Top Fundraisers of 2105

When it comes to taking care of our own, the LGBT community is no slouch. From fundraisers for HIV care and research, to fashion shows for meals on wheels deliveries, to highly elaborate stage shows for homeless youth, we go out of our way to make sure that our least fortunate are taken care of.

Here's a roundup of some of the best fundraisers of 2015.

APLA Holds 4th Annual Drag Queen World Series: On Saturday, May 9, the defending champions, The LA Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, are headed back to the softball field to defend their title against The West Hollywood Cheerleaders in the Drag Queen World Series. "In a time when the HIV epidemic has surpassed its 32nd year and new HIV infections continue to occur on a daily basis, now more than ever we must continue the struggle against HIV/AIDS," said organizers. This year's color commentary comes from Chico's Angels Freida Laye and Chita Parol. Read more here.

GMHC and Monster Cycle Host 4th Annual Indoor Cycling Event: On Saturday, Jan. 24, Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) and The Monster Cycle hosted a three-hour indoor cycling fundraiser to benefit GMHC's programs. "Be Monstrous. Fight AIDS." will consist of three 45-minute classes. "We are honored to partner with GMHC for this important benefit," said co-founder Michael MacNeal, a cycling instructor for six years. "With more people living successfully with HIV, The Monster Cycle is excited to bring joy to the fight against AIDS! What better way to support GMHC than with the edgiest indoor-cycling experience and the best instructors in NYC." Read more here.

Pam Grier and Mondo Guerra Host Subaru's Dining Out for Life: On April 30, you helped fight AIDS, just by eating your vegetables. That's when more than 3,000 restaurants across the U.S. participated in the 25th Annual Dining Out For Life, a charity fundraiser hosted by Subaru in which they donate a generous portion of the day's proceeds to support their local AIDS service organization. This year's celebrity hosts include "Project Runway All-Stars" winner Mondo Guerra, and actor Pam Grier. "It's remarkable that this event will be happening in 60 cities and in Canada, and will raise $4 million in one day to support organizations across the country," Grier told EDGE in a recent interview from Boulder, Colorado, where she was promoting the event. Read more here.

Shirley Bassey Performs at amfAR's New York Gala: On Wednesday, February 11, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, held its annual New York Gala. The Foundation honored legendary activist and revered entertainer, Harry Belafonte; amfAR supporter and actor, Rosario Dawson; and photographer Patrick Demarchelier, for their exceptional contributions to the global struggle against HIV/AIDS. The black-tie benefit was held at Cipriani Wall Street, and featured a special performance by Dame Shirley Bassey. Read more here.

Spinderella Performs at Y-Hep's '90s Dance Party: On March 20, Philadelphia FIGHT's Youth Health Empowerment Project (Y-HEP) celebrated 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. The fundraiser included 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. Read more here.

AIDS/LifeCycle Raises $16.3M to Fight HIV/AIDS: AIDS/LifeCycle's 2,350 cyclists raised a record-breaking $16.3 million dollars to support San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the HIV/AIDS-related services of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Their achievement shattered last year's amount by more than $800,000, maintaining AIDS/LifeCycle as the world's largest annual HIV/AIDS fundraiser, a seven-day, 545-mile journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles. "Participants of AIDS/LifeCycle are sending a powerful message to the entire planet that they will not back down until the HIV epidemic is at an end," said Neil Giuliano, CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation. "These record-setting funds mean we will be able to help even more people through our free prevention and care programs, to have broader impacts with our advocacy work, and to improve health for all people living with HIV. Read more here.

Larry Kramer Talks 'Cure' at GMHC Awards: "The main difference between the Larry Kramer who helped to start Gay Men's Health Crisis in his living room in 1982 and ACT UP in 1987 and the Larry Kramer who stands before you now is that I no longer have any doubt that our government is content, via sins of omission or commission, to allow the extermination of my homosexual population to continue unabated," said Kramer. "It is talk like this that got the original GMHC board to boot me off and out. It is also talk like this that enabled ACT UP to succeed in getting us our own treatments. These treatments are not good enough but have been good enough to extend our lives. Unfortunately they still come with side effects and they reward their greedy manufacturers with more money than they would make locating the cure that would end this plague." Read more here.

