Wow! What a party!
We rolled the dice at our big Casino Royale holiday party at Sandbox Suites in December, where over 300 of y’all joined the fun over blackjack, roulette, and craps to not only have a ton of fun and to win some cool prizes — but to try to make the world a little bit better for those less fortunate.
* Train one woman as a community health worker in Afghanistan, who will assist 9,000 women annually, in turn, saving thousands of women who would have lost their lives or the lives of their babies during pregnancy and delivery (via Creating Hope International).
* Help provide a health worker with enough needles and syringes to provide over 1,000 vaccinations to children in clinics in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia (via Merlin’s emergency response in East Africa).
* Purchase a water treatment system for 2 families in earthquake and Cholera ravaged Haiti (via Haiti Hospital Appeal).
* Pay for books and a uniform for 1 war-torn and impoverished South Sudanese child for 1 year (via Omdurman Family Project).
* Support to civil society movements in Egypt, and protect citizen media and other independent news sources, as well as circumvent internet censorship in Egypt, Syria, and Iran by helping Access keep its servers running on the Tor Network (via Access).
* Conserve 5 acres of the Tanzanian rainforest (about the size of 4 football fields) for one year (via Tanzania Forest Conservation Group).
We also donated food to families in need via the Marin Food Bank, and provided a box of toys for less fortunate children of Northern California.
Woot!
A big shout-out to our sponsors who helped us pull it off :Â Â Thanks to Mediastay and OPOWER for all your support!
Our friends at Rockwall Wines invite you to use the special code “SFNEWTECH” for 15% off your next order and to enjoy free shipping.  You’re also encouraged to check out the awesome selection of wines at Cellar360 for a wonderful selection.  And, the next time you belly up to your favorite bar, please patronize Asahi Beer & Blue Angel Vodka, and your thirst will be quenched and your mood lifted!
Thanks for a great 2011!
We’re really looking forward to seeing you all in 2012!