Annual Black-Tie Event is One of New England’s Largest LGBT Fundraisers
On Saturday, March 19, Fenway Health will honor White House Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy Douglas M. Brooks, MSW with the Congressman Gerry. E. Studds Award in recognition for his years of tireless work in the battle against HIV/AIDS. The award will be given at Fenway’s annual Men’s Event, which brings together more than 1,300 gay and bisexual men, transgender people, friends and supporters for a night of dinner, dancing, and raising money for life-saving programs and services that benefit the entire LGBT community.
The evening gets underway at the Boston Marriott Copley Place at 6 p.m. with a reception and silent auction followed by dinner, a speaking program, and presentation of the Studds Award at 7 p.m. After dinner, local funk favorites Booty Vortex will take the stage followed by DJ Maryalice. The Silent Auction closes at 10:30 p.m., but the dancing and fun continue until the wee hours of the morning.
The Congressman Gerry E. Studds Award is given at The Men’s Event to honor individuals of integrity and selflessness who embody the spirit of service and provide positive leadership for the LGBT community. Congressman Studds represented southeastern Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress from 1973 to 1997 and became the first openly gay Member of Congress in 1983 when he proudly acknowledged his sexual orientation standing on the congressional floor. The Congressman Gerry E. Studds Award is given at each year’s Men’s Event in honor and memory of Studds, who passed away in October 2006.
Douglas Brooks’ career in AIDS advocacy began in 1992 with his work for the Provincetown AIDS Support Group. He went on to become the Senior Vice President for Community, Health, and Public Policy at the Justice Resource Institute (JRI), a regional health and human service agency with a range of residential and community-based services in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. He also previously served as Executive Director of the Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center, which is now part of Fenway Health.
Brooks has been a part of the management of several federally funded projects, including Ryan White programs for adolescents, CDC Prevention for African American/Black youth, and a HRSA and HOPWA Special Project of National Significance (SPNS). For twelve years he represented the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as part of the Massachusetts-South Africa Health Task Force.
He was a Visiting Fellow at the McCormack School Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and also served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of AIDS United in Washington, DC. In 2010, Douglas was appointed to The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) and subsequently named that body’s liaison to the CDC/HRSA Advisory Committee.
The Men’s Event and Fenway’s Dinner Party are two of the largest LGBT fundraisers in New England, together raising more than $1 million annually to support Fenway Health. This year’s event is made possible thanks to the hard work of event chairs Ryan Gosser, Stephen Martyak, and Raul G. Medina, as well as the support of our generous corporate sponsors. More information is available at www.mensevent.org.
[From a News Release]
