BLOSSOMING LEADERS OF OUR
MESSAGE WELCOME
Welcome to the 2nd Annual BLOOM ROC Fundraiser & Gala Awards! Tonight is more than just a celebration it is a call to action, a gathering of visionaries, changemakers, and advocates committed to building an equitable and inclusive future in the cannabis industry. We are here to recognize progress, uplift the voices of those who have long been marginalized, and reaffirm our commitment to a thriving, community-driven economy
At BLOOM ROC, we believe that economic justice and opportunity should not be reserved for the few but should be accessible to all especially those most impacted by the failed War on Drugs The businesses and individuals we support are not just seeking to survive in this industry; they strive to lead, redefine, and make it more inclusive Whether through incubator programs, licensing support, or business development initiatives, we are breaking down barriers and ensuring that underserved entrepreneurs have the tools they need to succeed But we cannot do it alone
Your support tonight is a direct investment in change Every dollar raised, every partnership formed, and every conversation sparked here tonight plays a role in reshaping the cannabis landscape into one that is diverse, sustainable, and communityfocused By contributing to this cause, you are not just supporting BLOOM ROC you are supporting generational wealth-building, job creation, and the economic revitalization of communities that have been left behind for too long
As we move forward together, let tonight serve as a reminder that the power to create change is in our hands Let’s build, uplift, and continue this mission beyond tonight’s event Thank you for standing with us, believing in this vision, and being part of something truly transformative Here’s to making 2025 our most impactful year yet!
With appreciation,
Precious Brown
President, BLOOM
ROC
Chad
Anderson
Vice President, BLOOM ROC
NORMED LANGUAGE
Social & Economic Equity
Social & Economic Equity
Community Disproportionately Impacted (CDI)
Minority-Owned Business
Women-Owned Business
Distressed Farmers Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVOB)
IIncubator ncubator
A business incubator is a program that provides early-stage startups with resources, mentorship, and support to help them grow and succeed. The impact of a business incubator includes accelerated development, increased access to funding, valuable networking opportunities, and improved chances of long-term success for participating startups.
Educational Learning Experiences
(ELE)
Educational Learning Experiences (ELE)
Educational Learning Experiences (ELE) is a cost-effective training course offering, hands-on workshops and networking opportunities designed to enhance participants' knowledge and skills in a practical and collaborative manner, with the aim of fostering personal and professional growth.
I think YES!
Open Bar Open Bar
Bar Schedule:
Cash Bar: 6:00pm - 6:30pm
OPEN BAR SESSION ONE: 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Bar closed: 7:30pm - 8:00pm
Cash Bar during dinner: 8:00pm - 9:15pm
Bar Closed: 9:15pm - 10:00pm
OPEN BAR SESSION TWO: 10:00pm - 11:00pm
Hemp Terp Bar Hemp Terp Bar
Free low THC samples available from: 6:00pm - 7:30pm 8:00pm - 9:15pm 10:00pm - 11:00pm
AGENDA
Media Hour & VIP Session
Cocktail Hour + Live Music + Open Bar
Welcome by BLOOM Team
Rochester Regional Welcome: Mayor Malik Evans
Special Presentation & Acknowledgments
Invocation: Bishop Willie Davis
Dinner Service
Keynote Address: Majority Leader
Crystal Peoples-Stokes
6:00PM-7:00PM
7:00PM-7:40PM 7:45PM-7:50PM 7:50PM-7:57PM 8:25PM-8:30PM 9:15PM-9:30PM 7:58PM-8:25PM 8:30PM-9:30PM
Fundraising Auction 9:30PM-10:00PM
Dancing & Dessert 10:15PM-11:00PM
ROCHESTERREGIONALWELCOME
Malik D. Evans 71st Mayor of Rochester
Malik D. Evans is the 71st Mayor of Rochester. As the leader of the City’s executive branch, Mayor Evans is committed to promoting positive, systemic, and structural change by providing transparent and collaborative leadership, offering equitable access to essential municipal services, enabling productive intergovernmental, private, and non-profit partnerships, and promoting increased quality of life through investments that create vibrant neighborhoods and employment opportunities, making Rochester a hopefilled city with an exciting future He was inaugurated on Jan 1, 2022
Mayor Evans was born and raised in the city and graduated from Wilson Magnet High School before earning his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester and his Master’s degree from Nazareth College The son of parents committed to a activism, Mayor Evans’ dual callings in elected office and the banking industry share the complementary ambitions to help others and share prosperity.
Mayor Evans’ interest in public service can be traced back to his high school years when he launched a City-County Youth Council to help young people develop an interest in community advocacy.
