With deep gratitude, QVegas dedicates this issue to The LGBTQ+ Center of Southern Nevada and to The Honorarium—an evening that asks us to pause, bear witness, and give thanks. The honorees before you are not simply recipients of awards; they are caretakers of hope whose work enlarges what is possible for our community.
We honor Soleil McCants, recipient of the Lanny D. Love Hero Award. Soleil’s steadfast advocacy—often quiet, always resolute—has protected the vulnerable and uplifted the unseen. Their courage reminds us that heroism is measured not by applause, but by the lives made safer, healthier, and more whole.
We honor NOVUS Architecture + Interiors, Organization of the Year, led by founder and principal architect Dwayne Eshenbaugh. In designing the Gavin J. Goorjian Community Health Center, NOVUS translated compassion into walls, light, and welcome—continuing the generous legacy of the late John Klai and John Sparer. This building is more than a facility; it is a promise kept to future patients and families.
We honor Denise McCurry, the Center Legacy Award recipient, whose leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion has spanned decades. Denise has taught our city that belonging is built through daily practice—through listening, accountability, and a persistent insistence on dignity for all.
We honor Kristopher “Otter” Minnich and Gary “Bear” Brewer, co-recipients of the Russell Davis Volunteer of the Year Award. Week after week, their presence has been a ministry of reliability and kindness. They embody the truth that service, offered with humility, becomes a form of love.
To The Center’s board, staff, clinicians, volunteers, donors, and partners: thank you for laboring in the particulars—one client, one appointment, one crisis at a time—until health and hope take root. To our readers: may these pages stir you to join this work in whatever way you can.
On behalf of QVegas, we offer our heartfelt congratulations to each honoree. Your devotion strengthens Las Vegas and lights a way forward for us all.