We at Rising Sun pride ourselves on working diligently to educate members of the public on useful ways to be most efficient at home and in their daily lives, and by also celebrating the hard work that our organization puts forth on a regular basis. Bright Night 2015 was an example of our effort to take a step back and honor Rising Sun’s commitment to creating sustainable communities within the Bay Area and beyond.

On Thursday, May 7, 2015, Rising Sun hosted our annual fundraising event, Bright Night, at the Ed Roberts campus in Berkeley, California. It was a wonderful celebration, presented by Pacific Gas & Electric Company, where we welcomed elected officials, corporate partners, community organizers, and individual supporters to join us in celebrating Rising Sun and raising funds for the organization, allowing us to deepen our work within the community.

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The event was attended by approximately 200 guests, and boasted over 80 amazing auction items, beautiful and tasty hors d’oeuvres catered by Work of Art Catering, a certified green business, beer and wine donated by Bear Republic Brewery and Barefoot Wine and Bubbly, delicious cupcakes donated by Teacake Bakeshop, and the smooth sounds of Latin Jazz band Jeff McNish and the Viento y Marea All Stars.

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Executive Director, Jodi Pincus-Cabrera, presented a powerful keynote address urging attendees to think critically about their roles in empowering and supporting communities of need, and was followed by the inspiring words of former program participants Faith Ndama and Cornel Martin, Eunice Garcia of Pacific Gas & Electric Company, and Rising Sun Board Members Mikhal Bouganim and Michael Balster.

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Bright Night was a wonderful success, providing Rising Sun the opportunity to start the conversation about ways we can better serve our community and build relations with community leaders already doing the important work of creating a more sustainable world.

Check out some pictures below!

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Corporate Sponsors: Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Barbara and Gerson Bakar, Cooperative Center Federal Credit Union, SunRun, Bright Plain Renewable Energy, Business Professional Insurance Associates, Inc., Comerica Bank, Community Energy Services Corporation, Compass Financial Communications, The Greenlining Institute, Lance Reynolds, Sheet Metal Workers Local Union No. 104, Skeo Solutions, SunPower, and The Urban Farmer Store.