CancerPartners, the local nonprofit that offers emotional and social support to people in the Coachella Valley touched by cancer, has selected three honorees that will receive awards at the Passions Ball: An Evening of Heart and Soul, on Nov. 3 at The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage.
“We at CancerPartners are acutely aware that it takes many individuals and organizations working together in close partnership to ensure that our valley’s cancer patients receive all the support they need on their journey,” said CancerPartners President and CEO Maria Elena Geyer. “Our desire, in creating The Passions Awards, is to recognize those who are outstanding in their dedication to this cause.”
The three awards include:
• The Partner in Passion Award will honor the Coachella Valley Chapter of the Israel Cancer Research Fund, the largest nationwide charitable organization in North America devoted to supporting cancer research in Israel. The ICRF mission is to support cancer research programs in Israel, for the benefit of Israel and all mankind. Since 1975, the organization has provided more than 2,400 grants (more than $63 million) to outstanding cancer researchers. Board Chair Patrick Mundt and Vice Chair Dr. Jeralyn Brossfield, will receive the Partner in Passion Award on the Coachella Valley Chapter’s behalf.
• The Lifetime Passion Award will be presented to Bighorn BAM, the charitable arm of Bighorn Golf Club, which over the last 11 years has raised $8.3 million for cancer patient support services, breast cancer diagnostic technologies, and educational scholarships in the Coachella Valley. Major support has gone to Lucy Curci Cancer Center and Bighorn Radiation Oncology Center, both at Eisenhower Medical Center, and to The Pendleton Foundation, for the benefit of patients in the desert communities. Accepting the Lifetime Passion Award will be Bighorn BAM representatives Cathy Johnson, Debi Aarthun, and founder Selby Dunham.
• The Annette Bloch Heart & Soul Award will honor David Brinkman, chief executive officer and president of Desert AIDS Project (DAP), Palm Springs. Brinkman has served the non-profit community for more than 23 years. Joining DAP in 2006, Brinkman has led the organization through a period of unprecedented expansion and achieved Federally Qualified Health Center status. This means that, in addition to providing HIV/AIDS treatment, DAP can also provide primary care to individuals whether or not living with HIV or AIDS, and regardless of ability to pay or insurance coverage. This status, combined with Brinkman’s vision and generous gifts from philanthropist and cancer survivor Annette Bloch and others, have made it possible for DAP to offer cancer screenings and cancer care to all those in need. Bloch, who last year was the recipient of the very first Lifetime Passion Award, will present Brinkman with the inaugural Heart & Soul Award.
The awards ceremony will be an important component of the Passions Ball, a glamorous evening that also includes a cocktail reception and silent auction, a gourmet dinner in the grand ballroom, and entertainment by “The Greatest Hitz” from Las Vegas.
Both individual Passions Ball tickets (at $300 per person) and six sponsorship packages are available, as well as more information about CancerPartners’ no-cost, professionally led cancer support program. Call 760-770-5678, send an email to [email protected], or visit cancerpartners.org and click on “Events.”