About
Mission Statement
The mission of the Rob Benzon Dan Ferbal Foundation is to provide unexpected help and hope to individuals in the San Diego community who are suffering from a personal catastrophic event not of their making who are in need of emergency support for actual expenses.
Additionally we help individuals through local charitable causes serving the youth and the LGBTQ communities where specific needs can be identified. Our target grants to other organizations do not support general fund or overhead but rather are directed to specific causes or events the organization can isolate consistent with our mission to provide unexpected help and hope to qualifying individuals.
About Our
Foundation
The Rob Benzon Dan Ferbal Foundation is a 501(C)(3) charitable organization formed in 1999 by friends of Rob Benzon to keep his memory alive after losing him at the age of 31. The all-volunteer board is comprised of a group of a diverse group of San Diegans, many of whom were with Rob the day he died. We are all dedicated to the legacy of Rob Benzon by bringing unexpected help and hope to San Diegans in a time of crisis.
In 2019, our wonderful friend and the 2019 Rob Benzon Foundation President, Dan Ferbal succumbed to cancer. Upon his passing, A Scholarship was set up in his name, to memorialize Dan and recognize his many contributions to our foundation and the San Diego Community. That same year, it was a unanimous board decision to honor Dan’s legacy and continue our important work under a new name, Rob Benzon Dan Ferbal Foundation (RBDFF). Our passionate and motivated board is confident that this name change, and evolution of the foundation will inspire us all to give to those in need and honor these two remarkable souls.
The main focus of the Rob Benzon Dan Ferbal Foundation is to offer help to individuals who have suffered an unexpected personal catastrophic event and are in need of emergency help. If an individual meets the grant criteria and is in keeping with our mission, we award grants for specific needs, such as emergency food and shelter, medicine, medical treatment, funeral expenses, and other similar emergencies.
Our secondary focus is offering financial partnerships with select local charitable causes, primarily those that benefit youth and the LGBTQ communities of San Diego. These contributions are offered when specific needs can be identified and are in keeping with our mission. Our grants awarded to other organizations do not support their general fund or overhead but rather are directed to specific needs the organization can isolate that are consistent with our mission.
The Rob Benzon Dan Ferbal Foundation all-volunteer board, along with the generous host committee, sponsors, and underwriters, provides everything needed to produce its fundraising events. With this volunteer commitment, we are proud to report that 100% of the ticket sales is used to fund the Rob Benzon Dan Ferbal Foundation grants. To date, over $250,000 has been granted to those in need in our San Diego community. We are a grass roots foundation- those buying tickets to events and donating goods and services are making a wonderful impact-ALL funds raised through fundraiser ticket sales will be distributed directly to worthwhile causes, without a penny going to overhead expenses! We are so grateful for your support!
How It All Began
In 1999, at Rob’s memorial service, Rob’s friends and family took up a collection to make a charitable donation in honor of their friend. Rob’s mother, Connie, matched the amount and later donated the funds made from selling Rob’s possessions.
The Rob Benzon Memorial fund was formed with this $10,000 to help some needy San Diegans in Rob’s memory.
The friends continued to add to the fund by soliciting donations from guests at their annual Pride parties. The guiding principle was to bring friends together to have a good time and allow people, who are not normally philanthropic, to give a small amount of money to attend the event. This money, when aggregated, is then used to assist someone in need and create a positive impact to their life.
This grassroots concept grew throughout the years, and the friends were inspired to do more to continue Rob’s legacy. They incorporated the fund into what is now the registered non-profit 501(c)(3) Rob Benzon Foundation and continue to raise and grant funds for this purpose.
In 2020, the foundation continues its amazing work under its new name, the Rob Benzon Dan Ferbal Foundation (RBDFF).
It brings us great comfort and pride knowing that both Rob and Dan are shining their great light down on us and we hope that we are making them proud. Rob’s infectious laugh, Dan’s kind, Virgo organized nature will always guide us as we continue to do good work in their memory.
Thank you for your support of the philanthropic work of the Rob Benzon Dan Ferbal Foundation. If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected] or visit our Contact Page for more information.
