Art Exhibit To Benefit Roper St. Francis Ryan White Program
June 3, 2010
CHARLESTON, SC – June 4, 2010 – Art for Charity will host a special reception and art exhibit to benefit the Roper St. Francis Healthcare (RSFH) Ryan White Program from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Friday, June 4 at 438 King St. in downtown Charleston.
The Ryan White Program, which began in 2000, provides comprehensive medical care for people living with HIV and AIDS. Eligible patients receive assistance with physicians’ care, medications, dental care, case management, housing, support groups and other challenges, including transportation.
We are extremely pleased to have been selected as a beneficiary of the Art for Charity program, said Ashley Wieters Redmond, Director of the RSFH Ryan White Program. This event provides an opportunity for those attending not only to see the works of some of South Carolina’s most talented artists, but also help raise awareness for our Ryan White Program and how our patients benefit from our services and support.
The June 4 gallery event includes hors d’oeuvres and wine from Social Bar & Restaurant. Music will be provided by D&M Productions Featuring DJ Trevor Donovan.
There is no admission fee, however, a donation of $10 – all of which goes to the Ryan White Program – at the door is suggested. Advance tickets at $8 per person are also available through www.ryanwhiteofcharleston.org.
All funds raised will go to the Ryan White Program’s Medication Endowment Fund, which provides emergency medications and medical care, a need that is critical at this time, Redmond said.
Art for Charity, managed and produced by interior designer Michael Mitchell, is running through June 13 and showcases more than 20 prominent South Carolina artists. Receptions held throughout the month are designed to raise awareness for local, non-profit organizations, with a portion of proceeds from all artwork sold during that time going to various local charities.
South Carolina ranks eighth in the nation in the percentage of people infected with HIV. The state Department of Health and Environmental Control reports there were 3,507 cases of HIV and AIDS in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties in December 2008, the latest date for which statistics are available.
RSFH Ryan White Program
The RSFH Ryan White Program currently serves more than 398 patients – about four times as many as in 2005, said Ashley Redmond, the program’s director. And yet, there are many more who need assistance and aren’t getting it, perhaps because they don’t know help is available.
Federally-funded Ryan White programs have been established in many communities as a result of legislation to improve availability of care for low-income, uninsured and under-insured victims of HIV/AIDS and their families. The programs honor the legacy of Ryan White, an Indiana teenager with hemophilia who contracted HIV through a blood transfusion. White died in 1990 after fighting against AIDS-related discrimination and championing efforts to educate the nation about the infectious disease.
For more information on the Roper St. Francis Ryan White Program, please visit: www.ryanwhiteofcharleston.org.
For more information on RSFH, please visit www.rsfh.com.
