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GMHC Founders, Friends and Activists Join to
Commemorate 25 Years of Leadership in the
Fight Against AIDS at
GMHC Heroes Honors 25th
Anniversary Dinner
Please click here to view photos from the event.
New York, NY — Nearly 1,000 friends and supporters of
Gay Men's Health Crisis raised almost $900,000 at the GMHC Heroes
Honors 25th Anniversary Dinner, commemorating the dual 25th
anniversaries of GMHC and the AIDS epidemic. The March 12th
event brought together activists, donors, community partners, board
members, celebrities, and elected officials from every era of the
AIDS movement to mark this important milestone and to demand
attention to AIDS here and now.
Senator Hillary Clinton saluted GMHC's leadership and paid
tribute to the agency's vital work over the past quarter-century,
while reaffirming her commitment to people living with HIV/AIDS in
Congress and beyond.
The evening honored prominent individuals and institutions
who have committed themselves to leadership in the fight against
AIDS: Mathilde Krim, Ph.D., Founding Chairman of amfAR; Craig
R.
Miller, AIDS Walk Founder; Davis Polk & Wardwell; Viacom,
Inc;
Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, Chairman of the Board, National
Black Leadership Commission on AIDS; fashion designer Michael
Kors; and renowned furniture designers Mitchell Gold and Bob
Williams.
Rosie O'Donnell, Cyndi Lauper, NYC Council Speaker Christine
Quinn, and Stan Herman were among the evening's presenters. Other
special guests included Honorary Dinner Chair Phil Donahue, Marlo
Thomas, Judith Light, NYC Comptroller William Thompson, and former
NJ Governor James McGreevey. Many speakers acknowledged past and
present GMHC leadership over the past quarter-century, including
a special recognition of the agency's six founders, two of whom —
Larry Kramer and Edmund White — were in attendance.
Officially established in early 1982 — before AIDS
or its causes were identified — Gay Men's Health Crisis
was the first organized response to what was then perceived to
be an illness among gay men. GMHC was founded to provide support,
information, and advocacy for people with AIDS. To this day, GMHC
remains a leader in HIV prevention, creating innovative campaigns
to raise awareness of the epidemic — particularly communities of color,
women and gay men, who continue to be disproportionately affected —
while mobilizing communities to address the structural issues which
continue to drive the epidemic: poverty, racial and gender inequality,
and homophobia.
* * *
Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported
and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the
fight against AIDS. Our mission is to reduce the spread of HIV disease,
help people with HIV maintain and improve their health and independence,
and keep the prevention, treatment and cure of HIV an urgent national and
local priority. In fulfilling this mission, we will remain true to our
heritage by fighting homophobia and affirming the individual dignity of
all gay men and lesbians. We provide services and programs to over
15,000 men, women and families that are living with or affected by
HIV/AIDS in New York City. For more information, please visit www.gmhc.org.
© 2007 Gay Men's Health Crisis
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