Las Vegas, NV, September 11, 2023 — The American Cancer Society (ACS) announced its highly anticipated Game Changer Gala during the Executive Committee Gala Kickoff event on Wednesday, September 6 at Jaguar Land Rover Las Vegas. The event atmosphere was electric as luminaries from across the community gathered to kickstart the countdown to the Game Changer Gala set to take place on February 7, 2024, at AREA15. The event served as a beacon of hope and unity, announcing the remarkable honorees who have decided to support ACS’s vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone.
The 2024 American Cancer Society Game Changer Gala Honorees are:
· Adam Gewanter, managing partner, Tao Group
· Cynthia Kiser Murphey, chief executive officer, The Palms
· Dr. John Rhodes, chief executive officer, Optum
· Karla Perez, regional vice president, Valley Health Systems
· Kim Frank, president, Las Vegas Golden Knights Foundation
· Rob Allen, chief executive officer, Intermountain Health
· Rob Kinas, partner, Snell & Wilmer
· Shelly Ibach, chair, president, and chief executive officer, Sleep Number Corporation
· Steve Stallworth, general manager, South Point Arena
· Tyler Corder, chief financial officer, Findlay Auto Group
· Vincent Tatum, president, Grand Canyon Development Partners
These remarkable individuals, including Qiava Martinez, senior vice president – chief sales officer for the Las Vegas Raiders and the 2024 Game Changer Gala honorary chair, have chosen to focus their influence and resources in the fight against cancer in Las Vegas and advancing the work of the American Cancer Society to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support, to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.
“We are thrilled to announce the Game Changer Gala will take place during an exciting time in Las Vegas next year, Super Bowl week,” said Jeff Fehlis, executive vice president for the American Cancer Society. “This event is an opportunity to come together to raise funds for critical cancer prevention resources in our community and to bring awareness to the American Cancer Society’s local impact. We invite the greater Las Vegas area to join us in the fight against cancer on February 7th at AREA15. We look forward to a magical evening!”
The Game Changer Gala promises an unforgettable evening of music, comradery, and impactful moments as we unite to celebrate the remarkable strides being made in the fight against cancer in Las Vegas. Event proceeds from this inaugural event will go to support equity in cancer care for all by fueling research breakthroughs in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and survivorship; direct patient support and education for cancer patients, caregivers, and clinicians; and advocacy aimed in providing equitable access to care.
The night will also feature a special mission paddle raise to increase access to cancer screenings in vulnerable areas through the American Cancer Society’s CHANGE grant program in partnership with the National Football League (NFL). Since 2009, ACS has partnered with the NFL to help more people catch cancer early and address the unequal burden of cancer in vulnerable communities through the Crucial Catch campaign.
Since its inception, the campaign has raised more than $27 million for CHANGE grants and impacted more than one million people in communities nationwide. Through this funding, ACS has partnered with Nevada Health Center to ensure women in rural and frontier communities are getting access to breast cancer screening and prevention resources through mobile health programs.
Distinguished guests will include esteemed community executive leaders, passionate NFL player ambassadors, remarkable special guest performers, visionary sports partner executives, exceptional volunteers, and many more luminaries. The Game Changer Gala provides an intimate setting to recognize and honor the collective efforts driving significant change in the fight against cancer. The event will be hosted by three-time Emmy Award winner Patranya Bhoolsuwan, founder & CEO of Patranya Media LLC.
