Three Cups of Tea or Three Glasses of Wine?

You can have “Three Cups of Tea” with us on Thursday, April 28th at Dining Out For Life and rest assured that the proceeds are directly donated to CARES! Or how about three glasses of wine at The Wine Loft? Join me and enjoy the company of others who share in your wish to support HIV/AIDS work in Southwest Michigan!

What I enjoy most about Dining Out For life is the community support.  Sometimes in the world of non-profits and deficit budgets and flat funding I feel like we’re out here doing the work by ourselves.  Then we have DOFL and when I welcome people to the restaurant and they say, “yes, we know, that’s why we’re here” I could cry!  I forget that there are MANY people out there who are affected by HIV and support our work in so many ways.  Thank you from all of us infected/affected and fighting the stigma a ripple at a time.

Dining Out For Life – Thursday, April 28th

On Thursday, April 28th, 34 local locations will support the fight against HIV/AIDS by participating in the 3rd Annual Dining Out For Life Fundraiser in the Kalamazoo area.  Each location will donate a percentage of sales — for most about 25% from select meals purchased to help fund CARES programs and to provide support services for persons whose lives are affected by HIV and AIDS.  Six of this year’s restaurants are donating more than 25% to the cause.

Now in its third year, the fundraiser put on by CARES has grown from 8 restaurants raising $16,000 in 2009 to 22 restaurants raising $40,000 in 2010, to 34 participating restaurants this year.  Kalamazoo is among 56 cities participating in this effort in the U.S. and Canada.  All proceeds from the local Dining Out For Life event will stay in the Kalamazoo community except the cost for the event’s licensing fee.

CARES volunteers will be present at each venue to provide information and to spread awareness. Please join us and enjoy great food for a great cause!   See the list of participating merchants at diningoutforlife.com/kalamazoo/participating

Mark your calendars for “Dining Out For Life”

Consider this your “Save The Date” invitation!  On Thursday, April 28, 2011 restaurants in Kalamazoo and Portage will participate in Kalamazoo’s third annual Dining Out for Life. Remember, making a difference is as easy as going out to eat! Each participating restaurant will donate 25% (or more!) of the cost of your meal to the fight against HIV & AIDS.

Please visit www.diningoutforlife.com often in the weeks ahead to see which area restaurants are participating this year, show your support by attending with friends and loved ones, and help spread the word about this special event!