Article Contributed by Denise Lamott
Published on 2026-08-04
GLIDE’s Young Professionals Committee will host its annual Summer Gala on Saturday, August 15, at The Chapel in San Francisco, bringing together the next generation of community leaders, advocates, and changemakers for an evening of music, celebration, philanthropy, and inspiration.
Held from 8 p.m. to midnight, the Summer Gala will feature cocktails, appetizers, community connection, inspiring stories, the presentation of the 2026 Reverend Cecil Williams and Janice Mirikitani Legacy Awards, an exclusive DJ set by acclaimed San Francisco house music artist David Harness, and a silent disco.
Designed as GLIDE’s signature “Party with a Purpose,” the event celebrates the organization’s enduring commitment to radical inclusion, unconditional love, and social justice while raising critical funds to support its programs.
The Young Professionals Committee is a dedicated group of emerging leaders committed to introducing new audiences to GLIDE’s mission through volunteer opportunities, community engagement, and fundraising events that inspire action and connection. As San Francisco changemakers, committee members believe that supporting the city’s most vulnerable residents requires both collective action and celebration.
“Celebration is one of GLIDE’s core values because joy and community are essential to creating lasting change,” said Dr. Gina Fromer, GLIDE president and CEO. “The Summer Gala is an opportunity to come together in solidarity, celebrate the resilience of our community, and invest in a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Every ticket purchased helps support GLIDE’s work providing meals, housing support, healthcare, recovery services, advocacy, and pathways out of poverty for thousands of individuals and families.”
Each year, GLIDE selects community leaders whose work reflects the legacy of its co-founders, Reverend Cecil Williams and Janice Mirikitani, whose commitment to radical acceptance, unconditional love, and social justice helped transform San Francisco.
This year’s Reverend Cecil Williams Legacy Award will be presented to Deanna Van Buren, co-founder and executive director of Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, an architecture and real estate nonprofit working to end mass incarceration through place-based solutions that address poverty, racism, inequitable access to resources, and the criminal justice system.
Van Buren’s work has been featured by The New York Times, and her TED Talk envisioning a world without prisons has been viewed more than one million times. Like Reverend Cecil, she brings courageous vision and innovation to building a more just and inclusive world.
The Janice Mirikitani Legacy Award will honor Tiersa Nureyev, an artist, educator, filmmaker, and social justice advocate whose two decades of work have centered on youth empowerment, restorative justice, and creative expression.
Since 2006, she has mentored hundreds of young people through the San Francisco Arts Education Project, collaborated with incarcerated artists through The Artistic Ensemble at San Quentin Prison, and co-founded the sustainable design studio Stella Fluorescent. She is currently leading Soft Spaces for Hard Times, a community quilting project engaging San Francisco youth in collective healing through art.
Like Janice Mirikitani, Nureyev’s work empowers communities while inspiring dialogue, compassion, and hope.
Following the awards presentation, acclaimed San Francisco DJ and house music artist David Harness will transform the evening into a celebration on the dance floor.
A Bay Area native whose performances have taken him from Coachella and Outside Lands to Glastonbury and clubs around the world, Harness has collaborated with Grammy-winning artists including Mary J. Blige and Alicia Keys, as well as house music icons Tedd Patterson and Louie Vega.
Funds raised through ticket sales and sponsorships will support GLIDE’s ongoing efforts to fight poverty in the Tenderloin, champion civil rights, revitalize downtown San Francisco, and strengthen communities throughout the Bay Area.
General admission tickets are $115. A Double Date Package is available for $300 and includes four admissions and four drink tickets. Sponsorship opportunities are also available for businesses and individuals interested in supporting GLIDE’s mission.
GLIDE Young Professionals Committee Summer Gala
Saturday, August 15, 2026
8 p.m.–midnight
The Chapel
777 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA
Tickets:
General Admission: $115
Double Date Package: $300, including four admissions and four drink tickets
For ticket information and sponsorship opportunities, contact events@glide.org.
