Tag: HIV

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Events Featured NYC

Dine In For Life This Summer

More Than a Meal: Dine In For Life This Summer

At a time when many New Yorkers are struggling to make ends meet, the nonprofit The Alliance for Positive Change is hosting a virtual event on July 30 to support its vital food and nutrition programs, which provide free meals to New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses.

The annual event, which normally goes by the moniker “Dining Out For Life,” will take place virtually this year in New York City due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dining Out For Life has been a widely successful international initiative that supports local HIV service nonprofits like Alliance.

Dine In For Life This Summer
Celebrity chef Ted Allen (pictured third from right) is an event ambassador this year. Credit: Alliance for Positive Change, 2018

On a dedicated day, restaurants around the nation donate a portion of their proceeds to these nonprofits. Last year, more than 50 local HIV service organizations partnered with 2,400+ participating restaurants, 4,500+ volunteers, and more than 300,000 diners to raise an astonishing $4.28 million for people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States and Canada.

This year, Alliance is hosting “Dining In For Life” and encouraging participants to order takeout from participating restaurants in lieu of an in-person event across New York City. By dining in, participants can stay safe while continuing to support local restaurants and the food programs of Alliance.

Alliance will designate funds raised to support its food and nutrition programming, which provides more than 28,000 –

hot meals and food pantry items each year and offers a lifeline to New Yorkers who often struggle to make ends meet. The program is core to Alliance’s network of support, and the organization has been witnessing an even greater demand for nutritious food during these challenging times.

“This year, the global coronavirus pandemic has created unprecedented economic hardship, and caused innumerable people to lose their jobs and livelihoods,” said Sharen Duke, Alliance CEO & Executive Director. “For nearly 30 years, Alliance has shown kindness and compassion and we will continue to do this now, as many of those we serve are facing even greater obstacles now to maintain their health. We are asking all New Yorkers to consider July 30 as a moment to help your fellow New Yorkers to feel better, live better, and do better.”

Diners can participate in Dining In For Life by ordering takeout on July 30 from –

  • Amata: 209 E 56th Street, New York, NY
  • Arabesque: 4 E 36th Street, New York, NY
  • Duke’s: 1596 2nd Avenue, New York, NY
  • Patrick’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar: 259 West 42nd Street, New York, NY
  • Sac’s Place – Kaufman Astoria Studios: 35-11 35th Avenue, Astoria, Queens, NY
  • Sazon Perez: 417 S 4th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
  • Staghorn Steakhouse: 315 W 36th Street, New York, NY
  • Yoon Haeundae Galbi: 8 W 36th Street, New York, NY

New Yorkers can get event updates at www.diningoutforlife.com/city/newyorkcity

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Dining Events Featured Lifestyle Living Restaurants

Dine Out for Life to Fight HIV on April 25th

On April 25th, join Dining Out for Life and NYC restaurants to fight HIV. This international event includes 60 North American cities and over 3,000 participating restaurants. Over $4 Million is raised on average during the one day of dining. In New York City, the event is hosted by The Alliance for Positive Change, which helps New Yorkers living with HIV and other chronic health conditions get the medical care, peer support, and housing assistance they need to achieve health, happiness, and stability.

We talked with Ted Allen, spokesperson for the event, about how he got involved and why he thinks the organization is so important. Emmy and James Beard Award winner Ted Allen is the host of “Chopped” on Food Network and the author “In My Kitchen: 100 Recipes and Discoveries for Passionate Cooks.” Previously, he was the food specialist on the Bravo series “Queer Eye,” and a contributing writer to Esquire.

Downtown: How did you get involved with Dining Out for Life?

Ted Allen: Well, it’s been 12 years now, and they just came and asked me to be involved,  and for me, it’s a triple-win. 1. It generates millions of dollars to support HIV education and services 2. All the money raised in your community is spent in your community 3. It helps create a new audience for chefs who are generous enough to participate, putting new people in their seats who might very well turn into regular customers. All while simply asking us to do what all of us should be doing anyway: Having dinner. A brilliant model.

Downtown: Are there other ways people can help if they can’t visit one of those restaurants on April 25th?

TA: Volunteer or donate to the Alliance for Positive Change.

