Flower Power 2024
The 20th Annual Flower Power GALA
Honoring AT&T’s Cammy Blackstone as Woman of Dedication
Featuring floral designer Jun Pinon, recognizing Anthem Blue Cross Foundation for grant to homeless initiative
July 17, 2024 – San Francisco, CA. - The Salvation Army San Francisco Advisory Board and Flower Power Committee are pleased to announce The Salvation Army’s 20th Annual Army Flower Power GALA on August 2, 2024, from 6 – 11 PM at the San Francisco Design Center Galleria. In its 20th year, Flower Power is raising funds for The Salvation Army’s innovative homeless initiative, The Way Out. Through a Treatment on Demand model, The Way Out helps individuals struggling with addiction to achieve abstinence, rediscover their potential, and renew their sense of hope for the future.
Attending this Flower Power event allows guests to “Do the Most Good” for the community while enjoying an evening of floral design by Jun Pinon, a highly anticipated silent auction, a fabulous dinner, and an afterparty hosted by Adam Swig’s non-profit, Value Culture.
“Homelessness is a significant humanitarian crisis facing our City; one that requires a proportionally significant response,” said Major Matthew Madsen, Divisional Secretary for San Francisco. “The Way Out initiative is the Salvation Army’s plan to engage our unhoused neighbors struggling with substance abuse disorder and provide them a way out of their situation. We aim to restore the dignity and agency of every individual in our continuum of services so that they may be free from the chains of addiction and pursue the life they once dreamed of pursuing. We are excited to showcase this initiative and its transformational impact at this year’s Flower Power event.”
AT&T’s Director of External Affairs in San Francisco, Cammy Blackstone is being honored as the 2024 Woman of Dedication.
Blackstone leads the company's engagement with external stakeholders, media, government, and community partners in the City. This includes leading AT&T’s Digital Literacy and Connected Learning efforts, supporting AT&T’s fiber and wireless projects through local and state legislative initiatives, and educating policymakers about AT&T’s priorities. She also serves as vice-chair on the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and as a member on the sf.citi Board of Directors.
“I am thrilled to be honored by The Salvation Army!” said Blackstone. I have lived in San Francisco for more than 40 years and am a true believer that the City will be BACK and better than ever. As pillars of San Francisco, serving the most vulnerable, The Salvation Army is part of the reason why I believe in San Francisco. From our seniors to the children and families who live in our City and to our unhoused neighbors, they have been busy serving those in need.
The Woman of Dedication award was established to honor The Salvation Army's long history of women in leadership and pastoral positions who have been key changemakers within their community. In 1904, Evangeline Booth was the first recipient of this distinction when she was appointed the U.S. national leader of The Salvation Army. In the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, she led a mass meeting in Union Square, New York City, which raised over $12,000 to provide relief to victims of the San Francisco disaster directly. Nearly 30 years later, in 1934, Evangeline Booth became the first woman to lead The Salvation Army worldwide, giving her the distinction of General.
In addition, the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation will be recognized for its $250,000 grant benefiting The Way Out.
For more information log onto FlowerPowerSF.org
About The Salvation Army:
The Salvation Army was established in London in 1865 and since 1883 has been serving the San Francisco Bay Area, offering practical support, spiritual comfort and a critical safety net to people in need. The safety net is funded in part by donations from the Red Kettle Campaign which started in San Francisco in 1891. Nearly 300,000 people living in the San Francisco Bay Area receive assistance from the Army annually through a range of social services; clothing and shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry, opportunities for underprivileged children, alcohol rehabilitation, transitional housing, nutritional and housing support for seniors and relief for disaster survivors. For every dollar donated to The Salvation Army, 82 cents is used to support those services in facilities throughout San Francisco. For more information go to sanfrancisco.salvationarmy.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @SalvationArmySF and Instagram @salvationarmy_sf.
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