On the evening of June 25, Design Industries Fighting AIDS/Chicago (DIFFA) held its 39th annual gala at Beatnik West Town, 1604 W. Chicago Ave.
The packed, sold-out event, titled Mirage in the Desert, had a goal of raising $60,000 and featured a variety of Middle Eastern-accented finger foods, a photo booth, a raffle, and dance beats and a performance from Miss Toto. Money raised at the event will goes to the Excellence In Care grant awards, which will be handed out at an awards reception on Dec. 1.
Former Gala Chair Tom Karras and current Gala Chair Alyssa Alvarez had a devil of a time repeatedly silencing the rowdy crowd, so they could give a very surprised Beth Cole of Steelcase the Unsung Hero Award. The mayhem was muted compared to the reaction to Miss Toto’s performance.
DIFFA/Chicago, which is part of a national network of design, architecture, textile, and construction companies, is one of the few HIV/AIDS organizations that grants unrestricted funds to HIV/AIDS service agencies in the Chicago area. DIFFA is aligned with the state initiative Getting to Zero Illinois, which has a goal of zero new HIV transmissions and zero people living with HIV who are not actively engaged in care by 2030. DIFFA gave away over $210,000 in grants in 2025.
Sponsors for Mirage in the Desert included Benjamin Moore Paint, Pauline Grace, Thomas Interiors//Cambia, Chicago Lightworks, Stack Brogan, Stantec, The Mohawk Group, Miller/Knoll, A + M, Redmond, Northwestern Medicine, BIG Construction, Stylex, Steelcase, Gensler, MDC Interior Solutions, Bear Construction, Continua Interiors, Haworth, Henricksen and Installation Specialists Incorporated.
Additional sponsors included Stack Brogan, AK Design, DSI Group, Power Construction, Stantec, Matt Mansueto Photography, Icon Modern and Transwell.
DIFFA’s next major fundraising event is Art for Life and is set for Oct. 1 at the Chicago Merchandise Mart.
