Local AIDS Service Organization to host annual benefit

Guests enjoying casino games at Glamsino Royale 2019.

The AIDS Service Organization (ASO) Action Wellness has once again teamed up with Kimpton Hotel Palomar to organize the annual Glamsino Royale fundraiser event. On Thursday, Feb. 20, the hotel’s top floor will embody a Cannes Film Festival-inspired casino scene where guests can enjoy swanky cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and engage in classic gambling fare like roulette and Blackjack. 

Action Wellness provides a host of services and medical care for those living with HIV or AIDS, including screenings for HIV and other chronic diseases, medical case management, a variety of treatment options, preventive education and more. Proceeds from the evening will be used as unrestricted program funding that the organization’s government contracts do not cover, explained Kevin Burns, executive director of Action Wellness. 

Action Wellness began in 1986 with a group of 84 volunteers who united to provide medical care for people living with AIDS. In its first year, the organization helped more than 100 people living with the disease and has since expanded to become one of the largest ASOs in Pennsylvania. 

The services provided by the team at Action Wellness have been largely effective in Philadelphia. Eighty-nine percent of their clients regularly engage in primary care, according to Burns, “which is our whole focus, trying to remove barriers that people have to primary medical care.” 

Kevin Graham of Tumbling Dice with Action Wellness team Kevin Burns and Sarah DeLaurentis at Glamsino Royale 2018.

Data collected by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) indicates that 67 percent of HIV-positive people have received some relevant medical care, 49 percent were retained in care and 53 percent were carrying suppressed versions of the virus. Ninety-three percent of HIV clients who receive care at Action Wellness were able to “achieve viral suppression,” Burns explained. 

The CDC reported that roughly 1.1 million people in the U.S. were living with HIV at the end of 2016. Approximately 19,147 people in Philadelphia are currently living with HIV, according to the organization AIDSVu

“Events like this and opportunities to raise unrestricted money allows us to reach more people and have a greater impact on the public health of Philadelphia, not just for people with HIV and for people with other chronic illnesses as well,” Burns said. 

In addition to rolling the dice and hedging their bets on casino games, guests can use the chips that they win to bid on a variety of silent auction items. Franklin Music Hall, The Fillmore Philadelphia, AIDS Fund Philadelphia and Barcelona Wine Bar are some of the businesses providing auction packages for the event. 

Each year, the Palomar staff works with Action Wellness to brainstorm the fundraiser’s theme. Past Glamsino Royale events have all sported casino-related themes, including those inspired by James Bond films. 

“This is actually I think one of [people’s] favorite events,” Burns said. “We wanted it to be something that’s fun and light, and that will inspire people to get dressed up or to wear something really wacky and fun.” 

The Bingo-Verifying Divas from GayBINGO will emcee the event, and DJ Sharyn Stone will be spinning the turntables. Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants work in partnership with the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, the premier network of LGBTQ hospitality and tourism companies. 

Glamsino Royale is Feb. 20, 6 p.m. at Kimpton Hotel Palomar, 117 S. 17th St. To purchase tickets ranging from $40-75, visit https://glamsinoroyale.ticketleap.com/cannes/dates/Feb-20-2020_at_0600PM

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