Mayor Evans’ career in elected office began at 23 when he became the youngest person ever elected to the Rochester Board of Education. He served in that role until 2017, including as President of the Board from 2008 to 2013. At the School Board, he adopted a mantra to guide all decisions in elected office: “We can find solutions to our most pressing challenges by focusing on finding common ground.”
Malik D. Evans 71st Mayor of Rochester
In 2017, he was elected to an at-large seat on the Rochester City Council and held the position through 2021 as chair of the Finance Committee.
Prior to becoming Mayor, Mayor Evans worked as an officer in the banking industry for more than 20 years, holding various leadership positions at M&T Bank Corporation and ESL Federal Credit Union. He developed a focus to ensure the financial sector responded to the needs of all customers with equity and fairness by ensuring all individuals and businesses have access to the knowledge, tools and information that will help them build a stronger financial future.
His community involvement included various boards and commissions such as Rochester Area Community Foundation Board of Directors and a founding board member of the Commissary Downtown Kitchen Incubator for foodservice entrepreneurs in Upstate New York. Mayor Evans also served on the Board of Trustees at the Rochester Museum and Science Center, Path Stone Enterprise Center, RIT’s Center for Urban Entrepreneurship Advisory, and the Wilmot Cancer Institute.Mayor Evans and his wife Shawanda are the proud parents of two sons. Evans enjoys spending time with his family, attending concerts, and traveling to new places.
2025HONOREES
FLOWER CITY FAITH IN BLOOM CONSORTIUM
The consortium is led by Bloom Roc Inc and Vice President/ Chief Administrator of the Faith Community Alliance of Greater Rochester: Bishop Willie Davis
The Flower City Faith in Bloom Consortium ensures that Rochester’s residents, particularly those from historically marginalized communities, can access the resources, education, and opportunities needed to thrive in the cannabis industry.
Our shared goals include:
Securing equitable funding: Advocating for grants, loans, and revenue-sharing programs to support local entrepreneurs, workforce development, and community reinvestment
Educate the public on the medicinal and economic benefits of cannabis while addressing concerns through an open, faith-driven dialogue.
Addressing educational disparities: Partnering with local organizations to provide training, mentorship, and resources that close gaps in skills, knowledge, and access.
Our faith-based perspective emphasizes restoration, justice, and compassion By working together, we aim to turn an industry historically rooted in harm into a vehicle for healing, opportunity, and shared prosperity.
The time to act is now. Together, through the Flower City Faith in Bloom Consortium, we can ensure that Rochester’s cannabis industry becomes a model for equity, sustainability, and community uplift
MENU
Appetizers
ArtisanSlicedCheesewithPepperoniand Crackers
GrilledandRawVegetablePlatterwithHummus andRanch
AssortedHotHorsD'oeuvres
POWERED BY:
Dinner
FreshMixedGreenswithTwoDressingChoices
FreshVegetableMedley
SaltPotatoes
MiniPennePastawithMarinaraandAlfredowith Cheese&Toppings
ChefCarvedRoastedTurkey
BeefBrisket
POWERED BY:
KEYNOTE BIOPG1
In Assemblywoman Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes was elevated to the Majority Leader of the New York State Assembly. PeoplesStokes has served Buffalo’s 141st Assembly District since 2003 PeoplesStokes was born and raised in Buffalo, New York The daughter of a school teacher and a sanitation worker, Peoples-Stokes attended Buffalo Public Schools before earning her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Master’s in Student Personnel Administration from Buffalo State College. Stokes also holds an Honorary Doctorate from Medaille College. She worked briefly as a school teacher before the Buffalo Urban League and Citizen Action of NY. Peoples-Stokes served on the Erie County Legislature from 1993 until 2002, being appointed Majority Leader in 1998.
Peoples-Stokes has a reputation for being a strong advocate who puts people and principles before politics. She is a fearless fighter for diversity in our state. She has ensured that Minority and Women-Owned Businesses have a fair chance of obtaining state contracts In recognition of these efforts, an Assembly A subcommittee on MWBE was created, and she was selected to serve as Chair in 2012 In 2015 she was appointed as Chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Governmental Operations. This committee maintains oversight on ethics reform and FOIL requests,state police, homeland security, disaster and emergency preparedness, MWBE, crime victims, human rights, and military and naval affairs. In June 2017, she was voted by her colleagues to be Chair of the New York State Legislative Women’s Caucus which is a bi-partisan and bi-cameral group.
