Rocco Prestia Medical Fund

Francis Rocco Prestia is a living legend, thanks to you! It is one of the most remarkable stories in the history of the Internet, in my opinion. It simply illustrates the difference that we can make when we all come together to support a common cause.

As a skinny high school kid in Oakland, California back in the 1960's, Rocco achieved what few people manage to accomplish in one's lifetime. He actually redefined the paradigm when it comes to playing the bass guitar. His driving, pulsating, seemingly impossible 1/16th notes and "ghost" notes changed forever the way musicians approach this instrument. The dynamic 1-2 knockout punch of Rocco Prestia and the incomparable drummer, David Garibaldi, quickly set the standard for defining the groove and to this day consummately embodies Rhythm in the Reign.

In early 2002, it became apparent that Mr. Prestia's health had deteriorated to the point that his life was in danger. A liver transplant would be the only thing that could save his life. But due to pre-existing conditions, his medical insurance was limited. The fans of his band, the mighty Tower of Power, came together to create the Rocco Prestia Medical Fund to help Mr. Prestia with his personal and medical expenses. I had the honor and privilege of leading this effort as Trustee of the medical fund trust.

This Web site was launched on July 4, 2002, prior to the popularity of blogging and all the other social media networking that might have made this fundraising task even more robust. We didn't know much about Web Design. The site wasn't fancy— it didn't have any high-tech bells and whistles like YouTube or Flash. Just a PayPal donation button, some plain old-fashioned HTML, and a sincere request for help.

Nevertheless, on July 11, 2002, just ONE WEEK later, the medical fund had already received more than $31,000 in donations from all over the world: $50 here, a hundred there, and lots of $10 and $20 donations. By Labor Day, over $150,000 in donations had poured in! Everyone associated with this fundraising effort was delighted, yet stunned. I don't think anyone secretly expected this kind of response. It was a first for the Internet, fueled largely by the support of prominent bass guitarists like Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten and Will Lee, nationally-recognized musicians like Paul Shaffer, the Average White Band, Aerosmith and more, the Dude Pit bass forum, and friends and fans everywhere. The largest single donation came from an international icon in the music business who wishes to remain anonymous. Local fundraisers from Los Angeles to Denver to Chicago to New York brought in even more support. Ultimately more than 5,275 Web sites worldwide linked to this Internet page! Unbelievable.

As a result of this tremendous and instantaneous outpouring of love and affection for one of music's best bass guitarists, the surgeons at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles were convinced to go ahead with the liver transplant surgery. Mr. Prestia received a new liver from an anonymous donor on July 23, 2002. The lead surgeon is on record as stating that Mr. Prestia came "within an hour or so" of dying. Remarkably, Rocco was back on stage with his band in September 2002, just 60 days later. He would subsequently undergo open heart surgery on August 21, 2006. This is one tough dude, let me tell you.

Now, over six years later, Mr. Prestia continues on tour today with Tower of Power. The fundraising effort ultimately raised nearly $200,000, an unprecedented Internet accomplishment exceeded only by the fundraising in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, certainly the largest and most successful Internet fundraiser for a lone individual not running for office. It was only possible because of the warmheartedness and generosity of good people all over the world. Contributions came in from more than 25 countries worldwide, over 20% of the total from Japan alone, thanks to the tireless efforts of one of Tower of Power's greatest fans, Toshinori Mogi.

Thank you for your wonderful support in the hour of Mr. Prestia's need! This story is so remarkable that it has been included in a highly-anticipated marketing book entitled The Nature of Marketing: Marketing to the Swarm as well as the Herd, by Chuck Brymer, the CEO of DDB Worldwide, released in November 2008. See http://us.macmillan.com/thenatureofmarketing. DDB is one of the world's largest advertising agencies, whose clients include McDonald's, Pepsi-Cola, Volkswagen, and many others. The point of Brymer's book is that the growth of digital social networks has led us to behave more like swarms in nature such as flocks of birds or schools of fish, where small points of leverage can quickly influence thousands or millions of people. What makes the Rocco Prestia Medical Fund astonishing in its scope and achievement is that it occurred before the social media networking phenomenon became commonplace on the Internet. Today you would blog it on Wordpress or Blogger or Ning.com, post it on del.icio.us or AddThis.com, add a "Share This" button, spread it through the social media networks like MySpace and Facebook, let the viral effect take over—and then hope for the best. But in 2002 all we had was this page—and YOU. Thank you for helping to extend the life of Francis Rocco Prestia, a true American musical treasure!

Sincerely,

Trustee, Rocco Prestia Medical Fund

PS. Donations to the Rocco Prestia Medical Fund are gifts to Mr. Prestia and are not tax-deductible. This makes the result even more incredible, because it means that people gave from their hearts even though they could not take a tax writeoff on it.

Kentucky Colonel Francis Rocco Prestia!

On April 17, 2009, Rocco appeared at the Norton Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Before the show, Mike Perros, President of the Danville Chamber of Commerce, presented Rocco with a certificate from the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Steven L. Beshear, commissioning Rocco as a Kentucky Colonel. This is an honorary title bestowed upon selected individuals based upon the nominee's service and contributions to the global community. Past recipients include President Lyndon Johnson, General Omar Bradley, Muhammed Ali, Tiger Woods, Sir Winston Churchill, Bob Hope, Clark Gable, and many, many more individuals recognized nationally and internationally for their contributions to society. All ten members of Tower of Power were so honored on April 17, 2009. Mr. Prestia is humbled and grateful to have been honored in such a special way. Here is Rocco's certificate:

Pictured above left: Rocco Prestia at the Norton Center for the Performing Arts, Centre College, Danville, Kentucky, on April 17, 2009. Photo credit: Brian Snyder, Snyder Photography, www.snyderphotography.net. Copyright 2009, Snyder Photography. All rights reserved. Used with permission. May not be copied or used without written permission of the copyright owner.
Pictured above right: Rocco Prestia at the May 30, 2008 Tower of Power concert at the Sweetwater GearFest in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Photo credit: Bob Burchfield.