On June 11, Chicago House Associate Board member Jon Knott in partnership with Dan Alfonso and Ryan Meyers hosted an informal fundraiser for the organization at popular bar/restaurant Bambola, 1400 W. Randolph St.
The weekend event gathered Chicago House board members and friends for an afternoon of drinking and light food, and featured a live DJ as well. A portion of the bar proceeds and 100% of ticket sales directly benefited Chicago House.
Starting the brief program for the afternoon, Knott said, "During this Pride Month, I am excited to share the results of a highly successful legislative session for LGBTQ+ people in Illinois. At a time when more than 700 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced across the country, Illinois continues to move forward, thanks directly to your advocacy and the support of pro-equality elected leaders in Springfield."
Knott went on to note some of those bills, including HB1363, which, among other facets, amended the Gender Violence Act to change the definition of "gender-related violence" to include domestic violence; the bill was passed with the involvement of Chicago House Legal Director Elizabeth Ricks. He also recounted the evolving history of Chicago House and its missions, ranging from hospice care to helping individuals afflicted with HIV secure safe housing.
Chicago House CEO Michael Herman said, "Chicago House has really been adapting. We are really happy to say that in the past, we have helped hundreds of people living with AIDS find a safe healthy place. We are also happy to say that, through our current efforts, at least 100 new apartments will become available in the upcoming year."
Herman also said, "People still get HIV, and we, along with local communities and the worldwide community, are aiming to get to Zero HIV by 2030."
According to the Chicago House website, the mission of the organization is "to empower people living with or vulnerable to HIV/AIDS to lead healthy and dignified lives through housing and compassionate client centered services. Annually we serve more than 2000 individuals in Chicago across four mission-critical pillars of housing, health, employment support, and the TransCare program."
Upcoming Chicago House Events include Champagne Wrapture on August 3. For more information on Chicago House or events, go to www.chicagohouse.org .
