Guests at this year’s Imagine Gala will be treated to a menu with a special flair, one replete with Cuban-inspired meats and seafood and dishes accented with plantains, mangos, and banana leaves, courtesy of Chef Eric Gillish and his team from Millennium Restaurant Group.
Orquesta Ritmo, a 12-piece Latin ensemble from Lansing, will provide the music for nighttime dancing and unwinding under a large, sailcloth tent in the courtyard of the medical school’s W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus.
All of it – the food and music, and the transformation of the first floor of the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus – is part of what will be a Havana Nights inspired evening at the 4th Annual Imagine Gala, said Al Shifflett, WMed’s Engagement Manager.
“We are trying to give Kalamazoo an experience unlike any other,” Shifflett said. “Our goal each year with the Imagine Gala is that it is the city’s feature black-tie event.”
This year’s hosts of the Imagine Gala, Ken and Julie Miller, will welcome guests beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, 2019, at the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus.
The 5:30 p.m. start time for the event is a change from previous years when the Imagine Gala got underway at a later time. The earlier start time, Shifflett said, is meant to give guests more time to chat and mingle during a champagne reception that will feature a program honoring the Millers and provide an official start to the evening’s festivities.
Shifflett said the evening on May 18 will be one filled with music and dancing, delicious food, a coffee experience, after-dinner treats and refreshments. But, more importantly, the guests at the 4th Annual Imagine Gala will be taking part in an event that helps with needed funding for Early Introduction to Health Careers (EIH), WMed’s pipeline programs for elementary and high school students from Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS).
Julie and Ken Miller, who is a member emeritus of the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees, a WMU alumnus and CEO of the Millennium Restaurant Group, have been longtime proponents of education and students in the Kalamazoo community, and stalwart supporters of the medical school. They are following in the footsteps of the Imagine Gala’s previous hosts – WMU President Emeritus John M. and Linda T. Dunn in 2017, and Ronda Stryker and William Johnston in 2018.
To honor Ken and Julie’s commitment to education and the community, this year’s event will serve as the venue for an important announcement regarding a new endeavor around EIH to ensure that high school students from the program are able to realize their dreams.
A campaign is currently underway to establish a new endowment at the medical school that will fund medical school scholarships for students from southwest Michigan, with preference given to KPS graduates who completed EIH.
The pipeline programs, which began in 2016, are designed to champion the biomedical science and healthcare career aspirations of underrepresented youth. The programs also provide a platform for WMed students to design and teach interactive learning experiences to help elementary and high school students develop leadership, team-building, and problem-solving skills.
Last year’s Imagine Gala attracted its largest-ever crowd of more than 360 people and the number of attendees has grown every year since about 200 guests attended the inaugural Imagine Gala in 2016.
Shifflett said the growth of the Imagine Gala has coincided with an increase in the number of sponsors for the event. Sponsors and underwriters are important and allow the medical school to continue to expand the experience for Gala attendees while contributing to the student pipeline programs, he said.
In addition to the Imagine Gala sponsors, Shifflett said the medical school is also proud to partner with community businesses, including Delta Hotels Kalamazoo Conference Center, the Kalamazoo Candle Company, and the Millennium Restaurant Group.
“This event is all about community and we strive to team up with our community partners whenever possible,” Shifflett said.
Reservations for the 4th Annual Imagine Gala are available now and can be purchased by visiting med.wmich.edu/GALA or by calling 269.337.4370. Sponsorship and underwriting opportunities are also available.