17th Annual Black-Tie GayBINGO Called for Saturday, March 19

On Saturday, March 19, a little bit of glam, a lot of fabulous, and a whirlwind of fun await guests at the 17th Annual Black-Tie GayBINGO presented by PECO, where all the funds raised go to HIV/AIDS services right here in the Greater Philadelphia region. Black-Tie GayBINGO, one of Philadelphia's most creative and off-beat annual events, will take place at 6:30 p.m. in Millennium Hall at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel.

Enjoy cocktails and a silent auction, six bingo games, dinner and entertainment from the Bingo Verifying Divas (BVDs), who dress in glamorous drag to entertain the crowd and ensure everyone has laughs and a great time while raising funds for HIV and AIDS. At this year's event, AIDS Fund will award the "Favorite Straight Person of the Year" to Judith Porter. In addition, the Founders' Award will be presented to The Woods Campground and the Ferrara Family Volunteer Award will be presented to Robert Murray.�

"Although we've made significant progress in HIV treatment, prevention, and research, we still have a long way to go to ensure that treatment is accessible to everyone, that we decrease new infections, and that we provide important education and services as well as work to find a cure," said Porter. "AIDS Fund is an organization that is working hard to fund the organizations reaching for these goals, and I am flattered to receive this award from them. But I am only one of many people working to fight this epidemic and the stigma that surrounds it."

Each year, AIDS Fund recognizes someone who has made a significant contribution to the HIV/AIDS and/or the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender communities with the "Favorite Straight Person of the Year" Award. The 2016 Favorite Straight Person of the Year is Judith Porter.

Porter began working in the HIV/AIDS-related field in the early days of the epidemic in the late 1980s. As a volunteer, she went to welfare offices and did street outreach educating members of the public about HIV/AIDS. Eventually she spent more than a decade going into so-called "shooting galleries" to exchange clean hypodermic needles for used ones with drug addicts.

She was the first co-chair of the Board of Directors of Prevention Point Philadelphia, the organization that began in 1991 as a syringe exchange program and continues today as one of the partner organizations which receives some of the money raised by AIDS Fund. Her professional work doing research and teaching Sociology of AIDS at Bryn Mawr College continued full time until she retired from teaching in 2010. She still serves on the Mayor's Executive Commission on Drugs and Alcohol in Philadelphia and other regional boards.

"Judith Porter is a terrific example of someone who looked outside her own experience to help individuals learn about and be protected from a disease about which they knew very little," said Robb Reichard, Executive Director of AIDS Fund. "She went down a lightly-trodden path to reach out, person by person, to make a difference in our community. For all of these reasons, and her longtime support of HIV/AIDS issues in our region, we are delighted to name her AIDS Fund's 2016 Favorite Straight Person of the Year."

Past recipients of the "Favorite Straight Person of the Year" are former Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, former Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street, former Councilman Angel Ortiz, radio and television personality Bret Hamilton, community leaders John Cella and Judith Eden, activist Anna Forbes, longtime AIDS Walk Philly supporters Andrea Finkelstein Losben and Patricia Lavelle, former Executive Director of the Family Planning Council (now AccessMatters) Dorothy Mann, The Reverend Marlene "Mike" Haines, formerly of the Church of Saint Luke and The Epiphany, media personality Lorraine Ballard Morrill, former State Representative Babette Josephs, the Executive Director of the AIDS Law Project of�Pennsylvania organization, Ronda B. Goldfein, Esq., and in 2015, WMMR's "The Preston and Steve Show."

The 2016 Founders' Award is being presented to The Woods Campground. The Founders' Award recognizes a person or a group of people who come together and fight HIV/AIDS in a unique way. The Award is given in honor and memory of the founders of AIDS Fund and AIDS Walk Philly. The Woods Campground co-owners Pat Gremling, Scott Heffelfinger, and John Adam Parr have been partners in an event at their LGBT campground which hosts a toy drive for HIV-affected and -infected children as part of their Christmas in July festivities. Longtime permanent camp site member Robb Reichard introduced the idea of the toy drive at his own party several years ago, and the owners liked the idea so much they expanded it to request donations from a wider cross-section of the Christmas in July celebration.

