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About SOARée

Join us on Friday, March 28, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at Thrive Aviation (183 E. Reno Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119) for a one-of-a-kind fundraising event. Guests will enjoy custom cocktails, tantalizing small bites, and exciting entertainment.

Bring your suitcase! Unlike other events where you leave the venue at the end of the evening, at SOARée, three lucky couples will depart via private jet for a luxury weekend in Healdsburg, CA (Sonoma County), with exclusive accommodations, car service, and more.

All guests and volunteers must be at least 21 years of age. Cocktail or black-tie attire is requested. Check out the photos from last year.

Read Our Press Release

Jan Jones Blackhurst

2025 Navigator Honoree

Jan Jones Blackhurst is a long-time political and business leader who spent most of the 1990s as the first woman mayor of Las Vegas – one of the most popular mayors in the city’s history. She then joined Caesars Entertainment, where she and her teams developed the industry’s first responsible gaming practices, advanced environmental stewardship, and advocated for important social issues.

Jan speaks extensively at many universities and helped establish the International Gaming Institution Center of Excellence at UNLV. After leading corporate social responsibility and public policy at Caesars for two decades, she joined the company’s board of directors in 2019 where she chairs the Corporate Social Responsibility committee. She also became chief executive in residence at the UNLV International Gaming Institute, where she was a popular faculty member and key player in the “Expanding the Leaderverse” initiative. She then became the executive director of the UNLV Black Fire Leadership Initiative in January 2021. In May 2022, Jan was appointed to the board of directors of Esports Entertainment Group, a full stack esports and online gaming company, and in March 2023, she joined the Hospitality Group of World Choice Investments. Committed to education, Jan served as chairwoman for the Public Education Foundation. She has also earned numerous awards and accolades while serving on several boards, including the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, Vegas Chamber, and the Nevada Resort Association. In 2014, she was one of the first women to be inducted into the American Gaming Association (AGA) Gaming Hall of Fame. Jones Blackhurst holds a bachelor's degree in English from Stanford University.

Asher

2025 Child Ambassador

Asher was 18 months old when he received his first Miracle Flight to treat his Grade 4 Subglottic Stenosis, which caused a complete closure of his airway. This condition required him to depend on a tracheostomy. He traveled to Mass Eye and Ear in Boston, Massachusetts.

“We just returned home to Vegas from Boston's Mass Eye & Ear, a Harvard teaching hospital dedicated to eye, ear, nose, throat, head, and neck care,” noted Becky, Asher’s mother. “Our son had a bronchoscopy with an ENT who specializes in airway reconstruction. The entire experience, from start to finish, went perfectly. It was our first time flying with our medically complex baby, and we could not have asked for a better outcome. We received the news we had hoped for: Asher is a great candidate for airway reconstruction surgery. This will provide him with a safe airway and a voice. We have never heard Asher's voice, not a single coo or babble; even when he cries, it is completely silent. We are so grateful for this opportunity to provide him with a better quality of life and to reach a point where his condition is no longer life-threatening. This would not have been possible without the assistance of Miracle Flights. Words could never fully express our gratitude.”

Asher had his airway reconstruction surgery on September 4th at Mass General in Boston, Massachusetts. The surgery went well, with no complications. The surgeon successfully removed the rib cartilage and placed the rib graft in his airway, which took about four hours. His airway is now open. Since the surgery, Asher has tried new foods. On September 23rd, his mother shared a video titled “Look who has a voice!”

Carrie Roper

Host

Carrie is an Emmy Award-winning video production professional with over 15 years of experience and a diverse portfolio spanning daytime television, reality TV, news, and branded content. Her resume includes work with top industry brands such as Disney, Paramount, Amazon, Netflix, Warner Brothers, and MTV, among others. In addition to her creative expertise, Carrie played a pivotal role in launching and anchoring the first digital newscast for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. She currently serves as the Executive Producer for Storyville RD, a full-service video production company dedicated to telling creative and powerful stories. She consistently crafts narratives that resonate with audiences and drive impact, whether she is behind the camera or in front of it. Carrie is honored to return as the emcee for the second year of SOARée to support its mission in Southern Nevada.

Fidel Moreno-Meza

Host

Fidel is a reporter and fill-in weather anchor for the NBC Las Vegas News 3 team. He graduated from Fresno State with a degree in Criminology and a minor in Mass Communications and Journalism. He is currently completing his Meteorology studies at Pennsylvania State University.

Before arriving in Las Vegas, Fidel was the weekday morning anchor at our sister station, CBS4/KFOX14, in El Paso, Texas. Some of his most memorable coverage includes the border immigration crisis, President Biden's visit to El Paso, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Fidel has done it all in the newsroom, serving as a multimedia journalist, weather forecaster, anchor, and producer. Fidel’s passion for journalism dates back to his high school days when he began hosting the first-ever broadcast on his campus. This enthusiasm continued into college, leading him to internships with his local public access television station, CMAC, and another internship at KFSN-ABC30 as part of the Disney Internship Program.

Born and raised in California’s Central Valley, Fidel speaks both English and Spanish fluently. He is eager to begin his next chapter in Las Vegas and explore the Silver State. In his free time, he enjoys running, cycling, reading, and hiking. Be sure to say hello if you run into him—he is talkative and loves meeting new people.

Miracle Flights

A Look Back at SOARée

2024 SOARée Honorees Mary Beth Sewald, Vegas Chamber CEO and President, and Child Ambassador Makenna.

Frequently Asked Questions

Private Jet Fly Away Prize Information

  • Round-trip flights aboard a private jet from Thrive Aviation in Las Vegas to Healdsburg, CA (Sonoma County), via Santa Rosa Airport (Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport).
    • Winners will depart promptly at 9:00 p.m. on Friday, March 28, 2025, and return on Sunday, March 30, 2025.
  • Exclusive accommodations.
  • Luxury car service to and from the airports.
  • $500 Visa card per couple.
  • Prizes are subject to change.
  • Additional raffle tickets can be purchased online or at the event.
  • The winners are responsible for all charitable winnings.

Parking and Luggage Logistics

  • We offer complimentary valet and self-parking.
  • Here is the map.
  • We also encourage attendees to celebrate responsibly and use ride-share when possible.
  • If you self-parked, please leave your luggage in your vehicle. If you win, you’ll be driven to your car to retrieve your belongings.
  • If you are using ride-share, please bring your luggage to the registration table, and we will hold it for you.

Private Jet Fly Away Prize Logistics

  • Winners and their guests must be present and ready to depart. No substitution dates are allowed.
  • The prize has no cash value and cannot be sold.
  • If a winner cannot leave that night, they will need to either give the prize back for us to raffle it away again, or they can gift it freely to someone else to go in their place.
  • The prize is a two-day, two-night trip. A carry-on or weekend suitcase under 50 pounds is recommended. Please consider the seasonal weather in Sonoma County.
  • Accommodations are double occupancy, meaning you will share a hotel room with your guest. We suggest you bring your spouse, friend, or colleague – someone you enjoy spending time with.
  • All six winners will travel together aboard a private jet. Get to know your travel companions and have fun!
  • To collect the prize, you must provide a valid government-issued ID, sign a liability waiver before boarding, and give a credit card for hotel incidentals.
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