Aid For AIDS
Encyclopedia
Aid For AIDS is a California-based nonprofit organization
, founded in 1983 and dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by HIV
(HIV/AIDS) disease.
individuals and families that include housing and utility assistance, fresh food, pharmacy assistance, case management, and links to other service providers. Aid For AIDS serves as a central coordinating agency for the Los Angeles Housing Department administering two Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS
(HOPWA) programs from HUD
-- the Short Term Rent, Mortgage and Utility (STRMU) program and the Permanent Housing Placement Grants (PHPG) program. The purpose of the STRMU program is to assist persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) who are not able to meet their monthly housing expenses, including utilities and rent, due to unexpected situations; the PHPG program provides eligible clients and families with financial assistance for moving into affordable, permanent, subsidized or non-subsidized housing. Both the STRMU and PHPG programs are limited by time periods and maximum grant
amounts for individuals and family units.
, and both operate under the 501(c)(3) of Alliance for Housing and Healing (formerly Serra Ancillary Care Corporation). The merger was featured on the NPR
(National Public Radio) program, Marketplace, in December 2009.
(originally named Battle for the Tiara
followed by Quest for the Crown) an annual, celebrity-supported fundraiser in Los Angeles, California. Aid For AIDS coordinates the memorial plaques and receives funding from the West Hollywood Memorial Walk
, a landmark and tribute, jointly developed with The City of West Hollywood. In 2009, Aid For AIDS recognized its twenty-five years of service by presenting AFA Silver Anniversary Angel Awards to a number of significant and long-term supporters of the non-profit and the HIV/AIDS community including Jack Larson
and Bridges-Larson Foundation, The David Bohnett
Foundation, Entertainment AIDS Alliance, QueensCare, John Bowab
, Kathy Griffin
, and Charlie Sheen
.
Strong, ongoing funding support by the entertainment community is reflected in the roster of volunteer celebrity judges and talent for the long-running fundraisers, '’Battle for the Tiara
’’, ‘’Quest for the Crown’’, and ‘’Best In Drag Show
’’. Roster: Jason Alexander
, Rachel Bilson
, Sarah Chalke
, Melinda Clarke
, Kim Coles
, Jennifer Coolidge
, Marcia Cross
, Jon Cryer
, Eric Dane
, Anna Faris
, Peter Gallagher
, Teri Garr
, Rebecca Gayheart
, Leeza Gibbons
, Sara Gilbert
, Kathy Griffin
, Linda Hamilton
, Perez Hilton
, Dot-Marie Jones, Chris Kattan
, Kathy Kinney
, Lori Laughlin, Jane Lynch
, Camryn Manheim
, Jayma Mays
, Maria Menounos
, Kathy Najimy
, Niecy Nash
, Mary-Louise Parker
, Cassandra Peterson
(Elvira), Parker Posey
, Chris Pratt
, John C. Reilly
, Debbie Reynolds
, Caroline Rhea
, Kelly Rowan
, Jeri Ryan
, Katey Sagal
, Molly Shannon
, Charlie Sheen
, Martin Sheen
, Tori Spelling
, Nicole Sullivan
, Holland Taylor
, Judy Tenuta
, Jennifer Tilly
, Charlene Tilton
, Rachel True
, Aisha Tyler
, Dita Von Teese
, Suzanne Westenhoefer
, and Jo Anne Worley
. Onstage performances, Best In Drag Show, in addition to annual slate of contestants: Kathy Griffin
, Jeffrey Drew
, Jason Dudey, Patrick Rush, Todd Sherry, among others.
. A small office was set up in West Hollywood. To combat AIDS-related poverty, the direct financial assistance program was established. At that time, there were no effective treatments, but this program allowed many to remain in their homes, keep their utilities running, and die with dignity in familiar surroundings.
Within a couple of years after its founding, Aid For AIDS was providing support to more than 2,000 client requests per year. In 1987, the non-profit managed to raise an average of $25,000 per month from donations and fundraising initiatives to maintain the amount being distributed for client assistance. The following year, the monthly client distribution jumped to $40,000. Early fundraising efforts were planned and centered in the gay bars of Silverlake, Hollywood, and West Hollywood, which were social hubs and the communication centers for neighborhood AIDS news. For many years, established events such as Great Autos of Yesteryear and Concours d' Elegance in Beverly Hills made Aid For AIDS their beneficiary
.
