboard, Associated Press and Paste. Michael Franti continues to foster the community both on and off stage with a wish granting non-profit, Do It For The Love, founded by Franti and his wife, Sara. Do It For The Love brings those with life threatening illnesses, veterans, and children with severe challenges to concerts worldwide, fulfilling over 3,300 wishes and touching the lives of over 12,000 people to date.

Penning op-eds for SPIN, Franti shares his insight on the current Black Lives Matter movement providing readers with background on the ongoing issues alongside his brand of positivity and hopefulness. Franti is currently quarantined at his hotel, SOULSHINE Bali, a 32-room top-rated boutique yoga hotel located in Ubud, Bali with his family. For more information, visit MichaelFranti.com or follow on Instagram and Twitter @MichaelFranti and Facebook.com/MichaelFranti.

About Amanda Gorman:
Born and raised in Los Angeles, she graduated cum laude from Harvard with a degree in Sociology. Since publishing a poetry collection at 16, her writing has won her invitations to the Obama White House and to perform for Lin-Manuel Miranda, Al Gore, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Malala Yousafzai, and others. Amanda has performed 4th of July and Thanksgiving poems for CBS and she has spoken at events and venues across the country, including the Library of Congress and Lincoln Center.

She has received a Genius Grant from OZY Media, as well as recognition from Scholastic Inc., YoungArts, the Glamour magazine College Women of the Year Awards, and the Webby Awards. She currently writes for the New York Times newsletter The Edit and recently signed a two-book deal with Viking (a division of Penguin Random House) after a bidding war involving eight publishers.

Most recently, she traveled to Slovenia with Prada as a reporter on the company's latest sustainability project, and penned the manifesto for Nike's 2020 Black History Month campaign. She is the youngest board member of 826 National, the largest youth writing network in the United States.

Event sponsors include Zendesk, SurveyMonkey and Gensler.

WHAT:
11th Annual GLIDE Legacy Gala, A Virtual Gathering
An evening to benefit GLIDE’s programs and honor architects of change that embody GLIDE’s values featuring a virtual panel discussion and live Q&A with the 2020 honorees of the Cecil Williams Legacy Award and the Janice Mirikitani Legacy Award, followed by a digital dance party set to irresistible beats by DJ KingMost.

WHERE:
Online. Visit glide.org/legacygala to register and receive access.

WHEN:
Saturday, August 15, 2020, 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

WHO:
Hosted by The GLIDE Legacy Committee

Reverend Cecil Williams Legacy Awardee: Michael Franti
Janice Mirikitani Legacy Awardee: Amanda Gorman

Entertainment by DJ KingMost

TICKETS:

A donation of any amount (suggested minimum donation - $25)
Will grant attendees access to the livestream, featuring a virtual panel discussion and live Q&A with 2020 honorees, and a dance party set to irresistible beats by DJ KingMost.

VIP Tickets & Sponsorships:
A donation of $100 or more includes exclusive entry to the Legacy Gala VIP rooms featuring a SnapFiesta photo booth, improv classes hosted by Speechless, a bartending demo from Tonic Go, and more.

A donation of $1,000 or more includes VIP room access and a custom Legacy Gala Kit complete with exclusive GLIDE swag, all the fixings for custom cocktails from Tonic Go and Tres Agaves, and delectable treats from a number of San Francisco’s most beloved eateries, including 25 Lusk, Pa’ina Restaurant & Lounge and Petit Crenn. Sponsorships begin at $2,500.

INFO:
For more information about the Legacy Gala, please email youngprofessionals [at] glide.org.

Instagram & Twitter: @GLIDEsf, @GLIDEsflegacy
Facebook: facebook.com/GLIDEsf, facebook.com/GLIDELegacy

About GLIDE:
GLIDE is a nationally recognized center for social justice dedicated to fighting systemic injustices, creating pathways out of poverty and crisis, and transforming lives. GLIDE’s integrated comprehensive services, advocacy initiatives, and inclusive community empower individuals, families, and children to achieve stability and thrive. GLIDE is on the forefront of addressing some of the most pressing issues including racial and social injustices, poverty, housing insecurity, drug use disorder, and food insecurity.

About GLIDE’s Legacy Committee
GLIDE’s Legacy Committee is a radically inclusive team comprised of young social entrepreneurs who strive to engage, inspire and educate young professionals within the San Francisco Bay Area through GLIDE’s mission of unconditional love, compassion and social justice, thus broadening and deepening community involvement.