In Memory of Rod Caborn

Rod Caborn wasn’t just a fundraiser. For more than three decades he was the quiet force that helped countless community causes not only survive but flourish. When he took the mic as an emcee or auctioneer, he did more than entertain. He connected people to purpose, to possibility, to one another. Through his work with schools, nonprofits, and civic organizations across Santa Cruz and Monterey counties he helped raise millions of dollars for causes as varied as children’s charities, food security, the arts, and health services.

When ALS entered his life in the summer of 2024, it was like watching a gale-force wind slow to a thoughtful breeze. The diagnosis was devastating. Yet even then his community rallied, not as spectators, but as family, friends, and beneficiaries of decades of generosity.

Rod’s nomination as a 2025 Titan was not merely a citation of past achievement. It was an acknowledgment of how many lives he infused with dignity and joy. On January 28 at our Titans event he will be honored not as an idea, but as a man who made his community better by showing up, again and again, laughing, leading, serving, loving.