Funding was heavily supported, especially through the Gay Bartenders Association and the Hollywood celebrity community. Fundraising was through a mix that included "penny jars" on bar counters that often brought in more than $5,000 per year, beer busts, raffles, garage sales, private parties, comedy shows, and entertainment events. Early comedy fundraisers were supported by Alison Arngrim
, Ellen DeGeneres
, Kathy Griffin
, Caroline Rhea
, Judy Tenuta
, Bruce Vilanch
, and Suzanne Westenhoefer
. Photographer Harry Langdon
and Anna Nicole Smith
hosted benefit shows and sales of their artwork. Artist Keith Haring
donated profits from his tie dye socks. Performers and the Hollywood Bowl
donated tickets to sell, as well as donating percentages of performance revenue, and included Sting, The Bangles
, Nell Carter
, Natalie Cole
, and Bernadette Peters
, among many others. A long-running cabaret
series was established in the 1980s with benefit performances in private, Hollywood homes. Film producer and director, John Bowab, hosted many Aid For AIDS cabaret events. Cabaret artists include Jim Bailey
, Kaye Ballard
, Debby Boone
, Rosemary Clooney
, Barbara Cook
, Tyne Daly
, Loretta Divine, Michael Feinstein
, Lainie Kazan
, Michael Kearns
, Marilyn Lovell, Andrea Marcovicci
, Peter Matz
, Maureen McGovern
, Belinda Montgomery
, Linda Purl
, Sheryl Lee Ralph
, Diane Schuur
, Brenda Taylor-Moore, Deborah Tranelli
, B.J. Ward, and Julie Wilson
.
Notable fundraisers, in addition to Best In Drag Show
, the long-running, celebrity-supported beauty pageant spoof, include The Princess Ball, a dinner and auction held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in 1998. The funds raised by The Princess Ball were split and donated to the two beneficiaries: the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund
and Aid For AIDS. Auctioned for charity at The Princess Ball was a 170 carats (34 g) sapphire and diamond necklace modeled after a piece of jewelry in the movie Titanic
, called "La Coeur de la Mer," or "Heart of the Ocean
".”Titanic’The Sun Sentinel. March 23, 2003, in Tampa Florida. This fundraiser attracted many celebrity supporters, including Christine Baranski
, Jacqueline Bisset
, Kirsten Dunst
, Harry Hamlin
, Angela Lansbury
, Gary Oldman
, Lisa Rinna
, Jane Seymour
, and Rod Stewart
, among others. Kelly Preston
and John Travolta
were honorary co-chairs. Additionally, Aid For AIDS created and hosted The Tony Awards Party from 1994 until 2004, which was a fundraiser featuring the only live, west coast broadcast of the Tony Awards. The fundraiser honored a Broadway
performer for their charitable work with The Julie Harris Award for Lifetime Achievement, and, from 1997, The Actors Fund co-hosted the annual event. Early honorees included Lauren Bacall
, Carol Channing
, Tyne Daly
, Charles Durning
, Julie Harris
(first recipient and for whom the award is named), Jerry Herman
, James Earl Jones
, Rita Moreno
, and Gwen Verdon
. The first Masters of Ceremonies were Jo Anne Worley
, Valerie Harper
, Jennifer Tilly
, Lucy Arnaz, Bruce Vilanch
, Rita Moreno
, and Jason Alexander
.
, and Sheryl Lee Ralph
, who narrates and hosts a video about client services, among others. Recent notable fundraisers include "A Faire of the Heart," which was redesigned in 2011 as a gala benefiting Aid For AIDS and The Serra Project
(Alliance for Housing and Healing) to honor leaders in HIV/AIDS research and/or support, and leading philanthropists and leaders in the field of entertainment that are aligned with the organization's mission.
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, founded in 1983 and dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
(HIV/AIDS) disease.
Services
The agency provides a variety of services to impoverishedPoverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
individuals and families that include housing and utility assistance, fresh food, pharmacy assistance, case management, and links to other service providers. Aid For AIDS serves as a central coordinating agency for the Los Angeles Housing Department administering two Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
(HOPWA) programs from HUD
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...
-- the Short Term Rent, Mortgage and Utility (STRMU) program and the Permanent Housing Placement Grants (PHPG) program. The purpose of the STRMU program is to assist persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) who are not able to meet their monthly housing expenses, including utilities and rent, due to unexpected situations; the PHPG program provides eligible clients and families with financial assistance for moving into affordable, permanent, subsidized or non-subsidized housing. Both the STRMU and PHPG programs are limited by time periods and maximum grant
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
amounts for individuals and family units.
