Council Announces $3.3 Million for North Bay Fire Relief

The Bay Area Council raised more than $3.3 million for North Bay fire relief during its Annual Dinner and Bay Area Business Hall of Fame event on Nov. 9, including a $2 million contribution announced by Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO Bernard J. Tyson on behalf of the Oakland-based healthcare giant. Another $1.3 million, including a $500,000 matching grant by Verizon Wireless, was tallied during a live Raise a Paddle fundraising auction at the dinner, where Tyson was formally installed as new Chair of the Council. A gift package donated for the auction by the Golden State Warriors that included two courtside tickets, a pre-game dinner with owner Joe Lacob and a briefing with Coach Steve Kerr alone raised $65,000.

“The Bay Area is a close knit community that looks after its own and we’re proud of the generous response by our member companies to the awful tragedy in the North Bay,” said Jim Wunderman, President and CEO of the Bay Area Council. “Kaiser Permanente and Bernard Tyson set the tone for the amazing outpouring of support we have received. These contributions will go directly to community organizations in the North Bay that are working tirelessly to help thousands of residents, businesses and others recover from the horrific fires and rebuild their lives.”

The Council is partnering with non-profit Tipping Point on the Band Together Bay Area fire relief campaign along with Council members Salesforce, San Francisco Giants and Google, among others. The support raised at the Annual Dinner is part of an estimated almost $20 million in overall contributions and in-kind support donated by Council member companies to the fire relief effort so far, including groups not affiliated with Band Together.

List of Council members contributing to fire relief>>

As soon as Tipping Point announced several weeks ago that it would hold a Band Together benefit concert on the same night (Nov. 9) as the Council’s Annual Dinner, the Council quickly shifted the focus of its annual event to include a major fundraising push for fire relief.

In announcing Kaiser Permanente’s contribution, Tyson talked about the incredible bravery and sacrifice of the many first responders, residents and others in battling the historic blazes and working on the recovery. In a particularly moving story, Tyson told about a Kaiser Permanente doctor who continued to treat fire victims even as the flames demolished his own home.

The Council is working with local North Bay officials and legislators on ways to help speed the recovery and rebuilding. Council President and CEO Jim Wunderman is serving on the advisory board of Rebuilding North Bay, an organization established to lead long-term recovery efforts.