A black-tie gala coming to Raleigh this week aims to give nurses the kind of formal recognition usually reserved for lawyers and executives, while honoring the memory of a young man whose death reshaped his mother's mission in healthcare. The inaugural Monumental Nurses Ball runs Thursday and Friday at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Raleigh Durham Airport Brier Creek, drawing healthcare professionals, first responders, educators and community leaders for an evening built around an elegant dinner, speeches from influential healthcare figures, and entertainment.
The event was founded by Ali'ce J. Haskins, a family nurse practitioner, educator and entrepreneur, according to CBS 17. Haskins first got the idea for the gala in 2019 after attending a Lawyers Ball at the North Carolina Governor's Mansion, and she built the Monumental Nurses Ball around the motto “a ballroom, not a breakroom,” according to a Facebook post from Nurse Haskins. The idea, per that account, was to give nurses the same kind of prestige evening long afforded to other professions.
The gala is hosted by the Varian Legacy Foundation, which CBS 17 reports was established in memory of Haskins's late son, Varian M. Alexander. The station notes that Haskins reevaluated her purpose and commitment to giving back after the personal tragedy of his death. The foundation is an officially incorporated 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization headquartered in McDonough, Georgia, according to Charity Navigator.
A Foundation Built on Mentorship and Financial Literacy
Beyond the gala itself, the Varian Legacy Foundation addresses educational opportunities and financial literacy in underserved communities, providing mentorship alongside its scholarship work, per CBS 17's reporting. The station reports that foundation initiatives have transformed the lives of beneficiaries through access to education and financial empowerment. That mission dovetails with the gala's stated purpose of advocating for health equity and community impact while highlighting what organizers describe as the resilience and dedication of healthcare heroes.
Haskins's own record has drawn national recognition in recent months. In April, she was selected as an honoree for the national “100 Women to KNOW in America” award following a peer judging panel evaluation of her leadership and community impact, according to The KNOW Women. She was previously awarded the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024 for her contributions to volunteer service and community empowerment, per her official site, Meet Nurse Haskins.
Why the Timing Matters for Raleigh's Nursing Workforce
The celebratory tone of the gala arrives amid a sobering statistical backdrop for North Carolina's healthcare system. The state is projected to face a shortfall of nearly 12,500 registered nurses and more than 5,000 licensed practical nurses by 2033, according to workforce forecasting models from the UNC Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. That same regional forecasting data indicates the Raleigh-Durham area, part of the Wake AHEC region, faces among the largest projected numerical shortages of registered nurses and licensed practical nurses anywhere in the state, with acute care hospitals and long-term care facilities bearing the brunt.
Hoodline previously reported on a state push to address these gaps, when North Carolina officials convened the NC Caregiving Workforce Strategic Leadership Council in September 2025 to pursue loan repayment programs and expanded community college coaching aimed at combating persistent nursing vacancies. The council represents a partnership between the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the state Department of Commerce.
Health Equity Concerns Extend Beyond Staffing Numbers
Workforce shortages are only part of the picture. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' 2024 Health Disparities Analysis Report highlighted that persistent socioeconomic and geographic inequities continue to drive unequal health outcomes across the state, according to the North Carolina Medical Society. Locally, Wake County's 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment, released jointly by Live Well Wake and hospital systems including WakeMed, identified expanding healthcare access and addressing social determinants of health as top priorities for the Raleigh area.
Those documented pressures give the Monumental Nurses Ball's advocacy focus a concrete local backdrop. The gala's blend of formal recognition and health equity messaging lands in a region where, per the same workforce data, hospital staffing gaps and disparities in care access are already shaping public health strategy for years to come.
