Four years ago, we started a backyard BBQ.
It was simple: family, friends, neighbors, food, music, and a chance to spend a summer day together. It was fun, and we knew we wanted to do it again.
But to me, it felt like something was missing. The event had energy. It had community. It had music. It just needed a greater purpose.
Then, in March of 2024, we welcomed a permanent guest into the family.
Type 1 Diabetes.
Most people associate diabetes with Type 2, which is far more common and influenced by factors like genetics, age, environment, and lifestyle. Type 1 is different. It is an autoimmune disease. For reasons we still do not fully understand, the immune system attacks the pancreas and changes daily life permanently.
Being diagnosed at any age is a major adjustment, and I was no exception. It took about a year to regain my footing.
When I looked back, I realized the story had changed. What began as a backyard party had quietly become something bigger. The event itself had stayed familiar, but the purpose had gathered around it.
That became the Rock and Roll Backyard BBQ: music, community, and a fundraiser for diabetes.
Last year, at our Second Annual Van Hiller Rock and Roll Backyard BBQ, we set a fundraising goal of $1,000 for the American Diabetes Association.
Together, we raised more than $3,000.
This year, for the Third Annual Van Hiller Rock and Roll Backyard BBQ, we focused specifically on Type 1 Diabetes and chose to support Breakthrough T1D, an organization that has been advocating for people living with Type 1 since the 1970s. They fund research, advocate for legislation, improve access to treatment, and continue pushing toward the thing every family affected by T1D hopes for: a cure.
We set a much bigger goal this time: $5,000.
By the time the day arrived, we were close. We had raised just over 80% earlier in the week, and the final gap still sat in front of us as people began arriving, performers started tuning up, and the yard filled in.
Then something happened that I could never have planned.
We hit the $5,000 goal as the very first song came to a close onstage.
That moment will stay with me for a long time.
By the end, we had raised more than $5,500 for Breakthrough T1D.
So two years in a row now, this community has blown past its goal, raising nearly $9,000 in support of diabetes research, advocacy, legislative change, treatments, and the search for a cure.
Those numbers represent research, advocacy, access, and support for people living with Type 1 Diabetes. They also represent something you can feel more than measure: people deciding to show up together.
Many contributed online. Some gave in person, bought homemade boba, or performed onstage. Others pitched in on the day of, invited friends, or simply spent the afternoon there. Every one of those contributions counted.
That is how community works. Everyone brings something, in their own way.
One of the most meaningful parts of the day for me was taking a few minutes before the music began to explain why we were there. If I am going to ask people to give, I want the reason to be clear. I want the cause to be visible. I want the day to carry the weight of its purpose without losing the joy of the gathering.
The music, food, and friendship make the BBQ joyful.
The mission gives it shape.
And the stage gives it memory.
Last year, I dedicated our backyard stage to a dear friend we lost far too soon: Jason C. Slater.
Jason and I grew up together. He went on to become an accomplished musician, songwriter, producer, and one of the Bay Area’s most influential creative voices as a founding member of Third Eye Blind, founder of Snake River Conspiracy, and producer for artists across multiple genres, including legendary rock icons Queensryche. Even if you did not know Jason personally, there is a good chance you know his work.
After he passed away, I was interviewed for his posthumous autobiography. Revisiting those memories, and hearing stories from people who knew him throughout his life, made me want to remember him in a way others could experience too. I decided to dedicate our stage to him.
Jason was complicated, passionate, fiercely independent, and impossible to flatten into one simple story. But one of his greatest gifts was that he empowered people to create. Whether he intended it or not, he pushed people toward the edge of what they thought they could do.
Every musician who steps onto our stage becomes part of that legacy. Young performers discovering their confidence. Experienced musicians sharing what they have learned. People willing to create in front of others. Friends and neighbors gathering around songs, stories, and the courage to participate.
This year’s lineup carried that spirit beautifully. We opened with young musicians, including the return of some who played last year, and had other more seasoned guests join us.
That is one of my favorite parts of the BBQ. It creates space for musicians at every stage of the journey.
I am grateful to everyone who attended, donated, performed, contributed, encouraged, shared, and showed up in whatever way they could. I am grateful to the people who gave online even when they could not be there in person. I am grateful to the performers who gave the day its voice. I am grateful to everyone who helped turn a backyard gathering into something with purpose.
This started as a party. Then life changed, and the party found its purpose.
And now, four years in, I can honestly say it has become more meaningful than I imagined.
Thank you all for helping us raise more than $5,500 for Breakthrough T1D this year, and more than $3,000 for the American Diabetes Association last year.
Thank you for honoring the cause and the stage.
Thank you for showing up for one another.
Next year we are setting our sights higher still.
We hope you can join us!