On Thursday, September 17, 2026, RAFT hosted its annual fundraising event: Fields of STEAM. Over 160 supporters were present at RAFT, which was transformed into a beautiful space for the special event for the night.
That evening, we honored the individuals and organizations that have made a profound impact on RAFT and the education community. Guests also learned about RAFT and what we are doing to further our mission of inspiring joy through hands-on learning. We were able to raise over $360,000.
RAFT’s Impact in Fields of STEAM
Much like the movie Field of Dreams, RAFT was built on an unlikely dream by a local educator. In the more than 30 years since RAFT was established, our community has grown to include educators, students, parents, sponsors, donors, and volunteers across the Bay Area. All of them work together to make this dream a reality and ensure all educators and students have access to quality STEAM education.
Watch the video below to learn more about RAFT’s lasting impact on the education community.
2026 STEAM Educators of the Year
The STEAM Educator of the Year Award honors educators who have gone above and beyond to give students engaging, hands-on lessons that help develop 21st century skills such as resilience, creativity, and critical thinking.
RAFT Board Member Loretta Li-Sevilla of HP and sponsors Vicki Boykoff from Credo and Brandon Scott from Star One Credit Union presented the awards.
The 2026 STEAM Educators of the Year are Jenny Doan from Washington Elementary, Giselle Serafin from Columbia Middle School, Christina Pham from Yew Chung International School, and Francis Rivas from Morrill Middle School.
Watch the video below to hear the inspiring stories of these educators, and read more about them in our 2026 Hall of Fame.
RAFT Heroes of the Year
This year, RAFT honored Lewis and Dianna Chew as the RAFT Heroes of the Year. Lewis and Dianna have been longtime supporters and volunteers at RAFT, and their children have volunteered with RAFT as well.
This spring, Lewis and Dianna hosted a family bocce tournament and fundraiser that raised over $50,000 for RAFT. You can read more about their impact here.
RAFT Board Member Yosuke Ogata from KPMG and John Ebner, a previous RAFT Hero and Advisory Board Member, presented the award.
RAFT Volunteer of the Year
Volunteers play a critical role in helping RAFT serve the education community. Without volunteers, we would not be able to provide hands-on activities to the students who need us most.
The 2026 RAFT Volunteer of the Year is the RAFT Pioneer Club, founded by Kaden Gobok, Gianmarco Pavia, and Hayk Khachaturyan. You can read more about the club and its impact here.
This award was presented by RAFT Board Member Charu Gupta of Cisco.
RAFT Partner of the Year
The 2026 RAFT Partner of the Year is Synaptics.
Synaptics has provided comprehensive support to RAFT through grant funding, volunteer hours, and material donations. Their generosity with their donations as well the employees’ volunteering time has helped us bring our hands-on learning resources to our most underserved students and schools as well as provided opportunities to work together for Synaptics’ Bring Your Kids to Work Days! You can read more about them here.
The award was presented to Lisa Bodensteiner, Chief Legal Officer, and Lori Stahl, Chief People Officer of Synaptics by RAFT Board Chair, Frederic Caldwell.
RAFT Staff
Behind every event and all our efforts is a passionate team working to make it happen. Get to know the amazing members of the RAFT staff in this fun video!
Event Committee, Sponsors, and Donors
With the support of our event committee, sponsors, and donors, RAFT is creating a brighter future for the education community. Thank you for joining us in our mission to inspire joy through hands-on learning.
