Recap: Ignite Los Angeles 2023 Scholarship Event
ONE NIGHT IN THE CITY OF DREAMS
On the evening of Monday, March 13, 2023, ElevateMeD held its first Ignite Los Angeles event, hosted by world-renowned advertising agency Walton Isaacson. Ignite is ElevateMeD’s multi-city fundraising initiative designed to amplify our mission in supporting cities across the US. Through Ignite, we blaze our path forward by connecting with new donors, sponsors, and our partner schools.
“One thing that art and medicine have in common, are its unique ability to find people in their darkest place. That’s what we all have in common in this room. To take people out of that place, and heal them. And by joining forces and working together, there is no limit to what we can all achieve.”
THE ART
The intimate evening took place at the home of Walton Isaacson Founder and CEO Aaron Walton, where nearly 100 guests experienced the “Art of Medicine” theme of the evening. Thanks to the production expertise of Ron Kellum and Kellum Entertainment, the program gave spotlight to elevate the following incredible artists:
Evan Wyatt, emerging motion design artist (@blakyeti_media)
LaVance Colley, singer and songwriter (@lavancecolley)
Sweet Ankofa Chris, creator and canvas painter (@sweetankofachris)
Camilla Bäckman, singer, songwriter, and violinist (@camilla_backman)
THE MEDICINE
The merging of art and medicine was intentional, as both disciplines are universally known for healing. In an effort to share the trailblazing work that ElevateMeD has done in three years, Dr. Alyx Porter Umphrey shared the story of how ElevateMeD came to fruition and why we all deserve to see ourselves reflected in healthcare.
There is no greater testament to ElevateMeD’s impact than to hear from the students impacted. Jordan Edwards, who became an ElevateMeD Scholar in 2021 at the Charles R. Drew/UCLA Medical School program, shared his journey to medicine and how ElevateMeD got his journey “back on track” following the challenges faced in his third year. Jordan, who is also pursuing a Master’s in Public Health will begin applying to Anesthesiology residency programs this Fall, and is scheduled to graduate in May 2024.
Guests of the evening were able to participate in an exciting live auction with Subyn Novelle and make donations to support the ElevateMeD Scholars Program. Thanks to Love, Titos for their sponsorship of this event! ElevateMeD is excited to expand its footprint into Los Angeles and we look forward to returning in 2024.
Save the date
Join ElevateMeD for our second Ignite Atlanta event on Friday, May 12th at the Georgia Aquarium! This event culminates ElevateMeD’s 4th anniversary and the announcement of our fourth Scholars cohort. Corporate sponsorships are now available. Ticket sales will go live in April.
*photography courtesy Darius Carter / The Carter’s Touch
presented by
Other Sponsors