Affiliations
Aid For AIDS has HOPWA affiliations with regional service providers to reach those who are living with HIV/AIDS throughout Los Angeles County. In 2009, Aid For AIDS merged with another non-profit organization, The Serra ProjectThe Serra Project
The Serra Project, a California nonprofit organization, was founded in 1987 to provide residences for people living with HIV/AIDS. who would otherwise be homeless or living in unsafe, unhealthy conditions.- Services :...
, and both operate under the 501(c)(3) of Alliance for Housing and Healing (formerly Serra Ancillary Care Corporation). The merger was featured on the NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
(National Public Radio) program, Marketplace, in December 2009.
Funding
Funding for Aid For AIDS is from individual donors, private and corporate foundations, public funds, and fundraising events, including Best In Drag ShowBest In Drag Show
Best In Drag Show is an annual fundraising event in Los Angeles, California, benefiting the California-based non-profit, Aid For AIDS.- History :...
(originally named Battle for the Tiara
Battle for the Tiara
Battle for the Tiara is the original name for the Aid For AIDS fundraiser, Best In Drag Show, held annually in Los Angeles. It also is the name of the award-winning 1998 documentary film that chronicles the fundraiser.-History:...
followed by Quest for the Crown) an annual, celebrity-supported fundraiser in Los Angeles, California. Aid For AIDS coordinates the memorial plaques and receives funding from the West Hollywood Memorial Walk
West Hollywood Memorial Walk
West Hollywood Memorial Walk is a memorial and landmark in West Hollywood, California, along the sidewalks of Santa Monica Boulevard between Fairfax Avenue and Doheny Drive, at the eastern border of the City of Beverly Hills. Bronze plaques engraved with the names of those who died from acquired...
, a landmark and tribute, jointly developed with The City of West Hollywood. In 2009, Aid For AIDS recognized its twenty-five years of service by presenting AFA Silver Anniversary Angel Awards to a number of significant and long-term supporters of the non-profit and the HIV/AIDS community including Jack Larson
Jack Larson
Jack Edward Larson is an American actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of photographer/cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on the TV series Adventures of Superman.-Biography:...
and Bridges-Larson Foundation, The David Bohnett
David Bohnett
David C. Bohnett is an American philanthropist and technology entrepreneur.-Life and career:Bohnett was born in Chicago, Illinois...
Foundation, Entertainment AIDS Alliance, QueensCare, John Bowab
John Bowab
John Bowab is an American director and producer of television and theatre.Bowab began his career in theatre, directing a number of stage productions. Such as Mame , The Night of the Hunter and most recently 70, Girls, 70 ....
, Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
, and Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
.
Strong, ongoing funding support by the entertainment community is reflected in the roster of volunteer celebrity judges and talent for the long-running fundraisers, '’Battle for the Tiara
Battle for the Tiara
Battle for the Tiara is the original name for the Aid For AIDS fundraiser, Best In Drag Show, held annually in Los Angeles. It also is the name of the award-winning 1998 documentary film that chronicles the fundraiser.-History:...
’’, ‘’Quest for the Crown’’, and ‘’Best In Drag Show
Best In Drag Show
Best In Drag Show is an annual fundraising event in Los Angeles, California, benefiting the California-based non-profit, Aid For AIDS.- History :...
’’. Roster: Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
, Rachel Bilson
Rachel Bilson
Rachel Sarah Bilson is an American actress. Bilson grew up in a California show business family, and made her television debut in 2003, subsequently becoming well known for playing Summer Roberts on the prime time drama series The O.C. Bilson made her film debut in the 2006 film The Last Kiss and...
, Sarah Chalke
Sarah Chalke
Sarah Chalke is a Canadian-American actress known for portraying Dr. Elliot Reid on the NBC/ABC comedy Scrubs, "Second Becky" Conner Healy on Roseanne, and Stella Zinman in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother...
, Melinda Clarke
Melinda Clarke
Melinda Patrice Clarke is an American actress who has primarily worked in television. Clarke is best known for playing Faith Taylor on the daytime drama Days of our Lives, the manipulative and cunning Julie Cooper-Nichol on The O.C., and the professional dominatrix Lady Heather on CSI...
, Kim Coles
Kim Coles
Kimberley "Kim" Coles is an American actress and comedian.-Career:Coles has appeared on many television shows, including Frasier , Six Feet Under, Celebrity Mole and The Geena Davis Show...
