Blood:Water Mission Celebrates World AIDS Day with Red Tie Gala, Honors Senator Frist

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Local non-profit organization Blood:Water Mission announces its first annual Red Tie Gala, a gathering of local, regional, and national supporters of the international fight against HIV/AIDS.

“The funds raised at the event will enable us to continue to reach the community with greater care and support”

In recognition of World AIDS Day on December 1, the event will be at the Hutton Hotel the evening before on Friday, November 30 and will honor former Senator Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist.

As Majority Leader, Dr. Frist was instrumental in passage of PEPFAR, the massive U.S. initiative to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world. Over the last decade, he has traveled to more than a dozen African countries to study HIV/AIDS and perform surgery in Sudanese, Kenyan, Ugandan, and Mozambican hospitals, as well as respond to disasters in Sri Lanka, Sudan, New Orleans, Haiti and the Horn of Africa.

“We are honored to celebrate the achievements of Dr. Frist on the global fight,” said Mike Hamilton, President of US Operations for Blood:Water Mission. “His accomplishments have opened doors for many, including us, to serve in some of the most remote communities of the world impacted by this disease.”

Frist serves on the board of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and as the chairman of Save the Children’s “Newborn and Child Survival” campaign. He chairs Hope Through Healing Hands, a nonprofit foundation that places young global health leaders around the world and is Vice Chair of the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows. He serves on the Advisory Committees for Global Health at Duke, Harvard, and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Also being honored is Dr. Richard Wamai, assistant professor of public health at Northeastern University Department of African American Studies. Dr. Wamai has studied and worked at numerous institutions and has been widely published in leading journals. Blood:Water is honoring Dr. Wamai with the Unsung Hero award for his ongoing research in the areas of HIV/AIDS, primarily the affects of male circumcision in the transmission of the disease.

At the event, guests will also learn about the work of Blood:Water Mission and their partners, The ONE Campaign and Food for the Hungry in their efforts around the international HIV/AIDS fight. Renowned musician and award-winning producer Charlie Peacock will perform. Proceeds of the evening will benefit the New Life Medical Clinic in Kitgum, Uganda where an estimated 27,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS.

Blood:Water Mission opened the New Life Medical Center in 2011 in partnership with Food for the Hungry Uganda to provide high quality comprehensive care and treatment as well as prevention support to people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in Kitgum, Uganda while building the capacity of local community based organization to effectively run the clinic.

“The impact this clinic has had on the community has been incredible,” says Hamilton.

In just one short year, over 2000 people have visited the clinic, 800 of them have been tested for HIV, and 80% of those whose status was positive enrolled into care and treatment. Additionally, the clinic received an Award of Excellence from the Ugandan Ministry of Health for the quality and impact they have made on the health and well-being of the local community in HIV programs.

“The funds raised at the event will enable us to continue to reach the community with greater care and support,” says Hamilton.

For more information regarding sponsorships or purchasing tickets, contact Blood:Water Mission at 615-550-4296 or [e-mail].

About Blood:Water Mission:

Blood:Water Mission is a non-profit organization based in Nashville, Tennessee, established to empower communities to work against the HIV/AIDS and water crises in sub-Saharan Africa through creative grassroots efforts.

Founded by multi-platinum GRAMMY® Award winning band, Jars of Clay, Blood:Water Mission began in 2005 as a call to personalize the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. After funding a late stage AIDS hospice and discovering the vital link between living with HIV/AIDS and the need for clean, safe water, Blood:Water launched nation-wide effort to provide clean water and sanitation to 1000 communities in sub-Saharan Africa based on the equation that $1 provides one African with clean water for an entire year.

Since its launch, Blood:Water has raised millions of dollars through the creative efforts of hundreds of thousands of individuals seeking to make a difference, providing for the completion of the 1000 Wells Project at the end of 2010. To date, Blood:Water has partnered with more than 1,100 communities in Africa, providing life-saving water for over 700,000 people in 11 different countries and access to HIV/AIDS education, treatment and support for over 30,000 people. For more information and to get involved, visit www.bloodwatermission.com or follow on twitter, @bloodwater.