DWF 2013 Press Kit FINAL

L O W C O U N T R Y A I D S S E R V I C E S P R E S E N T S
~ S AT U R D AY, M AY 4 ~
DINING WITH FRIENDS 2013
For more information
on hosting or attending
a party, please visit
www.dwfchs.com
or call 843.747.2273
Oysters Al Fresco
16" x 12" Oil on linen
Mark Kelvin Horton and
Shannon Runquist Collaborating
The 21st
Annual
Dining with Friends
May 4, 2013
Charleston, South Carolina

Lowcounty AIDS Services
3547 Meeting Street Road - North Charleston, SC 29405
Tel: 843.747.CARE - Fax: 843.745.0431 - email: information@aids-services.com - website: www.aids-services.com
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION:
April 4, 2013 Mary Melissa Johnson
Office: 843.732.0240
E-mail: dwfmedia@gmail.com
CELEBRATE THE NEW DINING WITH FRIENDS
It’s time to celebrate –Dining with Friends is turning 21!
CHARLESTON, SC – As one of the oldest charity events in the Lowcountry, Dining with Friends (DWF) has
been raising awareness and funding for our neighbors living with HIV/AIDS in the Tri-County area for over
two decades. On Saturday, May 4, 2013, Lowcountry AIDS Services (LAS) will celebrate the 21st Anniversary
of Dining with Friends!
Throughout the day, people will open their hearts and homes to host a variety of dinner parties – Black-tie
Affairs to Backyard Barbeques. At the end of the evening, hosts and guests will gather at the much-anticipated
Dining with Friends Afterparty. This year’s exclusive Afterparty will be hosted at Venue 549 between 9-11pm.
Along with a new venue, DWF has several exciting additions to this year’s event including special dessert
pairings with locally crafted beer.
As one of the most coveted DWF items, LAS is happy to announce the first ever artist collaboration in the
history of Dining with Friends! This year’s official DWF artists are Mark Kelvin Horton and Shannon
Runquist. Horton and Runquist successfully created a timeless masterpiece that embodies the warmth and spirit
of life in the Lowcountry.
Dining with Friends 2013 will embrace social media to help inspire host in the weeks leading up to the event
and connecting throughout the day of the event. Along with live tweeting and instagramming at the DWF
Afterparty, DWF encourages hosts and guests to connect on social media using the hashtag - #DWFchs.
For more information about the event and how to host a DWF party, please visit our new Dining with Friends
Website – www.dwfchs.com. Visit the LAS website, http://www.aids-services.com, for more information about
the agency and HIV/AIDS in the Lowcountry.
For media inquiries contact Mary Melissa Johnson at 843.732.0240 or by email at dwfmedia@gmail.com.
-###-

BACKGROUNDER
Lowcountry AIDS services (LAS) was founded in 1985 as a volunteer organization at the beginning
of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. For over twenty-five years, LAS has worked tirelessly to provide community
education, case management and fight the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. As the only private or public
organization in the Tri-County Area, the sole purpose of LAS is to deal with the issues associated with HIV
infection and AIDS. LAS provides access to medical care, case management, housing and financial assistance
to over 500 local men, women and children. Additionally, LAS works to prevent new HIV infection through
community outreach, CDC approved prevention intervention and free HIV testing. As a non-profit 501 (C)
(3) social service agency, LAS relies on charity events, such as Dining with Friends, to help raise funding and
awareness.
Dining with Friends (DWF) began in 1992 as a humble garden party. Throughout the past twenty-one
years, Dining with Friends has become one of Charleston’s largest and longest-running charity events. While
each year brings new changes, one common theme remains the same – Generosity. On Saturday, May 4th,
hosts will open their hearts and homes to raise money and awareness for those living with HIV/AIDS in the
Charleston area. DWF hosts and hostesses will throw a variety of dinner parties from Black-tie Affairs to
Backyard Barbeques. At the end of the evening, hosts and guests will gather at the much-anticipated Afterparty
at Venue 549 between 9-11pm. Like in past years, guests will sip on champagne and dance to live music while
tasting desserts from some of the most celebrated chefs and restaurants in the Charleston area.

