Mr. Brian Connelly and Ms. Lauren Reynolds. Courtesy photo
SAN DIEGO–San Diego nonprofit ConnectMed International hosted its 7th annual Fundraising Gala, “An Evening in Old Hollywood,” on November 4 at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. The event raised $65,000 and marks a fundraising milestone for the nonprofit.
Donations from sponsors and 158 attendees will go toward bringing the San Diego region’s gold standard of healthcare to other parts of the world through collaborating with and training practitioners at partner sites to provide optimal care to their communities.
The gala took guests back in time with 50’s and 60’s Hollywood glam surrounded by floor-to-ceiling black and white portraits from the museum’s featured exhibit. The event commemorated ConnectMed’s commitment over the past 7 years to strengthening healthcare systems where its patients live and making them sustainable. Contributions will support ConnectMed’s medical partnerships, educational opportunities for healthcare practitioners, telemedicine, and other resources essential for ongoing care at its international partner sites.
“I believe everyone deserves access to sustainable surgical care, regardless of their place in the world,” said ConnectMed President Dr. Amanda Gosman. “Through ConnectMed, we are able to help strengthen local healthcare systems through proper training and education and fulfill the demand for specialized care that is greater than what the local health care community can meet.”
An Evening in Old Hollywood featured a presentation by Dr. Wone Banda, ConnectMed’s first natively trained plastic surgeon from Malawi, who shared the impact of ConnectMed’s support in her international training and her effort to build up Malawi’s plastic surgery program.
The event also featured a hosted bar that served retro cocktails reminiscent of the 50s and 60s, such as “Ginger’s Lost Island,” a seated dinner, silent and live auctions and jazz
music by The Essentials featuring Simone White. The museum presented Point/Counterpoint: Contemporary Mexican Photography, featuring work by Mexican photographers who examine themes of displacement and political, economic and social realities of modern-day Mexico.
Title sponsors of An Evening in Old Hollywood included: Object Edge, KLS Martin, John and Barbara Selby, Vangar Family Trust and Terri Nelson/Nelson Middle Years at The Children’s School.
