THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 20, 1996 TAG: 9601190148
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARSHA GILBERT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
A FUND-RAISER to benefit AIDS and HIV patients will be held tonight at Grand Affairs in Virginia Beach, with local celebrities lending their support.
Among them will be nationally known composer Adolphus Hailstork, conducting the Unitarian Church Choir. Of the six songs they plan to perform for the Tidewater AIDS Crisis Task Force benefit, one, ``I'll Trust in the Lord and Do the Best I Can,'' will have been written by Hailstork.
``The song is not specifically about slavery or AIDS. It is applicable to any moment of dispair,'' said Hailstork.
Proceeds from the event will go to TACT, an organization that gives financial and moral support to HIV and AIDS patients.
Cocktails are at 6:30 p.m., with dinner at 7:30 p.m. Area media personalities will participate, including Jimmy Ray Dunn and Jay Francis of WGH-FM (97.3) and WTKR-TV newsmen Kurt Williams and Ed Hughes. WVEC-TV news anchor Barbara Ciara will emcee, with Del. Jerrauld C. Jones, of the 89th district, as the keynote speaker.
TACT was begun about 13 years ago with a core group of eight volunteers. Today, the service organization has 13 staff members and 100 volunteers who have continued the group's original mission.
``We serve people already infected with HIV and AIDS,'' said Laura Laing, director of resource development. ``And we educate the public to hopefully prevent the spread of the disease. We've helped thousands of people in the Tidewater area.''
There is much more work to be done. To date there have been 7,444 reported cases of HIV and 7,013 cases of AIDS in Virginia.
TACT has an annual operating budget of $400,000, culled from local and state grants, donations and fund-raisers, Laing said. ``This money is stretched to provide case management services and to help our clients meet rent and utility payments.''
Workers at TACT lend assistance to their clients, such as cutting through the red tape of the Social Security system to help them receive disability benefits.
TACT also provides a variety of counseling services to patients with HIV or AIDS. ILLUSTRATION: WANT TO GO?
What: TACT fund-raiser
Where: Grand Affairs, 2036 Pleasure House Road, Virginia Beach
When: Tonight at 6:30
How much: $50; includes cocktails, dinner and entertainment
Call: 456-1780
by CNB