Under the desert sun and the sway of the palms, Palm Springs did what it does best: throw a beautiful party for a serious cause. The Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation — REAF — hosted its latest House Party PS gathering under the banner Glitz & Glam, an evening of elegance designed to advance one of the organization’s most meaningful projects: a permanent AIDS memorial for Palm Springs.
The memorial would create a lasting space of remembrance and reflection — honoring lives affected by AIDS while educating generations to come. For REAF, long dedicated to HIV and AIDS services as well as artistic expression, the project sits at the intersection of memory and advocacy.
An evening built with intention
From the step-and-repeat arrival bearing the REAF insignia, the night balanced festivity with purpose. Sponsors including Delta Dental, OUTbound, The Palm Springs Post, KGAY, and Gay Desert Guide lined the entrance — a visible network of community backing.
Hosts Steve Campbell, Rock Hall, and Camerone Parker guided the program, which opened at five with welcome drinks, a photo experience, and a silent auction. Entertainment carried the night: performances by Billy L’Amour and David Burnham, a tribute element connected to Bette Midler featuring Sheri Rae Parker, emcee Bella da Ball keeping the energy flowing, and Miss Bee Haven greeting guests with warmth. Lynn Hammond’s catering kept the hospitality refined without overshadowing the mission.
Behind the polish stood a coordinated crew — volunteer coordinator Mike Cashion’s team, specialty performance management by Doug Graham, sound by DJ Glaxy, and visual documentation by Alan Carvello and Sean Jacobs, with REAF producers Ken Henderson and Joe Seiler shaping the whole.
Leadership and legacy
Lead sponsor Jim Neuman was joined by supporting sponsors Andy Warren and Susan Mundy, alongside contributors including Robert Duwors, Albert Gonzales, Willie Rhine of Willie’s Modern Fare, Los Moran, Kevin Wagner, Randolph Paschke, and Professor Dr. Douglas Tippin — recognized specifically for advancing awareness of the monument project.
The hosts emeritus program told its own story of continuity: Stuart Kent and Mark Pelligrino, Mickey Fiegelson and Chuck Leachman, Steve Knill and Don Kraft, Tom Ray, Joe Troncoso and Carl Schreier, Will Cook and Sir Robert Morrison, John Schmall and Mark Bessey, Len Handeland and Byron Hancock, Michael Norpell and Bryan Fisher, Bob Valentine and Steve Bolton, and Jim Neuman — years of themed events building toward this moment.
By eight o’clock, the auction had closed and the evening wound down — but the momentum behind the memorial only grew. In a city where aesthetics and meaning have always intersected, REAF’s Glitz & Glam proved again that elegance and purpose don’t compete. At their best, they amplify each other.
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Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.
