| AIDS Services of Austin's mission is to respond to the HIV needs of the Austin area by providing services that enhance the health and well-being of individuals and the community in the face of an evolving epidemic. (their words).
Here are some of the great things AIDS Services of Austin does:
- They provide services such as anonymous and/or confidential HIV testing with pre- and post-test counseling.
- They do a lot of prevention work - providing proven HIV prevention strategies, including behaviorally targeted interventions for at-risk populations and prevention case management.
- Legal assistance through the Capital Area AIDS Legal Project (CAALP),
- The Paul Kirby Fund provides primary dental and oral medical care to HIV+ persons.
- There's a food bank, which offers food, nutritional supplements and personal care items to case managed individuals.
- The Women Rising Project, which is dedicated to nurturing leadership, fostering self-empowerment, promoting health, improving quality of life, breaking down isolation, and building community among women living with HIV disease.
So, that's many of the good things done by the agency that benefits from this event. Here's a link to the list of restaurants that are participating: Dining for Life restaurants. There are so many great restaurants participating - Trudy's is having all 3 locations, all 3 meals, for both days, so - wow I love them. And if you can't make it to the place I'm hosting, Trudy's would be a good second. But -- I am hosting at Hyde Park Bar & Grill on Monday. So if you're in the right neck of the woods, come on by. Not that I'm competitive or anything, but I'd really love to have the restaurant at capacity for as much of the evening as possible, and I need as many of my friends as possible to come to HPB&G for that to happen. They have some seriously yummy food - their fries are infamous, and that sauce is addictive. But no matter what, if you're going to eat out for any meal on Monday &/or Tuesday, please choose one of the participating restaurants. I plan to eat out more in those 2 days than I have in the pervious 2 months.
I asked the folks at Hyde Park Bar & Grill why they got involved with this, and here's what they said: Early on, Hyde Park Bar & Grill owner Bick Brown was still a co-owner of Zoot and they got involved with some dinner parties. Then, as the program grew & changed, they got the original Hyde Park Bar & Grill involved, too, and with the new location south they have two places that participate. Bick said he has always thought the cause was important when they first started and remains equally relevant today. They're proud to be involved and very happy that you're doing your dinner group at the Duval location. The Fork (who has a Facebook page -- http://tinyurl.com/fom7b -- please friend him!) will keep an eye out for you on Monday night!
Oh - and I'm still the top fundraiser for AIDS Walk Austin! Here's a link to my page: AIDS Walk Austin |