Key West Vintners Dinner Raises Funds for AIDS Help: Key West heats up on April 12 with the foodies' fusion of ambiance and nuance, the 2015 Vintners' Dinner, followed by the April 13 20th Anniversary of the Taste of Key West. The event benefits Key West AIDS Help. In what the event's chairperson Terri Wilson is calling "Culinary Theatre," the evening at Casa Marina, 1500 Reynolds Street, will begin at 6 p.m. with a champagne reception and introduce a new dining intimacy -- up-close dialogue with chefs and in-depth conversations with wine company and vineyard representatives. "Food and wine still star, but everyone attending will have a supporting role," said Wilson, adding, "No rehearsals necessary, although you may want to diet a little beforehand." Read more here.

The Imperial Court of New York's Night of a Thousand Gowns: Members of The Imperial Court gathered at the Marriott Marquis hotel in midtown Manhattan on April 11 for the 29th Annual Night of a Thousand Gowns, an annual fundraiser for local charities. This year's event featured Honorary Chairs Dionne Warwick and Candis Cayne, honoree Larry Kramer, and performers Jody Watley, Cheyenne Elliott and the ladies of Chic.�Read more here.

Long Beach Pride Celebrates Women's Rights with Benefit: On Friday evening, May 15, 2015 Long Beach women took to the streets in Long Beach's 3rd Annual Rally and Dyke March at Bixby Park, followed by The After Party at Caf� Ambrosia, a breast cancer benefit with all the proceeds going to the Los Angeles Pink Dragons. "Although there have been many advances, LBTQ women still lack visibility," said organizer Denise Penn. "Media portrayals, while improving, tend not to show LGBTQ women in an everyday situations. There are many issues women face: violence, reproductive rights, discrimination in the workplace. This is an outlet for women to express themselves, to come together and empower one another to create change." Read more here.

Register for July 11th's Saddle Up LA, to Raise Funds for Life Group LA: The Life Group LA's yearly fundraising event, the 10th Annual "Saddle Up LA" an AIDS Benefit Horseback Trail Ride and Country BBQ was held Saturday, July 11 in the beautiful and majestic Griffith Park Mountains. "It's not a typical fundraiser; it's not another gala," said organizer Sunny Rose Berger. "People get on the trail and get dirty, have something to eat, then shop the silent auction. People can buy tickets to just the barbeque, they can support us by riding and raising money, they can raise money and get a free ticket, or they can just buy a ticket." Read more here.

Dancers Responding to AIDS Host 21st Annual Fire Island Dance Festival: Fire Island Dance Festival has captivated audiences for 20 years with a kaleidoscopic mix of famed and fast-rising dancers from ballet to Broadway and everything in between. See dance differently with the Great South Bay as a breathtaking backdrop for some of the most talked-about dance companies and choreographers in the industry including Ailey II, Ballet Hispanico, Pontus Lidberg Dance and more. Read more here.

GMHC Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Annual Latex Ball: "The Latex Ball is an important public health intervention that primarily reaches black and Latino youth and adults, who continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS," said Kelsey Louie, CEO, GMHC. "The ball taps into the creativity, resiliency, and strength of the House and Ball community, and it celebrates and encourages members to support their community health and influence mainstream culture. Together with co-sponsors Callen Lorde, the Imperial Court of New York, and the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), we honor all those who have participated in the Latex Ball for the past 25 years."
Read more here.

