A Fresh Mix of Entertainers will Perform at the Gala
PALM SPRINGS, March 11, 2022– When the 2022 Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards ‘The Chase’ returns as an all in-person event on April 9, outdoors, at the Palm Springs Convention Center it will be generously presented by Amazon.
Amazon currently employs more than 40,000 community members in the Inland Empire and the Coachella Valley. This donation to DAP Health signals an even deeper engagement with the community, illustrating the company’s commitment to being a good neighbor.
“This is our home” explains David Ambroz, Amazon’s head of community engagement in the Inland Empire, himself a former homeowner in Palm Springs. “We recently toured the DAP Health campus and saw firsthand how the organization was applying the lessons learned from the AIDS crisis to fill the gaps of today’s health care needs. We were impressed by their innovative solutions to provide comprehensive care to residents of the valley.”
During that tour, Ambroz also recognized an alignment with one of DAP Health’s core values – inclusivity. Amazon’s ability to innovate on behalf of its customers relies on the perspectives and knowledge of people from all backgrounds.
Amazon believes that building a culture that is welcoming and inclusive is integral to people doing their best work and is essential to what they can achieve as a company. The company has 13 affinity groups (employee resource groups) with more than 87,000 employees across hundreds of chapters around the world.
DAP Health CEO, David Brinkman is especially excited to include Amazon’s LGBTQ+ affinity group, the Glamazons as volunteers at the gala. The group became an official part of Amazon in 2005, adding itself to a list that includes other empowering groups. Amazon has a long history in supporting equality, affirming and including LGBTQ+ employees.”We’ve been serving the LGBTQ+ community and welcoming all people. Period. since 1984.” Brinkman says. “We are grateful that the Glamazons want to lend their support to The Chase this year.”
Los Angeles events company JJLA has been tagged to lead that reinvention focusing on an evening filled with entertainment and experiential activations around the outdoor floorplan.
“JJLA is thrilled to work with DAP Health in bringing back the acclaimed Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards in an exciting and reimagined new way as ‘The Chase’. Guests will be welcomed to a lively cocktail and hors d’oeuvres experience with special photo opportunities before being seated in a multi-stage setting for the awards program. The evening will feature legendary performers and exciting up-and-coming talent sure to leave guests excited and thrilled to be back celebrating at one of the desert community’s most iconic events.” says Jeff Consoletti, JJLA Founder, Principal & CEO.
Attendees of The Chase can expect a fast-paced evening hosted by Michael Urie and featuring performances by Deborah Cox, Max von Essen, Eden Espinosa, Spencer Ludwig, and Seth Rudetksy
Event host Michael Urie played the role of Marc St. James on “Ugly Betty” and was most recently seen in the Public Theatre’s revival of Tony Kushner’s A Bright Room Called Day, followed by the Broadway premiere of Bess Wohl’s Grand Horizons. Prior to that, he starred in the Tony Award-nominated Broadway revival of Harvey Fierstein Torch Song, following his critically acclaimed performance in the off-Broadway production at Second Stage, earning Lucille Lortel Award and Drama League Award nominations. Michael originated the role of Alex More in Jonathan Tolins’ Buyer & Cellar Off-Broadway, on tour, and in London, for which he received the Drama Desk Award, Clarence Derwent Award, the Lucille Lortel Award, LA Drama Critics Award, and nominations for the Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Awards. He has acted in and directed numerous films.
Max von Essen is a Tony, Drama Desk, and Grammy-nominated singer and actor best known for his role as Henri in the award-winning production of An American in Paris on Broadway. Most recently, he completed a yearlong run in the Broadway production of Anastasia and then toured the country in Lincoln Center Theater’s revival of Falsettos. . Max’s concert work has brought him across North America, including The Kennedy Center, Birdland Jazz Club, and a recent solo debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops.
Deborah Cox possesses one of the most powerful and versatile contemporary voices of our time. The Grammy Award-nominated, multi-platinum R & B/Pop recording artist and actress recently blew the roof off theatres as she starred in the Rachel Marron role originally played by Whitney Houston in the new musical “The Bodyguard”. She made her Broadway debut in the leading role in Elton John and Time Rice’s musical “Aida”, receiving rave reviews.
Since beginning her career as a background singer for Celine Dion, Deborah has recorded six award-winning and critically acclaimed albums and has written for and been recorded on numerous soundtracks. As with Whitney Houston, Deborah’s first recording contract was with Clive Davis at Arista Records and that self-titled debut album went platinum, earning her an American Music Award nomination. The Canadian-born star has an impressive list of #1 Billboard hit records, including thirteen #1 songs on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Eden Espinosa is most recognized for her critically acclaimed portrayal of Elphaba in “Wicked” on Broadway and in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Other credits include originating the title character in “Brooklyn the Musical”, Flora in “Flora the Red Menace,” and Maureen in the closing company of “Rent” on Broadway. Eden also originated the role of Sadie Thompson in the world premiere of “Rain”, at the Old Globe Theater.
