Saturday evening, July 7th, Love Heals, The Alison Gertz Foundation for AIDS Education hosted the Ultimate Birthday Party at its 13th Annual Love Heals at Luna Farm event. A celebration of the organization’s 20th anniversary, the 650 person event raised over $300,000.
Throughout the evening, hosts Hilary Rhoda, Charlotte Ronson, Andrew Saffir & Daniel Benedict mingled with guests and friends under the stars. Everyone enjoyed real southern BBQ (brought to the Hamptons from South Carolina and cooked on-site for 24 hours prior to the event) and fresh summertime cocktails from Patron -- Patron Birthday Splash, Luna Farm Refresher, and Healing Touch. A sudden thunderstorm drove guests under the huge tent and DJ Kiss revved up the party with her dance tunes. The crowd boogied the night away, taking breaks to visit the Patron Mojito bar and popsicle stand.
Others in attendance included the organization’s co-founder, Dini von Mueffling, supermodel Nicole Trunfio,pianist Chloe Flower, designer Rebecca Minckoff, Rodale’s David Zincenko, news anchor Chris Wragge, Peter Davis, Kelly Delaney, Richard Farley, Stephanie Hirsch, Richard Johnson & Sessa von Richtofen, Scott Lipps, Avis Richards, Teresa Sorkin, Martin & Nina Varsavsky, Eric Villency, and Niche Media’s Samantha Yanks, among others. Alison Gertz’ parents Mr. and Mrs. Jerrold Gertz were also in attendance.
About Love Heals
Love Heals was founded in 1992 to carry on the memory of the late AIDS activist Alison Gertz, who contracted HIV from a single sexual encounter at the age of 16.
Love Heals, the Alison Gertz Foundation for AIDS Education, empowers young people in the fight against HIV. Our HIV-positive speakers are putting a face to the epidemic and our youth empowerment programs are training a new generation of community educators and activists. Love Heals also creates and distributes educational materials, shares its expertise and advocates for young people’s right to HIV/AIDS education. We do this in partnership with hundreds of schools and community groups throughout New York City and the surrounding areas, reaching both young people and those individuals who impact their lives, and placing a special emphasis on outreach to high-risk communities.
By the close of 2011, Love Heals directly educated more than 530,000 young people about the realities of HIV and AIDS. The 300- plus young women of color who have completed our peer education training program have reached an additional 10,000 through their community action projects.
