Celebration was in the air at the first house party and fundraiser of the year for Oakland Rising.

More than 75 supporters of the nonprofit, grassroots collaborative packed the North Oakland home of Richard and Marisa Raya on Saturday to congratulate the young organization on their successful voter registration and mobilization efforts.

The energy buzzing from the party crowd was one of excitement - and why not? Oakland Rising had four successful voter education campaigns in 2010. Plus, Mayor Jean Quan was in attendance, standing front and center as honorary host.

For three and a half years the social justice collaborative has worked to provide voter education to low-income residents, immigrants and people of color. Oakland Rising focuses primarily in the flatlands of East and West Oakland.

In 2010, the organization's work included helping to pass rank-choice voting in Oakland. The social justice group also contacted more than 17,000 Oakland residents to encourage them to participate in the U.S. Census.

Jessamyn Sabbag, field director for Oakland Rising, said 2010 was a momentous year for the organization.

"Going into 2011 we're super-excited to have four wins on our back," she said. "We actually haven't, as long as we've worked together, we haven't lost. So we're hoping to continue that trend."

Richard Raya told the group that he's proud that Oakland Rising chose his family home to host the event.

"We're very excited about the direction of Oakland, even in a recession," Richard Raya said. "We have this thriving downtown and Uptown scene with bars, and nightclubs and restaurants. We're on the forefront, we're on the cutting edge and we love that about Oakland."

Richard Raya said that even with the new exciting changes, Oakland must preserve its blue collar ethics.

"We want to preserve the Oakland that caused us to move here, and to settle down here, which is an Oakland that has a working class ethic, a revolutionary spirit, and a diversity that is unmatched," Richard Raya Oakland Rising is doing everything to preserve that."

The Raya home seemed a perfect fit for the Oakland Rising event. The 1924, two-story Craftsman is a tumble of rooms filled with a diversity of art and family photos.

With upbeat music, lots of food and plenty of chatter, Quan fit in well. For a large portion of the event she was encircled by admirers and those curious to meet the new mayor.

Quan told the gathering that Oakland Rising represents the new, emerging leaders of the city.

"For those of you that are a part of my generation, and there are a lot of us, it's really important for us to invest in the next generation of leaders and that's what I see we're doing when we support Oakland Rising," Quan said.

Esperanza Tervalon-Daumont, executive director of Oakland Rising, said her organization is excited to work with the new mayoral administration, particularly because Quan has been engaging the community with a number of progressive initiatives, including her town hall meetings and the "Block by Block" program.

"Under her leadership, we believe Oakland can thrive," Tervalon-Daumont said.

Richard Raya said it was an easy decision to open their home to Oakland.

"Since our many Oakland friends are like our family, we love to bring everyone together for quality family-time,"  Richard Raya said. "We also enjoy meeting new folks, because it gives us a better awareness of our community. Having people in your home is one of best ways to transcend artificial barriers."