Baptist Health Foundation held its 2025 Grand Gala Saturday at the Miami Beach Convention Center Grand Ballroom. The event brought together community leaders, healthcare professionals, donors and corporate philanthropy partners to support Baptist Health’s hospitals, institutes, services and programs in Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

The Grand Gala was hosted by South Florida TV personality Laurie Jennings and featured a celebrity performance generously donated by Latin GRAMMY-winning international superstar Luis Fonsi. The event’s 1,300 guests enjoyed a cocktail reception and silent auction followed by a formal seated dinner, with entertainment provided by the Danny Beck Party Band. Speakers included Baptist Health President and CEO and Gala co-chair, Bo Boulenger and Baptist Health Foundation CEO, Alex Villoch.

In total, the Grand Gala raised $5 million. Donors selected their area of support, benefiting patient and caregiver services, research and clinical trials, education and training for medical staff, state-of-the-art technology, community outreach programs and more.

“An incredible transformation is taking place across our system — not just in bricks and mortar, but in the way we’re delivering care, the talent we’re attracting, the research we’re advancing and the global reputation we’re building,” said Mr. Boulenger. “Philanthropy is at the heart of this momentum, accelerating projects and programs that would simply not be possible without the support of our generous donors.”

Ms. Villoch announced that the Foundation, which launched Power Extraordinary — The Campaign for Baptist Health at last year’s Gala, had reached 88 percent of its $600 million goal in support of Baptist Health’s vision to transform healthcare for South Florida and beyond. “Our donors are making an enormous impact at Baptist Health,” she said. “With their philanthropic investments in education and research, as well as projects like the Al and Jane Nahmad Women’s Cancer Center at Miami Cancer Institute and Kenneth C. Griffin Center at Miami Neuroscience Institute, we are defining the future of care and strengthening our communities. We are very grateful for their trust in us.”

Diamond Sponsor

Loud and Live

Philanthropic Chairs

Michele and Howard Kessler

Honorary Chairs

Jennifer and Vince Castro and
Luis Fonsi

Platinum Sponsors

Kenneth C. Griffin
Citadel and Citadel Securities
DPR Construction
Radiology Associates of South Florida / Radiology Partners
Vilar Hoynack

Gala Partners

Miami HEAT as official sports team partner
Bacardi as official spirits partner
The Collection as official automotive dealership partner
American Airlines as official airline partner
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings as official cruise line partner

Sponsors

Accenture; Arcadis Inc.; Bain Capital; Bank of America; Baptist Health Medical Group General Surgery; Barry University; Belmont Village Senior Living; BPD Healthcare; Brandes Investment Partners; BrightView Landscape Services; CC Homes – Jim Carr and Andres Miyares; Cencora; Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine / Florida Atlantic University; Coastal Building Maintenance (CBM); Criticare Clinics; D. Torr Construction; El Car Wash; ENFRA; Envision Physician Services; Florida International University; Florida National University; Karel Foti, Gastro Health; Guardant Health; Health Foundation of South Florida; Holland & Knight LLP; Hudson Bay Capital; iHeart Media; Intermedia Touch, JDA eHealth Systems, Inc. DBA Parathon; Johnson & Johnson; Kessler Family Foundation / Michele and Howard Kessler; KIDZ Medical Services; Lifepoint Rehabilitation / Lifepoint Health; LTIMindtree Limited; MasTec; Media Counselors, MedPro Healthcare Staffing; Meisner Electric; Miami Dolphins Foundation; Miller Electric Company; William R. Nash; National Beverage Corp.; Nextep Electric; NV2A Group; Pediatrix Medical Group; Perry Ellis International; Pistorino & Atam Consulting Engineers; ProSys; Quest Diagnostics; Rubrik; Sage Advisory Services; Senior Nannies; Stefanini; Stinghouse Creative; HealthCare Appraisers, now part of Stout; TeamHealth; The Nateman Family; United Healthcare; West Coast University; and Wolfe Pincavage Health Lawyers.

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.