Bay Area Community Gets in the Game!

On May 9, The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco was full of playful laughs, heartfelt stories, and generous supporters of the play movement. Playworks 11th annual Get in the Game Gala brought together over 250 people from throughout the Bay Area to celebrate the importance of play for our community’s youth. Monique Coleman—an Emmy award nominee, actress, youth talk show host, and United Nations Youth Champion—joined us as our emcee for the night.

We started the night off with a cocktail hour full of games like four square and cornhole, allowing guests to connect in an authentic and playful way. Playworks Potion, our signature drink for the evening, was one of the many cocktail options guest could choose from.

During the program, we celebrated our Most Valuable Principles and Rookie Coaches of the Year from throughout the Bay Area. These individuals play a key role in the large impact Playworks has on the children in our community.

Rookies of the Year:

Cali Hodge serving Longfellow Elementary School in San Francisco
Gaby Perez serving Grant Elementary School in Richmond
Lexsi Chitwood serving The Primary School in East Palo Alto

Most Valuable Principles:

Farnaz Heydari, Grant Elementary School in Richmond
Shawn Mansager, John Muir Elementary School in San Francisco
Brian Schmaedick, Rosemary Elementary School in Campbell

Lexsi Chitwood, also known as Coach C., represented all three Rookies of the Year by sharing her story of building school community through developing a unique youth leadership program for 1st graders. Monique Coleman sat down with three Junior Coaches from John Muir Elementary School to hear about their experiences as leaders on the playground.

Generous guests participated in fundraising activities throughout the evening. Lucky auction winners received great items including a 7-night stay in Bali and an Oakland A’s fan experience. We even auctioned off two playoff tickets to see the Golden State Warriors take on the Portland Trailblazers! Together, we raised over $320,000 at Get in the Game this year. These donations will ensure the power of play brings out the best in every kid.

After the program, guests were invited to a post-event reception including Giant Jenga, hula hoops, four square, and more fun ways to play! We are so grateful to all who celebrated with us.

See photos from the event on Facebook