On the evening of April 23, Howard Brown Health presented its 2026 spring gala—which also includes unveiling a deepening partnership with Gilead Sciences toward city wide healthcare.
The event, titled Compass: Navigating Our Future Together, took place at Venue West, 221 N. Paulina St., and included a cocktail party, raffle, dinner, and awards ceremony. Noticiero Telemundo Chicago news anchor Jorge DeSantiago served as emcee for the evening, with live music provided by Harrison Jazz Ensemble. The fundraising goal for the evening was set at $50,000 with all gifts made through April 30 to be matched dollar for dollar doubling the contribution.
Awards recipients included Governor JB Pritzker, who received the sixth Heart of Howard Brown Award, and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who was awarded the first ever Champion of Howard Brown Award. Both awardees accepted their awards via a taped message.
Denise Foy, Austin Baidas and Winston Langston were on hand to accept their 2026 Friend for Life Awards. Langston accepted on behalf of Gilead Sciences.
Howard Brown Board of Directors Chair Maliyah Arnold spoke about her own journey to Howard Brown in search of care, noting that, “At this time, we have to meet people where they are, ensuring that every individual is seen, valued, and supported.”
She added, “This is not a neutral moment…the work being done at Howard Brown is not abstract…it’s deeply personal.”
Accepting for Pritzker, Illinois Department of Human Rights Director Jim Bennett addressed the current political climate: ”This courageous vision to keep moving forward when someone is viciously trying to take everything away from you is astonishing.”
After the awardees made their acceptance speeches, Howard Brown CEO Travis Gayles, MD, threw the packed room for a loop when he started singing “This Little Light of Mine,” ending in a singalong.
Gayles asked, “How can we sit and celebrate when there are so many members of our community who are suffering? We can celebrate the progress of Howard Brown Health, but we can’t ignore a presidential administration hell bent on destroying everything we have accomplished so far. How can we celebrate when the zip code you live in is a deciding factor in your life expectancy?”
He added, “This year we saw 43,000 clients and broke our own record. We’re looking to expand that to 75,000 with us expanding the footprint of Howard Brown Health throughout the city in underserved areas and health deserts while becoming more than a STI clinic. We want to continue our services, but we also want to become the place where you can get your blood pressure treated, get nutrition treated, and address homelessness.”
Gayles closed by saying, “We need to step outside of our comfort zone.”
Sponsors for the gala included Alliant, Labcorp, Gilead, Howard Brown Health Board of Directors, Vernita Gray Council for Philanthropy, Joseph Niz, Valley, Quest Diagnostics, Meridian, Forvis Mazars, Alliance Bernstein and Tawani Foundation.
