CancerPartners (formerly Gilda’s Club) created the Passions Ball and Awards last year to honor Coachella Valley individuals and organizations that are dedicated to cancer research, treatment, and prevention.
At the second annual ball at Westin Mission Hills, CBS Local 2 news anchor Brooke Beare served as emcee and helped CancerPartner president and CEO Maria Elena Geyer present these awards:
• Lifetime Passion: Cathy Johnson, Shelby Dunham, and Debi Aarthun for Bighorn BAM, the charitable arm of Bighorn Golf Club in Palm Desert
• Partner in Passion: Israel Cancer Research Fund, Coachella Valley Chapter.
• Annette Bloch Heart & Soul Award: David Brinkman, president and CEO of Desert AIDS Project
More than 450 guests attended the glamorous event produced by Momentous, which transformed the ballroom into a glittering and elegant venue for dining and dancing. Guests crowded the dance floor as The Greatest Hitz, from Las Vegas, perform the songs of Motown favorites such as Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Temptations, and Tina Turner.