, Jennifer Coolidge
Jennifer Coolidge
Jennifer Coolidge is an American actress best known for playing "Stifler's mom," the older woman in the film American Pie ; Hilary Duff's stepmother in A Cinderella Story ; Paulette, the manicurist in Legally Blonde and its sequel; the voice of Aunt Fanny in the animated feature Robots ; for her...
, Marcia Cross
Marcia Cross
Marcia Anne Cross is an American actress. She is known for her television roles as Bree Van de Kamp on the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and as Dr...
, Jon Cryer
Jon Cryer
Jonathan Niven "Jon" Cryer is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer. He is the son of actress–singer Gretchen Cryer. He made his motion picture debut in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair, but gained greater fame as "Duckie" in the 1986 John Hughes-scripted film Pretty in Pink...
, Eric Dane
Eric Dane
Eric Dane is an American actor. After appearing in television roles throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he became known for playing Dr...
, Anna Faris
Anna Faris
Anna Kay Faris is an American actress, singer and comedienne. She is known for her starring role in the Scary Movie film series, as well as roles in The Hot Chick , Lost in Translation , Just Friends , My Super Ex-Girlfriend , Smiley Face , and The House Bunny...
, Peter Gallagher
Peter Gallagher
Peter Killian Gallagher is an American actor, musician and writer. Since 1980, Gallagher has played many roles in numerous Hollywood films. He starred as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series The O.C. from 2003 to 2007...
, Teri Garr
Teri Garr
-Early life:Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1947. Her father, Eddie Garr , was a vaudeville performer, comedian and actor whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the Broadway drama Tobacco Road...
, Rebecca Gayheart
Rebecca Gayheart
-Early life:Gayheart was born in Hazard, Kentucky and raised in Pine Top, Kentucky, the daughter of Floneva , who worked as a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant, and Curtis Gayheart, a miner and coal truck driver. She is of Irish, Italian, and German descent...
, Leeza Gibbons
Leeza Gibbons
Leeza Kim Gibbons is an American talk show host. Gibbons is the host of her own radio show, Hollywood Confidential, part of the United Stations radio syndication company.-Early life:...
, Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert is an American actress best known for her role as Darlene Conner from 1988–1997 in the U.S. sitcom Roseanne.-Early life:Gilbert was born Sara Rebecca Abeles in Santa Monica, California. Her parents are Barbara Crane and Harold Abeles. Her two older siblings, Melissa Gilbert and...
, Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
, Linda Hamilton
Linda Hamilton
Linda Carroll Hamilton is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sarah Connor in The Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Catherine Chandler in the television series Beauty and the Beast, for which she was nominated for two Golden Globes and an Emmy...
, Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
, Dot-Marie Jones, Chris Kattan
Chris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
, Kathy Kinney
Kathy Kinney
Kathy Kinney is an American actress and comedian. She gained considerable popularity in the late 1990s for playing Mimi Bobeck, the outrageously made-up, flamboyantly vulgar, and vindictive nemesis of Drew Carey on the sitcom The Drew Carey Show...
, Lori Laughlin, Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
, Camryn Manheim
Camryn Manheim
Camryn Manheim is an American actress known primarily for her roles as attorney Ellenor Frutt on ABC's The Practice and Delia Banks on CBS's Ghost Whisperer and as Elvis's mother, Gladys Presley in the 2005 mini-series Elvis....
, Jayma Mays
Jayma Mays
Jayma Suzette Mays is an American television and film actress, and singer. Mays' most prominent roles include that of Emma Pillsbury on the American television series Glee, recurring appearances on Ugly Betty and on Heroes as characters named Charlie.- Life and career :Mays was born Jamia Suzette...
, Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos is a Greek-American actress, journalist, and television presenter known in America for her appearances as a correspondent for Today, Access Hollywood, Extra, and abroad for co-hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens, Greece.-Early life and beauty pageants:Menounos, a...
, Kathy Najimy
Kathy Najimy
Kathy Ann Najimy is an American actress, most notable as Olive Massery on the television series Veronica's Closet, Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act and the voice of Peggy Hill on the animated television series King of the Hill. Prior to her film work, she was best known for two Off Broadway shows...
, Niecy Nash
Niecy Nash
Carol Denise "Niecy" Nash is an American comedian and actress who has hosted Clean House on the Style Network and played Deputy Raineesha Williams on the Comedy Central television series Reno 911!.-Early life:Nash was born in Palmdale, California. In addition to her acting endeavors, she is the...
, Mary-Louise Parker
Mary-Louise Parker
Mary-Louise Parker is an American actress, known for her current lead role on Showtime's television series Weeds portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006...