Seth Rudetsky is the afternoon host on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio’s ON BROADWAY as well as the host of SETH SPEAKS on Sirius/XM Stars. As a pianist, Seth has played for more than a dozen Broadway shows including RAGTIME, LES MIZ, and PHANTOM. He was the Artistic Producer/Music Director for the first five annual Actors Fund Fall Concerts including DREAMGIRLS with Audra MacDonald (recorded on Nonesuch Records) and HAIR with Jennifer Hudson (recorded on Ghostlight Records, Grammy Nomination). In 2007 he made his Broadway acting debut playing Sheldon (singing “Magic to Do” in a devastating unitard) in THE RITZ directed by Joe Mantello for The Roundabout Theater.
Spencer Ludwig is a Latin Grammy-winning and Grammy performing trumpeter, songwriter, producer, and musical director. Since being the original trumpeter in the multi-platinum band Capital Cities, the Los Angeles-born, half-Filipino vocalist-instrumentalist has gone rogue, adding a new dimension of possibility to not only his sonic weapon of choice but to pop music, overall and in 2019 he earned himself a Latin Grammy for co-writing and performing on Fonseca’s album “Agustin”. In 2016 he was signed as a solo artist to Warner Records who released his debut single “Diggy” and launched his career through a global Target campaign.
To buy tickets for The Chase or learn more about sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, go to www.daphealth.org/thechase
Co-chairs Kevin Bass, Lauri Kibby, and Scott Nevins are leading a reinvention of the evening promising that “We’re going to gala like never before.”
This year’s honorees will reflect the community of volunteers and donors that supported DAP Health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The evening will be fashionable and glamorous as attendees have come to expect, but we want the entire experience to feel new and exciting” explains DAP Health CEO, David Brinkman. “We’re going to be mission-centric with our program this year, sharing vital information about our plans for the future of health care.”
Beginning at 5:00 p.m. and ending at 10:00 p.m. the evening will fund the ongoing mission of DAP Health (formerly Desert AIDS Project) and introduce attendees to the organizations’ Vision Forward plan to expand its campus to serve more than 25,000 individuals.
The Need is Great
Most view and experience the Coachella Valley as a sublime oasis. But for many, that pristine picture is far from reality. Our neighbors—people of color, people living with HIV/AIDS, people living in poverty, and trans individuals, many of whom have yet found their way to DAP Health—wrestle daily here with pain, sadness, and desperation.
Because a community can only be as strong as its weakest member—as healthy as its sickest—it is crucial that we join forces so that barriers to health and wellness are abolished.
After all, is it not the duty of those standing tall to lift up those who have fallen?
How DAP Health is Poised to Help
Founded in 1984 by a group of community volunteers in the face of the AIDS crisis, DAP Health is an internationally renowned humanitarian healthcare organization. In 2013, the non-profit expanded its scope to care for all marginalized people, regardless of HIV status.
Our goal is to improve the overall health of our entire community—especially the disenfranchised—by providing culturally competent, quality primary and preventative health care and social services on one campus. These include infectious disease care, dentistry, and programs related to mental health, substance use recovery, and sexual wellness.
The expertise, infrastructure, reputation, and donor base atop which DAP Health’s considerable success stands was bolstered by our more recent involvement providing for all those devastated in countless ways by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thanks to 38 years of caring for people directly and indirectly affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other public health emergencies, we have the physical and intellectual resources, the desire, and—most importantly—the imagination to effect even greater positive change in our beloved Coachella Valley community and beyond.
The next epidemic has not yet been named. Just as DAP Health met HIV, HEP C, STIs, and COVID head-on, its team of infectious disease specialists stands ready to protect our community’s health and well-being. With 53% of our community not knowing their HIV status because they have never been tested, our commitment to ending the HIV epidemic and caring for individuals living with HIV will never waver.
DAP Health Rises to Meet Core Challenges Today:
Comprehensive health care access remains uneven. It’s estimated that 46% of our community lives below the federal poverty level. In communities of color, communities living in poverty, and in the LGBTQIA+ community, DAP Health is removing barriers to care to build a healthier tomorrow.
The mental health crisis requires an intervention. DAP Health is doubling its capacity to deliver life-saving access to psychologists, therapists, and psychiatrists. We know mental health is health, but too many individuals experience shame in asking for the care they need and face challenges when they need it most.
Addiction is a serious problem that requires a therapeutic solution. Substance use affects the individual and the family that loves them. DAP Health’s patient-centered model of care combines primary care, mental health, outpatient care, and traditional 12-step support groups that meet individuals where they are.
Housing is health care. The housing and rental market have made shelter unaffordable for too many hard-working individuals. Some 2,300 of our neighbors experience homelessness on any given night. DAP Health is adding 61 additional affordable housing units to its campus, increasing its housing capacity by 75%.
