SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Business leaders, lawmakers, advocates, and other supporters gathered for the 2025 “Promise Champions” West Coast Benefit last night, to celebrate collaborative efforts to protect children from gun violence, school shootings, and other acts of harm. The benefit was hosted by Sandy Hook Promise, a national nonprofit with a mission to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities.
In attendance was the night’s special honoree, Susan Packard Orr, philanthropist and founder and CEO of Arreva Software, who received a Promise Champion award. Also in attendance were San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, Host Committee Members Ron Conway and Danny Conway, and Chief of Emergency Medicine Dr. Chris Colwell of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and a first responder to Columbine High School tragedy in 1999.
A key focus of the benefit was the integration of Beyond Differences and Sandy Hook Promise, two organizations with like-minded goals to end social isolation and boost school safety by building connections between peers and adults.
“Beyond Differences and Sandy Hook Promise were both created from loss, and in the years since have been turning tragedy into transformation. Beyond Differences was founded by Laura Talmus and Ace Smith, who turned the loss of their daughter Lili into a movement that inspires millions of middle school students to end social isolation. The No One Eats Alone campaign has since transformed school culture across America — and helped inspire Sandy Hook Promise’s Start with Hello program. Now, our two organizations are united, creating belonging and safety for every child,” said Nicole Hockley, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, and mother of Dylan, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.
“Everyone in this room is part of a national effort to protect children from violence and create safer, more connected schools. Together, we are working toward one shared goal: to empower youth and adults to strengthen community safety and save lives. It’s an honor to be here among so many champions for youth. That’s what tonight is about,” added Mark Barden, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise and father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.
The event spotlighted a special honoree, nationally renowned philanthropist Susan Packard Orr, a long-time supporter of Sandy Hook Promise, gun violence prevention, and numerous other causes that prioritize the well-being of children.
Susan Packard Orr has spent a lifetime serving as a leader in the nonprofit industry, both as a board member for multiple prominent organizations and as the founder and CEO of Arreva Software, which provides consulting services and software exclusive to nonprofits.
“Susan Orr is an extraordinary changemaker – someone whose generosity, leadership, and compassion have made an immeasurable impact. Susan has elevated hundreds of nonprofits and transformed how they serve their communities. Her philanthropy has prioritized children, and her belief in prevention and collective action has helped us reach thousands more students nationwide. Her support has fueled this mission, inspired us to reach further, and kept hope alive,” Barden said.
“After [a tragedy] we hear about thoughts and prayers. But thoughts and prayers do nothing to stop a killing. I can’t tell you how much I admire Nicole, Mark, and Sandy Hook Promise for taking concrete action in the wake of incomprehensible loss. And I admire the approach. They’ve chosen to work directly with the kids themselves, encouraging them to reach out to their fellow students and providing them with access to a tip line and the safety to speak up anonymously,” said Susan Packard Orr.
“I have spent most of my life supporting children’s causes and children’s hospitals, where amazing doctors are inventing new ways to save children from cancer, heart disease, and a myriad of other childhood diseases. And yet, the number one cause of death among children 1 to 18 is gun violence. It is not acceptable. So, I wish to say a huge thank you for providing me with an opportunity to do something, however small, to move us to a better world where children can go to school without fear, and parents can know that their kids will come home at the end of the day. That’s why I support Sandy Hook Promise,” Packard Orr added.
For more information about Sandy Hook Promise’s evidence-informed prevention programs – which have prevented at least 19 credible planned school shooting attacks, more than 1,000 youth suicides, and countless other acts of harm – as well as ways to take action, support life-saving firearm access policies, and more, please visit sandyhookpromise.org.
Select photos from the event are available here.
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Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) envisions a future where all children are free from school shootings and other acts of violence. As a national nonprofit organization, SHP’s mission is to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Creators of the life-saving, evidence-informed “Know the Signs” prevention programs, SHP teaches the warning signs of someone who may be in crisis, socially isolated, or at-risk of hurting themselves or others and how to get help. SHP also advances school safety, youth mental health, and responsible gun ownership at the state and federal levels through nonpartisan policy and partnerships. SHP is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.
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Nick Dmitrovich | [email protected] | 203-304-9780 Ext. 279