, Cassandra Peterson
Cassandra Peterson
Cassandra Peterson is an American actress best known for her on-screen horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. She gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ wearing a black, gothic, cleavage-enhancing gown as host of Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation...
(Elvira), Parker Posey
Parker Posey
Parker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
, Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt
Christopher Michael "Chris" Pratt is an American actor, best known for his roles as Harold Brighton "Bright" Abbott in the television series Everwood, the recurring character Winchester "Ché" Cook in season 4 of The OC, Andy Dwyer in the television series Parks and Recreation and for portraying...
, John C. Reilly
John C. Reilly
John Christopher Reilly, Jr. is an American film and theater actor, singer, and comedian. Debuting in Casualties of War in 1989, he is one of several actors whose careers were launched by Brian De Palma. To date, he has appeared in more than fifty films, including three separate films in 2002...
, Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
, Caroline Rhea
Caroline Rhea
Caroline Gilchrist Rhea is a Canadian stand-up comedian and actress who was the original host of the reality television show The Biggest Loser on NBC until she was replaced by Alison Sweeney after the end of the third season...
, Kelly Rowan
Kelly Rowan
Kelly Rowan is a Canadian television and film actress and former fashion model. She is best known for portraying Kirsten Cohen on The O.C.-Early life:...
, Jeri Ryan
Jeri Ryan
Jeri Lynn Zimmermann Ryan is an American actress best known for her roles as the liberated Borg, Seven of Nine, on Star Trek: Voyager; Tara Cole on Leverage; and Veronica "Ronnie" Cooke on Boston Public. She was also a regular on the science fiction show Dark Skies and the legal drama series...
, Katey Sagal
Katey Sagal
Catherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first achieved widespread fame as Peggy Bundy on the long-running Fox comedy series Married.....
, Molly Shannon
Molly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
, Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
, Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
, Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
, Nicole Sullivan
Nicole Sullivan
Nicole Julianne Sullivan is an American actress, comedian and voice artist. Sullivan is best known for her six seasons on the sketch comedy series MADtv and five seasons on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens.She has played a recurring character on Scrubs and voices the villainous Shego in...
, Holland Taylor
Holland Taylor
Holland Virginia Taylor is an American actress of film, stage and television. Her notable television roles include Ruth Dunbar in Bosom Buddies, senator's wife Margaret Powers on Norman Lear's The Powers That Be, Judge Roberta Kittleson in The Practice and Evelyn Harper in Two and a Half...
, Judy Tenuta
Judy Tenuta
Judy Tenuta is an American entertainer, actress, comedienne, author, producer and accordionist.-Early life:...
, Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
, Charlene Tilton
Charlene Tilton
Charlene L. Tilton is an American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Lucy Ewing in the television series Dallas.-Career:...
, Rachel True
Rachel True
Rachel India True is an American film and television actress.-Career:In 1991, True had some appearances , beginning a string of TV jobs, including turns on Beverly Hills, 90210, The Drew Carey Show, Once and Again, and HBO's Dream On. By 1993, she had moved to Los Angeles and appeared opposite...
, Aisha Tyler
Aisha Tyler
Aisha N. Tyler is an American actress, stand-up comedian, and author, known for her regular role as Andrea Marino in the first season of Ghost Whisperer and voicing Lana Kane in Archer, as well as her recurring roles in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Talk Soup, and on Friends as Charlie...
, Dita Von Teese
Dita Von Teese
Dita Von Teese is an American burlesque dancer, model, costume designer, author and actress.-Early life:...
, Suzanne Westenhoefer
Suzanne Westenhoefer
Suzanne Westenhoefer is an out lesbian stand-up comedian. She starred as a panelist on GSN's 2006 remake of I've Got a Secret, which featured a panel of gay celebrities who had to guess the various guests' 'secrets' through a series of timed questions...
, and Jo Anne Worley
Jo Anne Worley
Jo Anne Worley is an American actress. Her work covers television, films, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. She is best known for her work on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.-Biography:...
. Onstage performances, Best In Drag Show, in addition to annual slate of contestants: Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
, Jeffrey Drew
Jeffrey Drew
Jeffrey Drew is an American musical theatre dancer/actor who has performed in more than 25 musicals and, since 1995, has been a casting associate for television. He received several "Best & Brightest Awards" from California non-profit Aid For AIDS for his significant fundraising support. The City...
, Jason Dudey, Patrick Rush, Todd Sherry, among others.