Downtown: What are a few of your favorite participating restaurants?

TA: I never choose favorites! You can check out the full list of participating restaurants here.

Dining Out for Life is sponsored by Subaru of America as part of their Subaru Love Promise program. Dining Out For Life began in Philadelphia in 1991 and has since grown into an international event held across North America raising an average $4 million annually. The idea behind the single-day event is simple and effective: Dine Out, End HIV. Each restaurant donates a percentage of the day’s food sales, which goes to local organizations to fund care, prevention, education, testing, counseling and other essential HIV/AIDs services. For more information, check out their website, Facebook, or Instagram.

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Dining Featured Uncategorized

NYC Takes a Seat at the Table for Dining Out For Life on April 26

Ted Allen, photo credit: Peter Ross

For the first time, New York City will participate in the international Dining Out For Life initiative on Thursday, April 26, when people in more than 60 cities across North America are encouraged to dine out at select restaurants – all to help fund HIV/AIDS healthcare, prevention, education, testing, counseling, and other essential services.

More than 3,000 restaurants – including seven in New York City – are participating and agreed to generously donate a portion of proceeds that day to local nonprofits. The Alliance for Positive Change, a 27-year-old nonprofit that assists more than 5,000 people each year and impacts another 15,000 more, is the benefitting New York City nonprofit.  Learn more about NYC’s involvement at diningoutforlife.com/newyorkcity.

“It’s a win-win on so many levels,” says Sharen Duke, Alliance CEO & Executive Director. “Simply by dining out, New Yorkers can make a difference in someone’s life and in fact, can help us to reach even more New Yorkers who are trying to feel better, live better, and do better. We are extremely excited that the Dining Out For Life organization selected us – and New York – to participate in such an important event that is helping to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.”

Over the past ten years, Dining Out For Life has raised roughly $38 million for the wellness of those affected by HIV/AIDS, about $4 million each year. Volunteer spokespeople include Ted Allen, host of Food Network’s Chopped, actor Pam Grier (Foxy Brown, Jackie Brown), HIV-positive designer Mondo Guerra, winner of Lifetime’s Project Runway All-Stars, and chef Daisy Martinez from Food Network’s Viva Daisy!

“The wonderful thing about Dining Out for Life is you can do it three times a day, a different restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” says Mondo Guerra. “You can sit down and have a meal with someone interesting, someone you love, maybe someone you haven’t seen in a while. And, it’s an opportunity to have a conversation. The fight against this disease begins with real, honest conversation.”

Subaru of America has been a Host Sponsor of Dining Out For Life for more than a decade and extended its long-term commitment as a Host Sponsor of Dining Out For Life. “At Subaru, we believe in supporting causes that are important to our drivers, retailers, and employees and Dining Out For Life has been one of those causes for many years,” said Alan Bethke, senior vice president of marketing, Subaru of America Inc. “We are excited to extend our long-term partnership with the fundraiser as part of our Subaru Loves to Care initiative and help raise funds, awareness and continue the fight to overcome an HIV/AIDS epidemic that affects many in our local communities and millions around the world.

http://www.heypeterross.com/
Ted Allen, photo credit: Peter Ross

 

Local participating restaurants to date are: Clyde Frazier’s Wine & Dine (485 Tenth Avenue, Manhattan); Staghorn Steakhouse (315 West 36th Street, Manhattan); Lucca Restaurant (3019 Westchester Avenue, Bronx); Metate Authentic (3515 Johnson Avenue, Riverdale, Bronx); Pane Vino (174 Smith Street, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn); Sac’s Place (86-14A 37th Avenue, Jackson Heights. Queens); and Sazon Perez (427 S. 4th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn). Also supporting the event is the Rockville Links Country Club in Rockville Center, Long Island.

 

In New York City, details about the restaurants – and any special events that day – can be found at diningoutforlife.com/newyorkcity. New Yorkers are also encouraged to follow the event on social media to learn about new developments at Facebook – www.facebook.com/diningoutnyc; Twitter – www.twitter.com/diningout_nyc; and, Instagram – www.instagram.com/diningout_nyc

Categories
Entertainment Events

Recap: amfAR generationCURE Solstice Auction

Photo courtesy of Krissy Lewis

Photo courtesy of Krissy Lewis
Photo courtesy of Krissy Lewis

Last night, Shantell Martin, Kelly Osborne, Jessica Hart, Perez Hilton, Jasmine Chess, among others, gathered at the Hudson Hotel in efforts to make AIDS history at amfAR’s generationCURE Solstice Auction Event.

