Baptist Health Foundation hosted its 2025 Grand Gala on November 8 at the Miami Beach Convention Center Grand Ballroom. The event gathered community leaders, healthcare professionals, donors, and corporate partners to raise funds for Baptist Health’s hospitals and programs in Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
The evening was led by South Florida TV personality Laurie Jennings. Entertainment included a performance by Latin GRAMMY-winning artist Luis Fonsi and music from the Danny Beck Party Band. Speakers featured Bo Boulenger, President and CEO of Baptist Health and co-chair of the Gala, as well as Alex Villoch, CEO of Baptist Health Foundation.
A total of $5 million was raised during the event. Donors could direct their contributions to areas such as patient services, research and clinical trials, staff education and training, technology upgrades, and community outreach.
“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 Power Extraordinary — The Campaign for Baptist Health had reached 88% of its $600 million goal since launching at last year’s Gala. “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.”
Sponsors for the Grand Gala included Loud and Live as Diamond Sponsor; Michele and Howard Kessler as Philanthropic Chairs; Jennifer and Vince Castro along with Luis Fonsi as Honorary Chairs; Platinum Sponsors Kenneth C. Griffin (Citadel/Citadel Securities), DPR Construction; Radiology Associates of South Florida/Radiology Partners; Vilar Hoynack; among others.
Additional partners were named: Miami HEAT (sports team partner), Bacardi (spirits partner), The Collection (automotive dealership partner), American Airlines (airline partner), Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (cruise line partner). Other sponsors represented sectors including finance, education, construction, healthcare services, media companies, law firms, universities such as Florida Atlantic University  and Florida International University , health technology providers like Quest Diagnostics , major sports organizations such as Miami Dolphins Foundation , large corporations like Bank of America  and Johnson & Johnson , among many others.
The Foundation stated its mission is to inspire philanthropy supporting excellence in healthcare throughout Baptist Health South Florida’s network. Contributions help fund patient care advancements, new treatments for serious illnesses through research initiatives or equipment upgrades.
Baptist Health operates 12 hospitals with more than 28,000 employees across four counties in South Florida. It includes institutes specializing in cancer care (), neuroscience (), cardiovascular health (), orthopedics (), a medical group practice network (), virtual health platform PineApp (), academic affiliations with Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine , and has received national recognition from Fortune  and U.S. News & World Report . More information can be found at BaptistHealth.net/Foundation  or via social media channels.