The event, which features the Twelve Drags of Xmas, a Santa Trot, and a Festival of Lights Gala, began incorporating a toy drive as a way for members of the community to support AIDS Fund's annual toy drive. Over the last three years, the event has garnered 400 toys and $3,500 in cash donations to support the efforts. The Woods Campground is a membership-only, LGBT, clothing-optional camping resort, exclusively for the 18-and-older crowd, located on 100 private acres with streams, four-acre lake, and spacious camp sites in Lehighton, Carbon County, Pennsylvania.

The 2016 Ferrara Family Volunteer Award will be presented to Robert Murray. This award recognizes one or more individuals who have made an exceptional commitment of time and energy as an AIDS Fund volunteer. Murray began volunteering with AIDS Fund about four years ago, coordinating the logistics and overseeing the turnaround point of AIDS Walk and AIDS Run Philly each October. He is willing to do anything, from lovingly packing up the AIDS Memorial Quilt for transportation to handing out condoms and pamphlets to raise awareness to even at the drop of a hat being willing to don pounds of makeup to step in as a Bingo Verifying Diva in drag to help at GayBINGO.

He'll even keep on those high heels and help with breaking down the event. From South Philadelphia, Murray is seeking a master's degree in public health, and therefore is extremely committed to the cause of HIV and AIDS. He has become one of those essential family members AIDS Fund values so much.

"HIV/AIDS is an important issue to me because any demographic that has been pushed to the side or overlooked needs somebody to lean on," said Murray. "This is an epidemic that can be ended, wiped out, eradicated with the recent medical advances and unfortunately it still continues because of stigma, ignorance, and unacceptance. That is not something I can live with. We need to, as a society, become aware of the social issues at hand and take responsibility, become informed, and help."

Black-Tie GayBINGO is presented by PECO. Additional sponsors are National Penn Bank, Philly AIDS Thrift, Schnader Attorneys at Law, Tavern on Camac, Aztec Signs, William Way Community Center, Tavern, UBar, and Prevention Point Philadelphia. It will feature dinner, six bingo games, a silent auction, and dancing.�

In addition to the annual Black-Tie GayBINGO, AIDS Fund's monthly GayBINGO events raise vital funds for HIV/AIDS services.�This fun event is open to anyone who enjoys campy humor, hosted by drag queens known as the BVDs (Bingo Verifying Divas).� Each night of Bingo has its own theme and set of special Bingo games.�Cash prizes are awarded for each game.�GayBINGO is held once a month on Saturday nights at the Gershman Y at Broad and Pine Streets in Philadelphia. All games begin at 7 p.m.�This event has raised over $2.5 million to date.�

In honor of GayBINGO's 20th anniversary season, AIDS Fund is reprising some favorite themes from years past:

Saturday, March 26 - Totally Awesome GayBINGO! - "Mousse up your hair and party like its 1985!" (from April 2009).

Saturday, April 23 - Beauty School Dropout GayBINGO! - "Grease is the word!" (from June 2013).

Saturday, May 21 - My Big Fat Gay Wedding GayBINGO! - "Massachusetts, here we come!" (from May 2005).

Saturday, June 11 - 20th Anniversary GayBINGO Spectacular! - "It's a roaring '20s evening!"

AIDS Fund produces a variety of fundraising and awareness programs throughout the year, including AIDS Walk Philly, AIDS Run Philly, GayBINGO!, Black-Tie GayBINGO!, World AIDS Day, and Workplace Giving Campaigns. The AIDS Fund grant program supports partner organizations in the Philadelphia Region that provide AIDS and HIV-related services, education, and prevention including increasing public awareness of HIV/AIDS issues. AIDS Fund is also the Philadelphia affiliate of The Names Project, curating panels of The AIDS Memorial Quilt for a local audience.

This year's Black-Tie GayBINGO will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 19 at the The Millennium Hall, Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 1200 Market Street in Philadelphia. Tickets are $175 per person. For tickets, call 215-731-9255 or visit aidsfundphilly.org.