After more than three decades of serving the Philadelphia community, the nonprofit AIDS Fund Philly has announced that it will shutter at the end of this year.
In a Facebook post signed by its staff and board, AIDS Fund said it will conclude operations by December 31, 2024. “We are proud of our contributions to the fight against HIV in Philadelphia, and believe that with advances in both prevention and treatment we can complete our work today,” the post said.
AIDS Fund was founded during the height of the AIDS epidemic and has been active in the city for 35 years. The group says its mission has always been to end the stigma surrounding HIV and eliminate infections and deaths from the disease. More than 18,600 people in Philadelphia are currently living with HIV, according to the nonprofit.
GayBINGO, the popular fundraising event started in 1996 by the AIDS Fund, will be produced by Philadelphia-based nonprofit Action Wellness, one of the state’s largest AIDS service organizations.
“We are honored that the AIDS Fund has chosen Action Wellness to uphold the legacy of GayBINGO,” said Mary Evelyn Torres, Executive Director of Action Wellness. “We aim to ensure its continued success and use the proceeds to support people living with HIV. The LGBTQ+ community has played a vital role since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, and this commitment remains steadfast, as evidenced by 28 years of GayBINGO. “
The AIDS Fund post then thanked the volunteers, donors and partner organizations. “The work we have done would not have been possible without your collective commitment to ending the epidemic and serving our community.”