In efforts to eradicate the spread of AIDS, generationCure collaborated with Artsy — known as the leading source for art collecting and education — to give both event chairs and attendees the chance to bid on a variety of artwork from Robert Beck, William Eggleston, Steven Klein, Brett Lloyd, Cindy Sherman, Sam Taylor-Johnson, and original pieces from Shantell Martin. All proceeds from the silent auction will go towards scientific research and finding a cure for AIDS.

Photo courtesy of Krissy Lewis
Photo courtesy of Krissy Lewis

Brad Jones, scientist in HIV cure research, explained what his hopes were for the night, “I hope that they just keep raising money the way that they have for the last five years, maybe even continue to build upon that. I know that they have some really ambitious goals to fund more scientist so I hope other scientist are as lucky as me to receive some money and start making more progress.”

So far in the year, Jones along with the financial help from generationCURE has seen progress on a monthly basis and are optimistic for what the future holds, “We really hope that if we get good consistent results on this level it will bring that into animals, models, and eventually into people. I think that we’re going to get there in terms of curing HIV and events like this are really going to help accelerate that better.”

Shantell Martin, known for her black and white illustrations and her cure for AIDS amfAR beach towel, did live illustrations at the event and spoke about her hopes for the event as well, “A lot of interesting [and] creative New Yorkers or out of New Yorkers come together to start conversations and do a little something that is for amfAR generationCURE coming together and raising some money and having some fun, said Martin.”

Photo courtesy of Krissy Lewis
Photo courtesy of Krissy Lewis

Ryan Serhant, one of the event chairs and television star of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing New York, expressed “I hope we raise a lot of money to help fight HIV/AIDS and find a cure before 2020, but more importantly I think it’s about spreading awareness.” Servant continued, “I tell people all of the time people are overwhelmed, 24-hour news cycle, there’s always something to worry about everyday that big diseases like this are still killing people every second of everyday in the world. If it’s out of sight and out of mind then no one cares.”

The trendy black and white summer affair brought individuals from all over together to support a bigger cause in a way that was most inspirational to each artist. The night was filled with artistic scenery, fashionable labels, a passion to bring change; as well as sparkling drinks donated by Moet Hennessy — who recently started a year long collaboration with amfAR.

Items from the auction are still accepting bids on Artsy until June 30.

See event photos below.

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by- Krissy Lewis

Categories
Health News

Thrilling HIV Treatment Breakthrough Achieved At Rockefeller University!

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New York’s Rockefeller University.

 

Researchers at New York’s Rockefeller University are a step closer to developing an antibody treatment for HIV after an experimental therapy has significantly reduced the amount of virus in tested patients.

This is a tremendous breakthrough that could lead to new achievements and therapies that ultimately could significantly improve the treatment and care of patients with the HIV infection,” says Elie Hirschfeld of the Rockefeller University Council which increases awareness of the university innovative ideas and initiatives.

The trial, was the first to infuse humans with an antibody called 3BNC117, which can fight an incredible 80 percent of HIV strains.

The amount of HIV in the blood of eight of the patients given the antibody dropped 300 fold with zero side effects after nearly three months of receiving the therapy.

Though the tests are deemed a success, the researchers insist that the therapy will need to integrate other antibodies, or be incorporated with other drugs to keep HIV infections under control.

“The virus is very smart and after a certain amount of time it will develop resistance to single drugs, and to single antibodies too,” said Rockefeller’s Dr. Sarah Schlesinger, a senior author on the study. “The way around that is to use more than one, and whether we’ll need two or three different antibodies is something we are working to figure out now.”

But Dr. Schlesinger remains optimistic for the future of the breakthrough treatment possibilities.

The research also raises the possibility of the development of a vaccine against HIV that could stop the virus taking hold in patients.

“This is no small achievement and provides a great hope for people who suffer from this terrible affliction,” adds Hirschfeld.