Early years
A small group of friends in Los Angeles founded Aid For AIDS in 1983 to help meet the needs of so many in their community becoming destitute before dying from the disease. Among those early directors of the nonprofit was notable gay and lesbian civil rights activist Morris KightMorris Kight
Morris Kight was a gay rights pioneer and peace activist, based in Los Angeles. He is considered one of the original founders of the gay and lesbian civil rights movement in the United States.- Early life :Kight was born and grew up in Comanche County, Texas...
. A small office was set up in West Hollywood. To combat AIDS-related poverty, the direct financial assistance program was established. At that time, there were no effective treatments, but this program allowed many to remain in their homes, keep their utilities running, and die with dignity in familiar surroundings.
Within a couple of years after its founding, Aid For AIDS was providing support to more than 2,000 client requests per year. In 1987, the non-profit managed to raise an average of $25,000 per month from donations and fundraising initiatives to maintain the amount being distributed for client assistance. The following year, the monthly client distribution jumped to $40,000. Early fundraising efforts were planned and centered in the gay bars of Silverlake, Hollywood, and West Hollywood, which were social hubs and the communication centers for neighborhood AIDS news. For many years, established events such as Great Autos of Yesteryear and Concours d' Elegance in Beverly Hills made Aid For AIDS their beneficiary
Beneficiary
A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...
.
Funding was heavily supported, especially through the Gay Bartenders Association and the Hollywood celebrity community. Fundraising was through a mix that included "penny jars" on bar counters that often brought in more than $5,000 per year, beer busts, raffles, garage sales, private parties, comedy shows, and entertainment events. Early comedy fundraisers were supported by Alison Arngrim
Alison Arngrim
Alison Margaret Arngrim is an American actress, stand-up comedian and author.Arngrim's father, Thor Arngrim, was a well-known Hollywood manager...
, Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
, Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
, Caroline Rhea
Caroline Rhea
Caroline Gilchrist Rhea is a Canadian stand-up comedian and actress who was the original host of the reality television show The Biggest Loser on NBC until she was replaced by Alison Sweeney after the end of the third season...
, Judy Tenuta
Judy Tenuta
Judy Tenuta is an American entertainer, actress, comedienne, author, producer and accordionist.-Early life:...
, Bruce Vilanch
Bruce Vilanch
Bruce Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a six-time Emmy Award-winner Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as a celebrity participant; in the entertainment industry he is best known as head writer for the show...
, and Suzanne Westenhoefer
Suzanne Westenhoefer
Suzanne Westenhoefer is an out lesbian stand-up comedian. She starred as a panelist on GSN's 2006 remake of I've Got a Secret, which featured a panel of gay celebrities who had to guess the various guests' 'secrets' through a series of timed questions...
. Photographer Harry Langdon
Harry Langdon
Harry Philmore Langdon was an American comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films , and talkies. He was briefly partnered with Oliver Hardy.-Life and career:...
and Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith
In 1992 Smith was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March issue of Playboy, where she was listed as Vickie Smith, wearing a low-cut evening gown. The centerfold was photographed by Stephen Wayda. Smith said she planned to be "the next Marilyn Monroe". Becoming one of Playboys...
hosted benefit shows and sales of their artwork. Artist Keith Haring
Keith Haring
Keith Haring was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s.-Early life:...
donated profits from his tie dye socks. Performers and the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
donated tickets to sell, as well as donating percentages of performance revenue, and included Sting, The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
, Nell Carter
Nell Carter
Nell Carter was an American singer, and film, stage, and television actress. She won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin, as well as an Emmy Award for her reprisal of the role on television...
, Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
, and Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
, among many others. A long-running cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
series was established in the 1980s with benefit performances in private, Hollywood homes. Film producer and director, John Bowab, hosted many Aid For AIDS cabaret events. Cabaret artists include Jim Bailey
Jim Bailey (entertainer)
James William Bailey is an American singer, film, television and stage actor, and female impersonator.-Early years:...
, Kaye Ballard
Kaye Ballard
Kaye Ballard is an American musical theatre and television actress, comedienne, and singer.-Life and career:Ballard was born as Catherine Gloria Balotta in Cleveland, Ohio, to an Italian American family, the daughter of Lena and Vincent James Balotta.Ballard established herself as a musical...
, Debby Boone
Debby Boone
Deborah Anne Boone is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life," which spent a then record ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year...
, Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
, Barbara Cook
Barbara Cook
Barbara Cook is an American singer and actress who first came to prominence in the 1950s after starring in the original Broadway musicals Candide and The Music Man among others, winning a Tony Award for the latter...
, Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey and as Maxine Gray in the television series Judging Amy. She is also known for her role as Alice Henderson in television series Christy...
, Loretta Divine, Michael Feinstein
Michael Feinstein
Michael Jay Feinstein is an American singer, pianist, and music revivalist. He is an interpreter of, and an anthropologist and archivist for, the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. In 1988 he won a Drama Desk Special Award for celebrating American musical theatre songs...
, Lainie Kazan
Lainie Kazan
Lainie Kazan is an American actress and singer.-Personal life:Kazan was born Lanie Levine in Brooklyn, New York City, the daughter of a Russian Ashkenazi Jewish father who worked as a bookie and a Turkish Sephardic Jewish mother, Carole, whom Kazan has described as "neurotic, fragile and...
, Michael Kearns
Michael Kearns
Michael Kearns is an American actor, writer, director, teacher, producer, and activist. He is noted for being the first openly gay actor, and after an announcement on Entertainment Tonight in 1991, the first openly HIV positive actor in Hollywood.-Early life and education:Kearns was born in St....
, Marilyn Lovell, Andrea Marcovicci
Andrea Marcovicci
Andrea Louisa Marcovicci is an American actress and singer.- Biography :Marcovicci was born in Manhattan, New York City, the daughter of Helen , a singer, and Eugen Marcovicci, a physician and internist of Romanian descent. In her teens, she decided that she wanted to be a singer, but instead...
, Peter Matz
Peter Matz
Peter Matz was an award winning American musician, composer, arranger and conductor. His musical career in film, theater, television and studio recording spanned fifty years, and he worked with a number of prominent artists, including Marlene Dietrich, Noël Coward and Barbra Streisand...
, Maureen McGovern
Maureen McGovern
Maureen Therese McGovern is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her premier renditions of the Oscar winning songs "The Morning After" from the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure, and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno in 1974.-Early life:McGovern was...
, Belinda Montgomery
Belinda Montgomery
Belinda J. Montgomery is a Canadian-born actress and painter currently living in California.-Life and career:Montgomery was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She is perhaps best known as Mrs...
, Linda Purl
Linda Purl
Linda Purl is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for portraying Ben Matlock's daughter Charlene Matlock in season one of Matlock.-Early life and education abroad:...
, Sheryl Lee Ralph
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Sheryl Lee Ralph is an American actress, singer, and activist.-Personal life:Raised between Mandeville, Jamaica, and Long Island, New York, Sheryl Lee Ralph was born in Waterbury, Connecticut to an African American father and a Jamaican mother. Sheryl attended Uniondale High School in Uniondale, NY...
, Diane Schuur
Diane Schuur
Diane Schuur is an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Deedles", she has won two Grammy Awards, headlined many of the world's most prestigious music venues, including Carnegie Hall and The White House and has toured the world performing with such greats as Quincy Jones, Stan Getz, B. B...
, Brenda Taylor-Moore, Deborah Tranelli
Deborah Tranelli
Deborah Marie Tranelli is an American actress and singer.Tranelli is best known for her recurring role in the television series Dallas as Phyllis, secretary to Bobby Ewing . She appeared in the series from 1981 to its end in 1991...
, B.J. Ward, and Julie Wilson
Julie Wilson
Julie Wilson is an American singer and actress.Born in Omaha, Nebraska and first finding a musical outlet with local musical group Hank's Hepcats, Wilson headed to New York City during World War II and found work in two of Manhattan's leading nightclubs, the Latin Quarter and the Copacabana...
.
Notable fundraisers, in addition to Best In Drag Show
Best In Drag Show
Best In Drag Show is an annual fundraising event in Los Angeles, California, benefiting the California-based non-profit, Aid For AIDS.- History :...
, the long-running, celebrity-supported beauty pageant spoof, include The Princess Ball, a dinner and auction held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in 1998. The funds raised by The Princess Ball were split and donated to the two beneficiaries: the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund
Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund is an independent grant-giving foundation established in September 1997 after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, to continue her humanitarian work in the United Kingdom and overseas...
and Aid For AIDS. Auctioned for charity at The Princess Ball was a 170 carats (34 g) sapphire and diamond necklace modeled after a piece of jewelry in the movie Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
, called "La Coeur de la Mer," or "Heart of the Ocean
Heart of the Ocean
The Heart of the Ocean is the name of a fictitious blue diamond featured prominently in the 1997 film Titanic.-Origin:Historically, there was a blue sapphire pendant on the Titanic...
