The AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, a nonprofit public-interest law firm providing free legal services to people living with HIV and AIDS, is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Founded in 1988, the firm will commemorate years of triumphs throughout the remainder of 2018.
“Over our 30 years, we have worked on things that are of considerable importance well beyond Philadelphia,” said Ronda Goldfein, the executive director.
The project serves all of Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, working to educate the public about AIDS-related legal issues, training case management, and advocating while providing legal assistance with issues of HIV/AIDS.
“We wanted to have a yearlong commemoration of the important work we’ve done. We’re hoping to have a series of events all year long. People around the world are really looking at these issues. It’s incredibly important,” said Goldfein.
She reflected on milestones the organization has achieved over the years, including a settlement last week of a class action suit for $17 million against Aetna for breaching the HIV privacy of almost 12,000 members.
Several years ago, AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania represented a 14-year-old boy who was denied admission to Milton Hershey School because he had HIV.
The federal AIDS-discrimination lawsuit settled in 2012, and the teenager and his mother received $700,000.
“It raised issues and took on an international importance. When we think about the work we’ve done here, we never lose sight of how the work we do affects real people every day.”
The organization will kick off the yearlong celebration 5-7 p.m. Jan. 30 on the second floor of Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom St.
Events will be announced through the year.
For more information, visit www.aidslawpa.org.