Kaleidoscope Reimagined 2022 Review

A night of poetry, daring aerialists, and music lifted guests’ spirits on September 17th after a three-year pandemic hiatus as they made their way into the Hyatt Regency ballroom to support HealthPoint. With hundreds of guests in attendance and over $200k raised that evening, we asked organizer Kristen Raftis, Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships and Events, along with a few others how the event went.

While planning for Kaleidoscope, Senior Leadership made it a point to keep the virtual component as an available option for guests who joined us during the Livestream instead of in person.  Out of the many successes of the evening, Kristen emphatically attributes them to the planning teams' decision of switching from a corporate networking type of event to a more informal setting that allowed guests time to connect after being socially distanced for so long. According to Kristen, “people want more connection and less presentation, more conversation, and more joy.”

Guests were buzzing with excitement and joy throughout the night and into the following week after three years of not seeing one another, one guest even exclaimed to Kristen, “wonderful, exactly what I needed!” When we asked what went well during the event, Kristen mentioned the audience engagement and shared that HealthPoint staff was strategically placed throughout the presentation, making HealthPoint the celebrity in the room this year, whether that was team member, Magda Herrera de Leon presenting with emcee Martha Enson (Enjoy Productions) or the HealthPoint staff choir. For Kristen, it was to “show how amazing we were rather than telling them how we are amazing. The choir does that, it shows staff, it shows Dr. Wu, it shows that we are real people making HealthPoint what it is.”

Dr. Lillian Wu, a doctor at HealthPoint, was a focal point in the music that night as she played with her quartet, show band Boogie Boulevard, and the HealthPoint staff choir as a pianist. Looking back on the event, Dr. Wu mentioned, “… this one was definitely an event to remember, with so many fun entertainment acts, food stations, and ample opportunity for folks to roam and see people in real life, dressed up and enjoying themselves. It was so refreshing to experience a fundraising event so different than the usual sit-down dinner!” The highlight of her evening though was “accompanying the choir, who performed "Rise Up" so passionately and beautifully and seeing the crowd appreciate them so much. They committed themselves to three rehearsals after hours, and who knows how much more time at home learning their respective parts in the song. Their work was evident in how well they sang on stage, bringing tears to many eyes.”

HealthPoint board member, Megan Wildenradt also reminisced on the evening, “Kaleidoscope was truly a one-of-a-kind fundraiser that prioritized FUN.  After so much time apart, it felt like the right approach. The incredible work of HealthPoint deserves to be celebrated and admired and Kaleidoscope did just that. “

But what was Kristen’s favorite part of Kaleidoscope? For her, it was HealthPoint President and CEO, Lisa Yohalem’s remarks and how engaged the CEO was with the audience throughout the presentation. “It created an energy exchange and made the audience part of the show, “Kristen recounted.

A big shout out to our Partner of the Year, Salal Credit Union! With their roots in healthcare, we are extremely grateful for their generous donation and support in the work that we do for the community. We asked Kristen how Salal was chosen to be this year’s partner, she stated, “Our committee chose Salal Credit Union because of their commitment to healthcare and their investment in helping to get the Community Connection fund started. They have been long-term partners of HealthPoint that make it a priority to invest in our staff with scholarships.”

Salal Credit Union has been a consistent and thoughtful partner to HealthPoint for over a decade, during which Kristen fondly shared their contribution to our staff back in 2020. Although Kaleidoscope had been canceled due to the pandemic, like other partners, Salal had money set aside for the event, however, they insisted on donating to us still and invested it immediately into the HealthPoint staff. They invested their $10k donation into feeding every staff member from our clinics that year.

At Kaleidoscope, HealthPoint CEO, Lisa Yohalem had this to say about Salal, “A few years ago they provided the seed funding for our staff scholarship fund and today they are also supporting our Community Connections program that helps patients with medical devices, food, and even housing.... I always say we “do our best work in partnership. And this is a great example of what corporate partners can make possible. Thank you again Brian and thank you to the Board and leadership of Salal.”

For those not familiar with the event, Kaleidoscope started as a way to celebrate the organization that grew into one of our major fundraising events. The name Kaleidoscope was chosen because it described the beauty of a kaleidoscope; different colors and shapes come together to make something beautiful.

Before our interview with Kristen ended, we had asked what guests can expect from Kaleidoscope in 2023. Her response was, “Can we wow more? You will just have to see it in 2023!”   HealthPoint would like to thank Enjoy Productions, Boogie Boulevard, sponsors, and most importantly our staff and volunteers that made the evening amazing. Without you, we would not have been able to put on such a joyous and successful event!