Founders Week and Rock the ROC: A Very Special Celebration

The spark that Charlotte Figi brought to the world was extinguished much too soon. To commemorate Charlotte’s short but incredibly meaningful life, Colorado Governor Jared Polis named April 7th Charlotte Figi Day almost immediately after her passing.  This April 7th, on the first anniversary of Charlotte’s passing, we will come together to honor and celebrate her memory with many others whose lives were touched by the impact of Charlotte’s life.  

The Charlotte of Charlotte’s Web: Our North Star 

For those new to Charlotte’s Story: at a very early age, Charlotte Figi was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy. Her mother, Paige, extensively researched health options that led her to a little-known plant compound called cannabidiol, or CBD. These were the days before CBD was widely available – when it was still considered medical marijuana because there was no legal distinction between non-intoxicating extracts from hemp and marijuana. 

At the time, the Stanley Brothers were working to develop proprietary hemp genetics that were high in CBD and low in THC. In 2012, Paige contacted the Stanley Brothers looking for a non-intoxicating natural alternative for her then five-year-old daughter Charlotte. After seeing Charlotte’s response to the extract, the Stanley Brothers were inspired to share their extract with others. 

From 2013 to 2015 thousands of families from around the world moved to Colorado to access CBD products to improve their quality of life. 

In 2013, Dr. Sanjay Gupta (CNN) met Charlotte and other families and famously changed his mind on the health benefits of cannabis, reversing course and speaking out in favor of the inherent benefits of cannabinoid extracts. Other media outlets follow suit and more people come to learn about CBD.  

For many, Charlotte became a well-known face of CBD. There are many who never met her, but who hold her so dear in their hearts, for the journey she was on, and how it helped shine a light for others on their own path to wellness.   

How We Celebrate Her 

“My wish was to come together to celebrate her life doing what she loved with her people,” says Charlotte’s mom, Paige. “She loved bonfires, and she loved music. So that is what The Realm of Caring is so graciously organizing. It will be a virtual benefit concert and a memorial, all made public so we can COVID-safely gather to share her life.” 

As Figi shared with the Denver Post earlier this month, “I’m not a private person, not in the CBD world I haven’t been. There’s no need to grieve privately.”  

What is Rock the ROC? 

We can think of no better way to celebrate Charlotte’s life and global impact than by honoring her memory through a heartfelt memorial and benefit concert, featuring performances and appearances by The Avett Brothers, Dr. Sunjay Gupta, Glen Phillips, Ruthie Foster, Graham Nash, along with many other special guests and musical artists.  

This extraordinary event was initially planned to be at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater in our home state of Colorado. Due to COVID-19, our team decided to create and share a two-hour feature film instead to broadcast as our tribute concert. We hope to celebrate at Red Rocks Amphitheater next year with all of you — our amazing community.   

Until then, sign up early at Rock the ROC to receive lineup and event updates and tune in on April 7th at (6pm MST/8pm EST) to enjoy this significant event alongside your family and ours. 

To support this tribute concert, please visit the Rock the ROC Kickstarter to donate and hear Realm of Caring Co-Founder Heather Jackson share her story. 

What is Founders Week at Charlotte’s Web?  

Founders Week is our week-long lead-up to celebrating our most crucial founder, Charlotte Figi. While the seven Stanley Brothers started the company Charlotte’s Web, Inc., it was Charlotte’s reaction to their extract that inspired their mission to bring cannabinoid extracts to as many people as possible for their health and wellness journeys.

This is a celebration of our mission, our community and the people who made it all happen.  It is an opportunity for us to reflect on all that we have accomplished, including legal hurdles that we’ve helped the industry overcome as we pushed for non-intoxicating hemp to be removed from the Controlled Substances Act, as well as the work we’ve done protecting the genetics of our original plants so that the extract that Charlotte used will always remain available in our Original Formula. 

Most importantly, we all need something to celebrate after the year we’ve had, and we can think of no one more fitting to celebrate than our North Star. 

To help set the table for Charlotte Figi day, we have featured videos and interviews from each brother, Joel, Jesse, Jon, Jordan, Jared, Austin, and Josh so you can learn more about her impact on them and how they’re continuing to live the mission she inspired, and the other people who made it all possible. You can follow all updates via our Founders Week hub page and use hashtag #rocktheroc on Instagram to stay connected with our community and us throughout the event.  

We’ll see you there! 

If you would like to share your own tribute to Charlotte, join the many from all over the world who’ve shared their thoughts, feelings, and memories of Charlotte. You can share yours at charlottefigi.com

To learn more about all things CBD, sign up for our email list, read our CBD 101 resource page, check out our CBD oils and gummies, or drop us a line.