Events

The 32nd Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards Raise $ 2.15 Million

Funds will go to sustain the award-winning DAP Health’s

lifesaving programs and services.

Diana Ross and The Supremes. Marvin Gaye. The Temptations. These beloved Motown legends and more filled the air at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Saturday, February 21, as 1,000 DAP Health team members, board members, patients, and diverse community supporters united — with the help of dozens of dedicated volunteers — to raise $2.15 million to fund health care access at the 32nd Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards presented by Desert Care Network.

While it’s true that only The Temptations appeared live — regaling the audience with a solid gold, post-program set that included their hits “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” and more — the other stellar songbirds packed the evening’s soundtrack from the moment guests arrived to when they queued at the valet stand a little after 10:00 p.m., once all the good mission work had been accomplished.

Orange carpet arrivals

To signal that this is not your average desert gala, guests were ushered onto an orange carpet inspired by ’70s variety shows beginning a little after 5:00 p.m. There, photographers captured their “creative formal” fashions before all entered the cocktail reception/silent auction area. With more than 200 items — from art and other home décor to restaurant and vacation packages — available to the highest bidders, there was something on offer to satisfy every whim.

Before the show, DAP Health Chief Marketing Officer Steven Henke served as special correspondent alongside NBC Palm Springs anchor Thalia Hayden as the pair interviewed DAP Health CEO David Brinkman, Desert Care Network Chief Strategy Officer (and Mayor of La Quinta) Linda Evans, longtime DAP Health board vice chair and 10-time gala chair Kevin Bass, and Community Service Award recipient Lisa Middleton live for the evening news.

Meanwhile, to take a break from their feverish bidding, attendees relaxed in the Revivals Lounge, well-appointed with the resale store’s own Mode brand of new furniture. Is it any wonder Revivals was recently voted the Valley’s Best Furniture Store in The Desert Sun’s Community Choice Awards?

Music and moving images

At 6:30 p.m., the vintage tunes continued to serenade guests as they made their way into the ballroom done in a purple and fuchsia décor inspired by ’70s variety show sets, complete with go-go dancers getting into the grooves on elevated platforms while dressed in era-appropriate costumes.

With most of the storytelling done via videos, the official program began with televised news reports pointing to sociopolitical setbacks for members of the LGBTQ+, undocumented, unhoused, food insecure, and other marginalized communities served by culturally competent care teams at DAP Health’s 23 fixed locations and six mobile clinics. Those clips were followed by headlines about DAP Health’s response and impact:

CEO David Brinkman travelling to Washington, D.C., to do advocacy work
The expansion of sexual wellness services thanks to the 2025 opening of a free student clinic at College of the Desert in Palm Desert, and another coming soon to the city of Oceanside in San Diego’s North County
A new residency program in partnership with Desert Regional Medical Center at Centro Medico Cathedral City
The relatively recent christening of affordable housing complex Vista Sunrise II
The upcoming new women’s health clinic at DAP Health’s Sunrise campus
And the installation of new board chair Eve E. Fromberg Edelstein, Esq.

Bass then made the first comments of the night, welcoming guests by invoking DAP Health’s founding in 1984 during the AIDS crisis. “Different times. Different challenges,” he said. “The same truth: progress happens when a community stands together.”

The woman of the hour

Following dinner prepared and served by the team at Lynn and Brad Toles’ Savoury’s Catering, Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz introduced a video starring the woman of the hour — former Palm Springs Mayor Lisa Middleton, who received DAP Health’s 2026 Community Service Award. Ruiz then performed the official honors of presenting her the award.

With “a heart so full,” Middleton thanked “my favorite congressman” and “the dedicated team at DAP Health who every day care for over 80,000 of our neighbors.” She then expressed her gratitude to “the people of Palm Springs, who have provided [wife] Cheryl and I with a home we never imagined possible.” She concluded by referring to her entire family — Cheryl, their son John and his wife Beth, daughter Lauren and her husband Matt, and young grandchildren Jase, Marin, and Liam, all of whom were in attendance — as “my rock and my foundation.”

Empathy wins

Arguably the most personal video of the evening featured four DAP Health clinicians — Medical Director of Specialty Programs Dr. Jason Halperin, Director of Dental Services Dr. Mercay Romero, OB-GYN Dr. Evan Schwenk, Director of Gender Health and Wellness Anthony Velasco, PhD — speaking about their work with patients.

Each of them then appeared in person on four risers spread throughout the ballroom. Brinkman followed onto the main stage to pay homage to health care workers everywhere before sending a message to DAP Health’s patients. “To those living in isolation, you are not alone,” he said. “To those who’ve been told you’re not welcome, you belong. To those seeking dignity, it lives here.”

Diamonds are a fundraiser’s best friend

Veteran auction host Dale Johannes not only stormed the room to sell $100 raffle tickets for the chance to win a 14-karat, $50,000 diamond bracelet generously donated by Producing Sponsors Raju and Jaishri Mehta of El Paseo Jewelers, but pulled off a bountiful live auction of four prize packages plus a raise-the-paddle/fund-the-need that went a long way toward boosting the fundraising evening’s final tally.

A little after 9:00 p.m., the official program was over, and The Temptations made their entrance, captivating the crowd with soulful melodies and lyrics that are just as enchanting as when they were introduced decades ago.

In his farewell for the night, Bass made sure those in the room noted the date for The Chase 2027: Saturday, February 20.

While no details are yet available, Bass and his gala committee will take a brief respite before soon getting back to work planning yet another unforgettable evening — one of only two remaining grand fundraising desert galas — that will pull out all the stops.

Trust us. You’re going to want to be there.

Presenting Sponsor

Desert Care Network

Producing Sponsors

El Paseo Jewelers | Marc Walters & Yannis Bourodimos

Major Sponsors

Mark Adams | Amazon | Kevin Bass & Brent Bloesser | Jim Burba & Bob Hayes

Star Sponsors

Alan Kaminsky | City of Rancho Mirage | Desert Healthcare District & Foundation
Steve Tobin, Johnny Krupa & The Grace Helen Spearman Charitable Foundation

Supporting Sponsors

Benefactor Sponsors

Patron Sponsors

Alcar Health | Donald Bacigalupi | California University of Science and Medicine

Living Out Palm Springs | Palm Springs Disposal Services | People Helping People USA | Personal Stories Project | PRxP Pharmacy

Media Sponsors

Gala Chair

Kevin Bass

Gala Committee

Bill Bastian | Bruce W. Finch | David Sperber | Grant Elder

Karyl E. Ketchum, Ph.D. | Lynn Hammond | Randy Paschke

About DAP Health

Since 1984, DAP Health has remained committed to protecting and expanding health care access. Guided by the voices and needs of the diverse communities it serves, the nonprofit’s nearly 1,000 team members provide medical, dental, and behavioral health care — plus social services and more — to almost 80,000 people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, orientations, and socioeconomic statuses at 23 fixed locations and six mobile units from the Coachella Valley to the San Diego coast.

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The 32nd Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards Raise $ 2.15 Million

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