DAP Health has earned a national reputation as a one-of-a-kind advocacy-based health care organization. With an 11,000-square-mile service area – roughly the size of the state of Massachusetts – some clients travel from as far away as Blythe on the Arizona border, as well as from the cities, towns, and rural areas of San Bernardino, Riverside, and Imperial Counties.
DAP serves over 10,000 patients today. By 2025, we will serve 25,000 in our expanded medical, dental, and mental health clinics while bringing our total of on-campus housing units to 141. Every month, over 100 new patients walk through the doors of DAP Health seeking quality and comprehensive health care. Because of YOU, those doors are always open.
Tradition Meets Health Care Access
For 28 years, The Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards ‘The Chase’ has raised millions of dollars for direct patient services at DAP Health while honoring Humanitarians from all corners of the globe. They are people who radiate compassion – who seem to have been born for a higher purpose. Their example reminds us that everyone can make a positive difference in the lives of others. Since our very beginning, over 36 years ago, DAP Health has listened to the community we serve and taken its lead in solving tomorrow’s challenges. This year’s honorees share DAP Health’s vision of health equity and justice. They are people who have led and continue to inspire others.
With over 15,000 people in need of medical care in our region, DAP Health needs your help today to expand our services. First organized by and named for famed interior designer Steve Chase — also a DAP Health donor, volunteer, and board member — ‘The Chase’ is a highlight of the desert community’s social season! Just a few of the honorees, award presenters, and entertainers in the past years have included Ann-Margret, Annette Bloch, Diahann Carroll, Carol Channing, Kristin Chenoweth, Joan Collins, Melissa Etheridge, Queen Latifah, Andy Linsky, Wynonna Judd, George Hamilton, Tom Hanks, Senator Ted Kennedy, Patti LaBelle, Angela Lansbury, Judith Light, Shirley MacLaine, Bob Mackie, Barry Manilow, Harold Matzner, Liza Minnelli, Prof. Luc Montagnier, Megan Mullally, Pauley Perrette, Debbie Reynolds, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Dionne Warwick
Your presence at the 28th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards, beyond supporting our honorees, also signals your continued support for DAP Health’s patients and clients. Attendees are humanitarians helping remove roadblocks to access for quality care and supportive services that allow our patients, who are your neighbors and friends, to live their fullest potential.
Presenting Sponsor: Amazon
Producing Sponsor: Eisenhower Health
Major Sponsors: Desert Care Network, Steven Anders\The Elizabeth Firth Wade Endowment, Kevin Bass & Brent Bloesser, Jim Burba & Bob Hayes, The Desert Sun\Local IQ, Patrick Jordan, NBC Palm Springs, Steve Tobin & Johnny Krupa\Grace Helen Spearman Charitable Foundation
Star Sponsors: Neil Lane Couture, David Zippel & Michael Johnston
Supporting Sponsors: Bennion Deville, David Brinkman & Will Grimm, Jeff Consoletti & Rob Czechowicz, Eve Fromberg, Gilead Sciences, Inc, Lauri & Charles Kibby, Scott Nevins & Philip Hodges, Renaissance Palm Springs, Ann Sheffer & Bill Scheffler, Avita Pharmacy, Trina Turk, Walgreens, Western Wind Foundation, White Cross Pharmacy
Benefactor Sponsors: Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Karen & Tony Barone, Chill Bar, Coachella Valley Health Personal, Diageo, Living Out – Palm Springs, Pure Health, Revive Wellness
Patron Sponsors: AbbVie, Donald R. Beck, Desert Insurance Solutions, Bill & Virginia Goldberg, Heffernan Insurance Brokers, Janssen Therapeutics, Reaction Marketing & Promotions Inc., Riverside County c/o V Manuel Perez, Jean-Guy Lechance & John Williams
Media Sponsors: CV Independent, Gay Desert Guide, Palm Springs Life, PromoHomo.TV, The Hollywood Times, The Standard Magazine
About DAP Health
DAP Health is an advocacy-based health center in Palm Springs, CA serving over 10,000 patients, offering medical and mental healthcare, STI testing and treatment, dentistry, pharmacy, and lab services. A variety of wraparound services enable patients to experience optimal health, including social services, support groups, alternative therapies, and other wellness services. Excellent HIV care is provided by the largest team of specialized clinicians in the area.
DAP Health opened one of California’s first COVID clinics and hotlines to offer screening, testing, and treatment. DAP Health is also working to address social determinants of health that are causing negative health outcomes during this pandemic, like food and housing insecurity, joblessness, isolation, and access to ongoing healthcare.
DAP Health’s sexual health clinic offers judgment-free STI testing and treatment, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), and HIV and HCV testing. DAP Health has earned Charity Navigator’s highest rating for the twelfth consecutive year – landing DAP Health in the top 6% of nonprofits rated. The distinction recognizes that DAP Health exceeds industry standards in terms of financial health, accountability, and transparency.
Visit www.daphealth.org to learn more.