".”Titanic’The Sun Sentinel. March 23, 2003, in Tampa Florida. This fundraiser attracted many celebrity supporters, including Christine Baranski
Christine Baranski
Christine Jane Baranski is an American stage and screen actress, and is perhaps best known for her Emmy Award winning portrayal as "Maryanne Thorpe" in the sitcom Cybill, and her Emmy nominated portrayal of "Diane Lockhart" in The Good Wife...
, Jacqueline Bisset
Jacqueline Bisset
Jacqueline Bisset is an English actress. She has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy Award. She is known for her roles in the films Bullitt , Airport , The Deep , Class , and the TV series Nip/Tuck in 2006...
, Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, singer and model. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories...
, Harry Hamlin
Harry Hamlin
Harry Robinson Hamlin is an American film and television actor, known for his role as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film Clash of the Titans, and as Michael Kuzak in the legal drama series L.A...
, Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
, Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
, Lisa Rinna
Lisa Rinna
Lisa Deanna Rinna is an American television host and actress. She is known for her roles as Billie Reed on Days of our Lives, Taylor McBride on Melrose Place, and most recently as the host of SoapNet's Soap Talk.-Acting:...
, Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
, and Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, among others. Kelly Preston
Kelly Preston
Kelly Preston is an American actress and former model.- Early years :Preston was born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Linda, was an administrator of a mental health center, and her father, who worked for an agricultural firm, drowned when Preston was three years old...
and John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
were honorary co-chairs. Additionally, Aid For AIDS created and hosted The Tony Awards Party from 1994 until 2004, which was a fundraiser featuring the only live, west coast broadcast of the Tony Awards. The fundraiser honored a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
performer for their charitable work with The Julie Harris Award for Lifetime Achievement, and, from 1997, The Actors Fund co-hosted the annual event. Early honorees included Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
, Carol Channing
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination...
, Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey and as Maxine Gray in the television series Judging Amy. She is also known for her role as Alice Henderson in television series Christy...
, Charles Durning
Charles Durning
Charles Durning is an American actor. With appearances in over 100 films, Durning's memorable roles include police officers in the Oscar-winning The Sting and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon , along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the last two...
, Julie Harris
Julie Harris
Julia Ann "Julie" Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1994, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
(first recipient and for whom the award is named), Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman is an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage...
, James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
, Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....
, and Gwen Verdon
Gwen Verdon
Gwenyth Evelyn “Gwen” Verdon was an actress and dancer who won four Tony awards for her musical comedy performances. With flaming red hair and an endearing quaver in her voice, Verdon was a critically acclaimed dancer on Broadway in the 1950s and 1960s...
. The first Masters of Ceremonies were Jo Anne Worley
Jo Anne Worley
Jo Anne Worley is an American actress. Her work covers television, films, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. She is best known for her work on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.-Biography:...
, Valerie Harper
Valerie Harper
Valerie Harper is an American actress, known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on the 1970s television show The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and for her starring roles on the sitcoms Rhoda and Valerie.-Early life and career:Harper was born at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, Rockland County,...
, Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
, Lucy Arnaz, Bruce Vilanch
Bruce Vilanch
Bruce Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a six-time Emmy Award-winner Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as a celebrity participant; in the entertainment industry he is best known as head writer for the show...
, Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....
, and Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
.
Present Fundraising and Celebrity Support
In addition to the long-standing annual fundraiser "Best In Drag Show" celebrity judges, entertainment industry support includes Michael Medico, Oksana KolesnikovaOksana Kolesnikova
Oksana Yurievna Kolesnikova is a Russian-American composer, concert pianist and entrepreneur. Her primary residence is in Los Angeles, California...
, and Sheryl Lee Ralph
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Sheryl Lee Ralph is an American actress, singer, and activist.-Personal life:Raised between Mandeville, Jamaica, and Long Island, New York, Sheryl Lee Ralph was born in Waterbury, Connecticut to an African American father and a Jamaican mother. Sheryl attended Uniondale High School in Uniondale, NY...
, who narrates and hosts a video about client services, among others. Recent notable fundraisers include "A Faire of the Heart," which was redesigned in 2011 as a gala benefiting Aid For AIDS and The Serra Project
The Serra Project
The Serra Project, a California nonprofit organization, was founded in 1987 to provide residences for people living with HIV/AIDS. who would otherwise be homeless or living in unsafe, unhealthy conditions.- Services :...
(Alliance for Housing and Healing) to honor leaders in HIV/AIDS research and/or support, and leading philanthropists and leaders in the field of entertainment that are aligned with the organization's mission.