Baptist Health Foundation held its 2023 Grand Gala at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The event united community leaders, healthcare professionals, donors and corporate philanthropy partners to support Baptist Health’s hospitals, institutes, other entities and programs in Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

With the theme “Welcoming Tomorrow,” the gala highlighted Baptist Health’s many visionary goals made possible by philanthropy, from revolutionizing patient care and recruiting world-renowned physicians to pioneering cutting-edge research and promoting a culture of advanced academics.  Speakers included Baptist Health President and CEO and Gala co-chairs Bo Boulenger and Elizabeth Boulenger; Baptist Health Board of Trustees Chair and Gala co-chair Jay Hershoff; Baptist Health Foundation Board Chair and Gala co-chair Lani Kahn Drody; and Baptist Health Foundation CEO, Alex Villoch.

“As Baptist Health continues to expand access to world-class care in South Florida, our donors are essential in propelling our progress,” said Bo Boulenger. “The Grand Gala is a celebration of hope, vision and the power of generosity, which makes a profound impact on the lives of patients and families who rely on the care and services Baptist Health provides.”

The gala’s 1,200 guests enjoyed a cocktail reception and silent auction followed by a formal seated dinner and live auction. Entertainment was provided by the Culture Band; Guitars Over Guns, a music program for youth from vulnerable communities that provides music education and mentorship with professional musicians; and Cris Cab, a worldwide pop music sensation who is a protégé of megastar producer Pharrell Williams and has collaborated with artists like J Balvin, Wyclef and B.o.B.

In total, the Grand Gala raised over $4.8 million. The funds raised will help support patient and caregiver services, research and clinical trials, education and training for healthcare staff, state-of-the-art technology, community outreach programs and more.

“Philanthropy is allowing us to transform Baptist Health into an organization with global reach and a destination for care, particularly in neurosciences, cardiac, cancer and orthopedics,” said Alex Villoch. “We are honored that our donors trust us to help deliver world-class care right here in South Florida, and we are grateful for their tremendous support.”

Added Lani Kahn Drody, “It’s an exciting time to be at Baptist Health. We’re realizing our vision of becoming a research- and academic-focused organization and committed to sharing it with other like-minded philanthropists in our community to help shape the healthcare landscape of the future.”

The Grand Gala Sponsors

Presenting Sponsor

Karel Foti

Philanthropic Chairs

  Michele and Howard Kessler

Gold Sponsors

Mary and Peter Blum
CC Homes
the Dasburg Family
Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
KIDZ Medical Services
Griffin Catalyst
Citadel and Citadel Securities
Radiology Associates of South Florida / Radiology Partners

Official Partners

The Miami HEAT as the Gala’s official sports team partner
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. as official cruise partner
American Airlines as official airline partner
The Collection as official auto partner
Alto as official ride share partner
Bacardi as official spirits partner
Santa Margherita as official wine partner

Other noteworthy sponsors include: Bank of America; Crescent Heights; Criticare Clinics; Envision Healthcare Charitable Fund; Florida National University; GoldenTree Asset Management; The John and Margaret A. Krupa Foundation; Miami Dolphins Foundation; Moss; Nateman Family; NV2A Group; Republica Havas; Vilar-Hoynack Construction Company; Accenture; Ahead; Alafi Capital; Aon; Arcadius Capital Partners; Atayo; Bain Capital; Baptist Health Medical Group – General Surgery; Belmont Village Senior Living; Anita and Ron Shuffield; BlackRock; Allison and Stephen Blumenthal / Pamela and Carlos Rodriguez; BrightView; Carlton Fields; Coastal Building Maintenance (CBM); Century Homebuilders Group; Claims and Risk Management Services (CRMS); CSPI Technology Solutions; Deloitte & Touche, LLC; DPR Construction; Falk Waas; First Horizon Foundation; FIU Foundation; Florida Power & Light (FPL); Function, G-Force Waterproofing & Restoration; Gobel; Gresham Smith; Healthcare Appraisers; Holland & Knight; Health Foundation of South Florida; Illumio; Elizabeth and George Kakouris; Susan and Richard Lampen; LTIMindtree; Christine Lynn, E.M. Lynn Foundation; Marcos, Rothman, Valdes, PLLC; Miami Marlins; Meisner Electric; MedPro Healthcare Staffing; Miller Electric Company; Munroe & McDowell; MyCardiologist; National Beverage; Nomi Health; Marti LaTour and George Elmore; NSU Florida; Orange Bowl; Packman, Neuwahl & Rosenberg; Pediatrix Neonatology of Florida; Perry Ellis International; Related; Robins & Morton; Seacoast Bank; Senior Nannies; Stephanie and Massoud Shojaee; Jean and William Soman; TigerConnect; T. Rowe Price; Cal and C.J. Thomas / The Fish House Restaurant & Seafood Market; United Healthcare; U.S. Century Bank; Vitas Healthcare; Waste Management; West Coast University; Wolfe-Pincavage Attorneys at Law.

About Baptist Health Foundation

The mission of Baptist Health Foundation is to inspire philanthropy and build extraordinary donor relationships in support of excellence, innovation, community wellness and global leadership in healthcare at Baptist Health South Florida. Through philanthropy, the Foundation supports and expands Baptist Health’s ability to provide outstanding patient care and bring the latest treatments to patients and families affected by a serious illness. Donor contributions also allow the Foundation to assist Baptist Health facilities in keeping pace with technology and equipment advances, perform cutting-edge research and offer continuing education opportunities to medical staff. Learn more at BaptistHealth.net/Foundation and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.

About Baptist Health

Baptist Health is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 12 hospitals, more than 27,000 employees, 4,000 physicians and 200 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned institutes specializing in cancer care, brain and spine care, heart and vascular care and orthopedic care. In addition, it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network; and The Baptist Health PineApp, a virtual health platform. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to its faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and is the most awarded healthcare system in South Florida by U.S. News and World Report. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Newsroom and connect with us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.