A local HIV/AIDS and health-care organization is teaming up with a historical landmark for a night of fund- and awareness-raising set to the backdrop of a jazz festival.
Bebashi: Transition to Hope will stage G-Town Jazz on the Ave 5-8 p.m. July 12 at Cliveden, 6401 Germantown Ave. This marks the first time Bebashi, a full-service HIV/AIDS case-managemt agency, will partner with Cliveden. The Germantown mansion was built in 1767 and is one of the nation’s best-preserved and most-documented colonial houses.
Headlining the festival is the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble. Mozaic Flow and spoken-word poet Krissy Mosely of Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church will also perform.
Bebashi executive director Gary Bell said the organization was looking to stage an event with a unique format.
“It is a way to connect with people in a different way,” Bell said. “We wanted to offer them something else in a different kind of atmosphere and include health-related information.”
Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets to take in the sights and sounds of the festival on the grounds of Cliveden, whose exhibit and museum will be open for tours.
Bebashi will present information on HIV/AIDS, breast health, hepatitis and hunger- relief.
Bell said the night provides an informal way for individuals to get associated with their health needs.
“We’re hoping it is a nice summer evening and it sets a different kind of tone. I think when we think of health problems that Bebashi deals with, people sometimes don’t want to confront that,” he said. “But by getting people in that frame of mind, they may be more open to reading the information we give them and going to our website and finding more about the kinds of work we are doing.”
Bell said organizers hope to have as many as 20 vendors at the event.
“Cliveden is a beautiful facility with lush green grounds and it is a really nice place to listen to jazz and have a good time,” he said. “Vendors will be there selling food and people will have access to health information. I can’t think of a better combination of things.”
Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for children and can be paid in cash only at the entrance.
For more information on Bebashi, visit www.bebashi.org. For more information on Cliveden, visit www.cliveden.org.
