New York, NY (Move Against AIDS) - Supermodel Tyson Beckford, Mix 102.7 FM morning DJ Michelle Visage, and WBLS 107.5 FM DJ Wendy Williams are among the special guest hosts of Move Against AIDS, which will take place at the Manhattan Center on December 3, 2005. The Dance-a-thon will benefit Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), the nation's oldest AIDS service and advocacy organization, and the 15,000 men, women and children living with HIV in New York City who receive services at GMHC.
The AIDS Dance-a-thon will feature five hours of music, including sets by world renowned club DJ's Junior Vasquez, Tony Touch, Tony Moran, Mary Mac, and Chad Jack, and musical performances by Jody Watley and La Bruja. The event will also include appearances by several other special guest hosts, including 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' star Jai Rodriguez and others. To register for the Dance-a-thon, call (212) 807-9255 or visit www.moveagainstaids.org.
'I'm glad that the event is back again this year and that I am involved,' said Beckford. 'People need to be reminded that the crisis is definitely not over, and Move Against AIDS is a great way to have fun while really taking steps to eradicate HIV/AIDS.'
It is estimated there are 1,000,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., and 40,000 additional people are infected each year. African Americans and Latinos have experienced the greatest increases in HIV diagnoses, especially among young people and women. One-half of all new HIV infections are among people under the age of 25, and the number of women living with HIV has tripled in the last two decades.
'The participation of youth in HIV prevention is a vital part of the solution in reducing HIV transmission, and this event will engage those young men and women most at risk for contracting HIV,' said Ana Oliveira, Executive Director of GMHC. 'Move Against AIDS has proved to be a successful fundraiser as well as a very uplifting event. It is a perfect opportunity for so many people from different backgrounds to join forces and show a personal commitment to making a difference in the fight against AIDS – and to have fun while doing it.'
Move Against AIDS is an innovative way to raise funds and awareness, while invigorating the response of adolescents and young adults to the epidemic. A portion of the proceeds will also benefit Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP), an organization that is dedicated to training and mobilizing the next generation of HIV/AIDS advocates. Move Against AIDS is sponsored in part by Delta Airlines, WNBC, M•A•C Viva Glam, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, OUT Magazine, HX Magazine, Next Magazine, and WBLS 107.5 FM.
'The HIV epidemic in the United States is a rapidly changing public health emergency, and we must address the exploding rates of HIV infections among young people,' said Move Against AIDS Producer Craig R. Miller of MZA Events. 'Move Against AIDS will help to energize a new generation of AIDS activists who are urgently needed to carry a positive and life-affirming message of safer sex and personal responsibility to their peers.'
Move Against AIDS is produced by MZA Events and is one of many events in its long legacy of successful AIDS fundraisers, including the AIDS Walks in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. New York City's first AIDS Dance-a-thon, launched by Miller and MZA Events in 1990, was an all-star show and dance party that immediately appealed to a wide and diverse base of participants. The event's enthusiastic supporters raised nearly $10 million over the seven year period the original event was held. In 2004, nearly 3,000 New Yorkers turned out for Move Against AIDS: Return of the Dance-a-thon, and raised more than $750,000 for GMHC.
GMHC is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. Its 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. GMHC provides 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.