LOWCOUNTRY AIDS SERVICES
2012 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• We tested 1,335 individuals in the Tri-County area, exceeding DHEC-mandated testing goals by 198%.
Within the individuals tested, 15 positives were identified and immediately referred to case management and
medical care.
• We exceeded our HIV prevention outreach goals by 103%.
• LAS exceeded program goals for SISTA by 126%. SISTA is a support and outreach group for local African-
American women.
• The agency met 100% of our goals for Mpowerment, an outreach group focusing on HIV prevention and
targeting young gay and bisexual men.
• In 2012, LAS exceeded program goals for 3MV, an outreach group for local African-American men, by
102%.
• Along with welcoming 54 new clients, we served 449 clients.
• In 2012, our case managers conducted 2,684 medical visits.
• Along with providing access to housing for 349 clients, LAS provided emergency financial assistance to 104
clients.
• Medical transportation services were provided to 102 clients during 2012.
• LAS counseled 161 clients about health education and risk reduction.
• 313 clients received psychosocial support during 2012.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
FACT SHEET
• $25 provides a client roundtrip transportation to two doctor’s appointments.
• $50 allows case managers to make home visits.
• $100 covers the monthly co-pay amounts for three essential medications.
• $200 helps cover the rent when a client has missed work due to hospitalization.
• $300 assists a family in paying funeral expenses for a client lost to AIDS.
• $500 pays the deposit on an apartment for a client who has been living in a homeless shelter.
• $700 pays the average monthly electric bill at LAS, which cannot be paid for with federal funding, and
allows us the bare essentials needed for us to continue serving our clients.

CHARLESTON HIV/AIDS AT A GLANCE
FACT SHEET
• According to the CDC HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, South Carolina ranked 7th among states, the District
of Columbia and U.S. dependent areas with AIDS cases.
• 2,254 are living with HIV/AIDS in the Tri-County area.
Note: Does not include person diagnosed in other states, but living with HIV in S.C. Data reported is through 2011.
• 72% of the HIV/AIDS Cases in The Tri-County area are male, while 28% of the HIV/AIDS cases are
female.
• In the Charleston area, 65% of the HIV/AIDS cases are African American.
• 30% of the HIV/AIDS cases are Caucasian in the Tri-County area.
• 912 of the HIV/AIDS Cases in the Tri-County area are people 50 Plus.
• 750 of the HIV/AIDS Cases in the Tri-County area are people between the ages of 40-49.
• 339 of the HIV/AIDS Cases in Tri-County area are people between the ages of 30-39.
• 229 of the HIV/AIDS Cases in Tri-County area are people between the ages of 20-29.
• The average annual cost of medications per patient is $10,500 based on the AIDS Drug Assistance Program
(ADAP) Crisis Update.
All statistics and facts are based on The S.C. HIV/AIDS Task Force: HIV/AIDS Living Cases & ADAP At-A-
Glance Revised 02/05/2013.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Mark Kelvin Horton
Official Dining with Friends Artist
When Mark Kelvin Horton moved to New York City to begin a career in advertising and design in 1983,
he carried the dream that someday he would become a painter. He spent eighteen years in New York working
as a creative director for various advertising agencies and eventually founded his own design company. Horton
spent every opportunity to cultivate this “fine art side” through drawing, sketching, painting and studying
masterpieces in the city’s museums and galleries. In 2001, he decided to devote himself full-time to his painting
and moved to Charleston, South Carolina. Horton’s paintings portray nature in a way that reflects his own
ideals while capturing the spirit, color and the effects that light has on the landscape.
For more information about Mark Kelvin Horton and his work, please visit Horton Hayes Fine Art in
Charleston, SC or via their website - www.hortonhayes.com.
Shannon Runquist
Official Dining with Friends Artist
As a Realist Painter working in oils, Shannon Runquist spent the majority of her life in the coastal and
rural South. Born in Savannah, Georgia, she has painted and studied throughout the world including Europe
and Central America. Along with participating in many national and international exhibitions, her work hangs
in private and corporate collections in the United States and abroad. Currently, Runquist resides in Charleston,
South Carolina.
For more information about Shannon Runquist and her work, please visit her website -
www.shannonrunquist.com.

OFFICIAL DINING WITH FRIENDS 2013 POSTER
L O W C O U N T R Y A I D S S E R V I C E S P R E S E N T S
~ S AT U R D AY, M AY 4 ~
DINING WITH FRIENDS 2013
For more information
on hosting or attending
a party, please visit
www.dwfchs.com
or call 843.747.2273
Oysters Al Fresco
16" x 12" Oil on linen
Mark Kelvin Horton and
Shannon Runquist Collaborating
For high-resolution images, please contact Mary Melissa Johnson at dwfmedia@gmail.com.

THE NEW LOOK OF DINING WITH FRIENDS
NEW LOGO DESIGNS
NEW WEBSITE:
WWW.DWFCHS.COM

IMAGES FROM DINING WITH FRIENDS 2012
For high-resolution images, please contact Mary Melissa Johnson at dwfmedia@gmail.com.

DINING WITH FRIENDS 2013 SPONSORS

DWF 2013 Press Kit FINAL

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