Assembly Majority Leader
Crystal Peoples-Stokes
KEYNOTE BIOPG2
Peo s championed a Diversity in Medicine initiative that has promoted entry into the medical field with academic and financial support for promising students of color. She has secured resources to start Buffalo’s Teacher Diversity Pipeline, which will help teachers’ aides and assistants obtain the proper training and certification to teach in NYS.
In June 2019, The Majority Leader successfully passed a law to decriminalize possession and the expungement of minor marijuana convictions from New Yorkers’ criminal records, a critical accomplishment along the path toward legalization. In March 2021, Peoples-Stokes did just that, successfully passing The Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA), legalizing the adult use of cannabis with a goal of 50% of licenses going to equity applicants and the dedication of 40% of cannabis revenues being reinvested into disenfranchised communities of color in New York State, a bill and effort she had sponsored for eight years. MRTA possesses such a comprehensive equity initiative,that it has quickly become the new model for states looking to legalize cannabis.
Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes attributes her accomplishments to her deep and abiding faith and family. She is a member of True Bethel Baptist Church and St. Luke’s AME Zion Church and currently resides in Buffalo, New York with her family.
Assembly Majority Leader
Crystal Peoples-Stokes
The BLOOM ROC Incubator Program supports minority-, women-, and veteran-owned cannabis businesses with mentorship, resources, and an operational stipend. Focused on Social and Economic Equity, it empowers entrepreneurs to navigate New York’s cannabis industry while fostering community growth.
Snowbelt Cannabis Women Owned Processor
OF
MISSION
Our mission is to harness the collective power of our community to drive meaningful change within SEE applicants. The resilience and strength of our strategic solutions derive from our commitment to invest and pool our resources, talents, and expertise. Our overarching aim is to create and protect sustainable economic development in marginalized communities by fostering tangible and lasting enhancements in the early stages of cannabis businesses.
B O A R D M E M B E R S M E E T O U R
ANARSHAO’MEALY DRAKETHOMAS DIGNOCAMINERO
BIDDING WITH PURPOSE
Two-Tier Auction Instructions
How to Participate:
Wait for the Host to Officially Open the Two-Tier Auction
The host will announce when bidding begins for this
segment.
Clearly Show Your Paddle
When the auctioneer calls out an amount, raise your paddle high to place your bid.
Team Member Confirmation
A BLOOM ROC team member will approach you to confirm your bid and ensure it is recorded.
Winning Bidders
Once the auctioneer announces the final bid, the team member will have you sign off on your commitment.
Invoice & Payment Details
You will receive an invoice within 24 hours. All invoices must be paid upon receipt unless your commitment is over $5,000, in which case a payment arrangement must be established.
Receiving Your Item or Experience:
All auction prizes and redemption details will be shared via email or mail within 14 days of the event. Physical items will be shipped or made available for pickup as specified.
LIVEAUCTION
BID ON HIGH-VALUE PRIZES, INCLUDING TOP-TIER TRAVEL PACKAGES, FINE DINING EXPERIENCES, AND EXCLUSIVE ITEMS. THESE OFFERINGS PROVIDE A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY TO INDULGE WHILE SUPPORTING A GREAT CAUSE.
HighTimesMagazineBundle
StartingBid:$60
Acollector’ssetofvintageHigh Timesmagazines,featuring iconiccoversandhistoric momentsincannabisculture.
Community Bundle Powered by Ink Extracts
Starting Bid: $90
This exclusive bundle includes premium Ink Extracts swag and a 4-pack of Ink’s newest beverage, Dye! Experience a micro-dosed day to perfection with this carefully crafted product If you know this iconic legacy brand transitioning into the legal market, you’ll understand why this bundle is a must-have Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity!
LivingSoilNDVPackage
StartingBid:$150
ApremiumsetofLivingSoil NDVproducts,including supersoilformulas,livingcoco, andplantfooddesignedfor optimalgrowth.Perfectfor growerslookingtocultivate thriving,nutrient-richplants withminimaleffort!
Masterbuilt30"AnalogElectricSmoker
StartingBid:$280
Elevateyouroutdoorcookingwiththe Masterbuilt30"AnalogElectricSmoker, featuringthreeracksforoptimalsmoking capacity Perfectforbeginnersand seasonedpitmastersalike,thissmoker deliversrich,slow-cookedflavorwithease!
LIVEAUCTION
BID ON HIGH-VALUE PRIZES, INCLUDING TOP-TIER TRAVEL PACKAGES, FINE DINING EXPERIENCES, AND EXCLUSIVE ITEMS. THESE OFFERINGS PROVIDE A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY TO INDULGE WHILE SUPPORTING A GREAT CAUSE.
