Spinderella Performs at Y-Hep's '90s Dance Party

On March 20, Philadelphia FIGHT's Youth Health Empowerment Project (Y-HEP) will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary with "This Is How You Do It, a '90s Jam fundraiser from 7-11 p.m. at Moore College of Art & Design, 1916 Race Street, in Philadelphia.

For the last two decades, the Y-HEP has served as a safe space for Philadelphia youth. Founding Director Jacqui Ambrosini, along with co-founders Jeff Mascovsky and Matt Rubin, started the organization as a citywide pilot project to reduce the spread of HIV and STDs among adolescents and young adults in the Philadelphia area.

Today Y-HEP is a comprehensive adolescent health and sexuality program that offers out�reach, healthcare, counseling, therapy and leadership activities to over 3,000 high-risk, low-income youth ages 13 to 24. Our participants are among the most vulnerable and disenfranchised youth in Philadelphia, many of whom are sexual minorities, have aged out of foster care, are living in poverty, and struggling with homelessness and substance abuse.

Y-HEP provides a robust array of services educating youth about the risks of sexual behavior, offering stability that might not be found in their homes or lack thereof, and fostering creativity and individuality. These services include:

� The Empowerment Center, a drop-in center that gives adolescents and young adults access to resources that fulfill basic needs such as showers, meals, and laundry services. Youth can also participate in a variety of support groups, educational programming, and fun activities including yoga, art workshops, and dance classes.

� The I AM... Program, a health initiative addressing the unique needs of young men of color have sex with men. Through this program, FIGHT was the first organization in the Philadelphia area to prescribe PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis), one pill taken once a day that is proven to be almost 100% effective in preventing HIV infection if taken daily.

� The Y-HEP Health Center, which offers free or low-cost primary medical care, family planning services, and HIV testing and counseling for young adults ages 13-24.

"This Is How We Do It" will honor Jacqui Ambrosini, with a special award. The fundraiser will include cocktails, heavy hors d'oeuvres, dancing and a very special set from legendary 90s DJ Spinderella. The Grammy Award winner is a producer, rapper, writer and one of the original pioneers of Hip-Hop music. She began her career as a member of the iconic rap group Salt-N-Pepa, selling over 15 million albums and singles worldwide.

Proceeds from the event will support the expansion of Y-HEP's therapeutic services and enable us to offer PrEP to more young people.

Philadelphia FIGHT is a comprehensive health services organization providing primary care, consumer education, research, and advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS and those at high risk. FIGHT's goal is to end the AIDS epidemic within the lifetime of those currently living with HIV.