Jennifer Holliday set the tone for the 16th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards just fifteen minutes into the benefit for the Desert AIDS Project (DAP). The original Dreamgirls star moved a crowd of more than 1,300 people at the Palm Springs Convention Center with a rousing version of her paean to personal courage, “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.””

Classic rolled out the pink carpet at the front door and erected a 12′ x 12′, 40″ high stage in the lobby wrapped in pink carpet for the cocktail party design concept by Shari Kelley Events of Palm Springs.

Inside the ballroom, Classic installed 485 Biljacks stage sections covered in black Astroturf and siderails covered in black velon to create elevated dining areas for designer Richard DeSantis of Event Management Productions. All of the staging had to be completed in eight hours (with the last quarter of the room not available until just two hours before the deadline) so tables and pin spot lighting could be set up in time.

The Chase Awards, sponsored by Casey’s Integrated Wealth Management, honors national and local leaders dedicated to the DAP mission of fighting HIV and AIDS. Hayneedle, an online retailer, donated $300,000 in products for the silent auction. The event raised more than $1.2 million for the fight against HIV and AIDS.