A Good Cause to Remember a Good Man: The Gabriel Rocha Foundation

Last year in October, a group of people came together to find a solution. A man that they all loved and cared for had passed only a year earlier after getting caught in a steam explosion accident. They wanted to do something to honor him and his legacy. So they formed the Gabriel Rocha Foundation. Rocha was a husband, father, coach, and friend. Everyone who knew him loved him. He worked hard at everything he did and was always willing to lend a hand or a word of encouragement. He was very involved in the community and worked hard to make the lives around him a little better whether it was through the many youth sports teams that he coached, his family, friends or even strangers.

This group, consisting of his family and friends, knew all of this about Rocha. So they decided that the group would be a non-profit organization geared toward helping those in need, specifically children, who are affected by injury or birth defects.

Joshua Rocha, Gabriel’s son, is the president of the Gabriel Rocha Foundation. He feels strongly about honoring his father’s memory.

“He was a special guy, and it didn’t seem fair that it just ended,” Rocha said. “So we looked at how to keep his memory alive. And we weren’t sure if there would be enough interest in the foundation to keep it going, but we thought we’d try.”

So Rocha along with the rest of the members of the Foundation partnered with the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Chicago and organized a golf outing at Sand Creek Country Club. To their surprise and delight, the event sold out. It sold out so quickly that they didn’t even get time to advertise about it.

“We thought that the Shriners’ Hospital was perfect to partner with. We raised $11,180 at the golf outing. And this was our first event,” Rocha said. “Our family and friends came together and made it work.”

When people found out afterward about the golf outing they barraged the Foundation with questions and requests to help. Rocha and the rest of the members realized then that they were on the right track.

“We realized that maybe we can do great things and maybe this wasn’t a one time deal. Maybe we can do good in the local community and not just with the Shriners’ Hospital,” Rocha said. “So how do we bring it to the community?”

So the Foundation is working right now to explore different avenues of giving. They still give to the Shriners Hospital, but they also want to begin a scholarship and other forms of medical assistance. They have long-term goals and plans and they are determined to make things work.

Coming up on April 27, 2013 the Rocha Foundation will be hosting a benefit dinner. The dinner will help raise money for the foundation so that they can do more work for the community. Tickets are limited so get yours while they’re still available! Click here for more information!

To find out more about the Gabriel Rocha Foundation, find them on Facebook! If you have any questions or want to get involved email them at [email protected].