Dining Out for Life

Here are some shots from Dining Out for Life 2009 at La Tee Da Cafe. The atmosphere was electric, the food was delicious, and an entire community came together to enjoy a great meal and make a real difference in fight against HIV and AIDS. Thank you all! If you have Dining Out for Life photos of your own, send them to jcarocci@aidscommunityservices.com and we'll add them to the slideshow.

UPDATE: thanks Eugene and Chris for the great photos from Panos and Chefs!

HIV and AIDS in America: A Snapshot

Thanks to Tom for sending along this story from The Body which gives a chilling snapshot of the impact HIV and AIDS continue to have in America:

• More than one million people are living with HIV in the U.S. (an estimated 1,106,400 adults and adolescents), and approximately one in five of those (21 percent) are unaware of their infections.
• An estimated 56,300 Americans become infected each year. On average, that's one infection every 9 ½ minutes.
• More than 14,000 people with AIDS still die each year in the U.S.
• Men who have sex with men (MSM) account for more than half of all new HIV infections in the U.S. each year (53 percent), as well as nearly half of people living with HIV (48 percent).
• While new HIV infections have declined among both heterosexuals and injection drug users, infections among MSM have been steadily increasing since the early 1990s.
• Among racial/ethnic groups, African-Americans face the most severe burden of HIV and AIDS in the nation. While blacks represent approximately 12 percent of the U.S. population, they account for almost half of people living with HIV in the U.S. (46 percent), as well as nearly half of new infections each year (45 percent).
• At some point in their life, approximately one in 16 black men will be diagnosed with HIV, as will one in 30 black women. The rate of new HIV infections for black men is about six times as high as that of white men, nearly three times that of Hispanic men, and more than twice that of black women. The HIV incidence rate for black women is nearly 15 times as high as that of white women, and nearly four times that of Hispanic women.
• Hispanics represent 15 percent of the population but account for an estimated 18 percent of people living with HIV and 17 percent of new infections. The rate of new HIV infections among Hispanic men is more than double that of white men, and the rate among Hispanic women is nearly four times that of white women.

A New Source of Information

Ray passed along a great new resource for HIV/AIDS information... click HERE to see Pfizer's HIV Pro page.

HIV Work and Social Networking Sites

According to the Associated Press, a growing number of public health agencies are using social networking websites (MySpace, Facebook, Manhunt etc.) to reach people who may have been exposed to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV:

Health departments traditionally have used letters and phone calls to set up face-to-face meetings with the partners of people with STIs who visit their clinics, test positive or provide their partner's information to health officials. However, the Internet sometimes allows people to identify their partners only through online names. By accessing popular social networking sites health officials can use online names to contact people's partners and advise them to seek out STI testing and treatment...

6 Days and Counting...

Dining Out for Life is less than a week away... check out the up to date list of restaurants HERE and join us for Western New York's most delicious fundraiser!

Tom passed along this editorial from the New York Times:

The AIDS epidemic is spreading faster than previously thought, even as the American public’s concern about it declines. That dangerous disconnect underscores the urgency of a new campaign announced by the Obama administration to combat complacency about the disease and its potential to strike the unwary. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in 2006, 56,000 people around the country were newly infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, a hefty boost from previous estimates of 40,000. Meanwhile, surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation show a sharp drop in public interest or concern. The percentage of Americans who say they have seen, heard or read a lot about the problem of AIDS in this country fell from 34 percent five years ago to 14 percent today. The number deeming AIDS the most urgent health problem facing the nation dropped from 44 percent in 1995 to 6 percent today. Such complacency may reflect a belief that AIDS is primarily a problem in Africa, or a feeling that AIDS has become treatable, so why worry about infection. The administration’s new five-year, $45 million communications campaign will try to "put the HIV crisis back on the national radar screen," according to the White House. It will feature video, audio, print and online messages about the severity of the threat and where to get information about it and will reach out to the populations most severely affected, such as African-Americans and Latinos. It will also try to enlist community organizations, public health groups and media outlets in the campaign. Mere awareness won’t be enough to curb the epidemic. More than a million people in this country are infected with the virus, and 20 percent of them don’t know it. Their ignorance jeopardizes their own health and increases the risk that they will spread the virus to others. It is imperative that testing for the virus become routine among all those likely to be at risk. The Bush administration achieved notable success in boosting American support for the fight against AIDS overseas; it cut the death toll from AIDS by 10 percent in 12 African countries but did not prevent new cases. President Obama should build on that legacy abroad while also shrinking the size of this country’s epidemic. (Peter A. Laqueur, published April 19, 2009)

Dining Out for Life® has quickly become one of AIDS Community Services’ most popular annual events, and it’s easy to see why. After all, everyone enjoys sharing a delicious meal with family and friends at one of Western New York’s many fine restaurants and cafes, especially when it supports a great cause. The Dining Out for Life® concept is simple but astonishingly successful. Here’s how it works: on April 28, 2009, participating restaurants will donate a portion of each food check (usually 25%, but sometimes 50% or even 100%) to AIDS Community Services. That’s it. No tricks, no fine print, no hidden loopholes, and, best of all, no piles of dirty dishes to wash. All you have to do is show up and eat.

Response from the public over the past seven years has been phenomenal, and Dining Out for Life® has grown each year as more and more diners embrace this fun, low-impact fundraiser. Western New York restaurants have responded enthusiastically as well, seeing Dining Out for Life® as an opportunity to attract new customers while making a real difference in our community. With close to 100 restaurants already signed on to participate on April 28, there’s sure to be something on the menu to suit every palate and budget.

Volunteer Dining Out for Life® ambassadors will be stationed at each participating restaurant on April 28. Ambassadors greet patrons and explain how the event helps ACS provide essential services to the thousands of Western New Yorkers affected by HIV and AIDS. Ambassadors will also offer diners an opportunity to enter a free raffle, ask questions or make an additional contribution. This personal connection is a great way to thank patrons directly for their support and raise awareness among those who might not have previously known about the event (so that’s why the parking lot was so full on a Tuesday evening!) or about the devestating impact HIV and AIDS continue to have on our community.

ACS presents Dining Out for Life® under the umbrella of the national Dining Out for Life® organization, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1991. Dining Out for Life® events are currently held in fifty two cities throughout the United States and Canada, raising over three million dollars every year to fight AIDS. While the national Dining Out for Life® organization provides ideas, networking opportunities and marketing support, all funds raised in Western New York stay in Western New York. Locally, Dining Out for Life® is growing thanks in large part to the hard work of 2008 event Co-Chairs Michael and Marilynn Militello, who are returning to co-chair the 2009 event.

Please join the thousands of Western New Yorkers as, together, we dine out for life. You can find an updated restaurant list at http://www.diningoutforlife.com/ (we strongly recommend making reservations). Whether you choose a familiar neighborhood favorite or decide to be adventurous and try someplace new, we look forward to seeing you at the table on April 28, enjoying a great meal and helping fight AIDS at the same time. Just remember to save some room for dessert!

Photo: a delicious paella at DiGiulio & Co. on Hertel Avenue, participating in Dining Out for Life® for the second year. Special thanks to Deanna and Bill for their help with the photo shoot!