RSBCIHI to Present the Gilbert Toro Award at the 2026 Family Wellness Conference
Dan Jordan 
(RSBCIHI | Grand Terrace, CA) — Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc. will present the Gilbert Toro Award at the recognition dinner of its Family Wellness Conference on Saturday, November 21, 2026. The dinner takes place at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage.
Each year the award honors a Native American family or individual from the RSBCIHI Consortium whose life reflects the values Mr. Toro held close. Nominees are known for upholding traditional family values, promoting a healthy family lifestyle and caring about family unity. They are also active in their communities and an inspiration to the people around them.
The award carries the name of Gilbert Toro, a member of the Torres-Martinez Band of Cahuilla Indians and a former RSBCIHI Board Member. Mr. Toro believed that serving his Tribe, wherever and whenever he could, came first. He served as a Tribal representative for more than twenty years.
His own words still guide the spirit of the award. “Helping everybody, all the Tribes, is the best way to making things better,” he said. He also spoke about where that work begins: “When an Indian baby is born, the child should feel its first love in the arms of its mother. That love then grows through the strength of family and Tribal affection. Every family and Tribe has the ability to love through its strengths and weaknesses. I have experienced all of this.”
The recipient and up to four family members will be honored at the dinner. The Family Wellness Conference runs November 20–22, 2026, and its theme is “Families Strengthen by Culture and Tradition.”