Dallas Red Foundation and Pride Pharmacy Poolside Fashion Show: Dallas Red Foundation and Pride Pharmacy presented the 2nd Annual Poolside fashion show on Saturday, July 19 at the ilume, a premier luxury apartment community located in the heart of Oak Lawn. This evening of fashion and glamour showcased some of the hottest in men's summer fashion poolside at ilume luxury apartment community. "We are thrilled to be bringing this dynamic event back to the Dallas community, and excited to welcome Alyssa Edwards to the show," said Jeff McKnight, Dallas Red Foundation Board President. "Combining both local talent and international brands, this is one poolside soir�e not to be missed." Read more here.

Project NunwayLA Hits the Runway on Oct. 11: On Sunday, October 11, Project NunwayLA returns to the runway with another fabulous event to benefit two wonderful Los Angeles community charities,�Being Alive LA and Life Group LA. By teaming up with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the event raises fun and funds for people living with HIV/AIDS. "The Sisters were the first to put feet on the street and the first to sound the bell of support of those afflicted with and dying of AIDS," said Sister Tragedy Anne, speaking to their long history, since 1979, of philanthropic works. "The Sisters created the very first public health information about safer sex practices and the use of condoms as a prevention for AIDS transmission with its groundbreaking PLAY FAIR! campaign. This campaign put a face on education and safer sex, and this message continues today. All Sister organizations are dedicated to the support, education, and outreach related to HIV/AIDS. Education is empowerment and can change lives." Read more here.

Megan Hilty Headlines Benefit for Boston Gay Men's Chorus: The Boston Gay Men's Chorus (BGMC) welcomes Megan Hilty and Seth Rudetsky as Mark Cortale's Broadway @ series comes to the Citi Shubert for the first time ever on Friday, Sept. 18. Hilty, star of stage and television, joins Grammy- and Emmy-nominated Sirius XM Radio star Seth Rudetsky as they shoot the breeze, dish the dirt, and raise the roof with a host of classic Broadway songs. "I am so excited to come back to Boston," said Hilty. "It's such an amazing city. I loved performing at the Hatch Shell for the 4th of July. Even though we had to push the concert a day earlier due to bad weather, the Boston crowds showed up and had a great time." Read more here.

AIDS Fund Philly Kicks Off 20th Season of GayBINGO: AIDS Fund is kicking off the 20th Anniversary Season of GayBINGO on September 12! Revisit favorite vintage themes from the past 20 years for a fun, campy, season of GayBINGO, all to raise funds for HIV/AIDS right here in the Greater Philadelphia region. The season schedule is below, highlighted by the annual Black-Tie GayBINGO in March, this year at the beautiful Loew's Hotel. "Over the past 19 years, GayBINGO has raised over $3.3 million for HIV awareness, prevention and care services in the Greater Philadelphia region. Many of our players come because they have heard it's a fun event, but also it provides us with an opportunity to make them aware that HIV is still an issue in our communities," said Robb Reichard, Executive Director of AIDS Fund.�Read more here.

29th Annual AIDS Walk Philly Raises Funds and Awareness to Battle HIV/AIDS: "Since AIDS Fund's first AIDS Walk was held 29 years ago, we've come a long way in the fight against HIV/AIDS in our communities," said Robb Reichard, Executive Director of AIDS Fund. "New prevention strategies such as PEP (post-exposure prophylactic) and PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylactic) and getting people living with HIV disease into, and maintaining optimum care are bringing us ever closer to a world without AIDS. Unfortunately, as a country we are still a long way from fully implementing and ultimately seeing the results of those strategies, so there continues to be a need to walk and raise funds for HIV awareness, prevention, and care services in the Greater Philadelphia region and around the country." Read more here.

Del Shores Singularly Sordid Benefits Atlanta ASO Joining Hearts: On Saturday, November 7, at The Plaza Theatre in Atlanta, Del Shores performed his "SINgularly SORDID" show as a benefit fundraiser for Joining Hearts. Shores, creator of the cult franchise "Sordid Lives" film and TV show and much more LGBT humor, tours the country with his hilarious standup tours.
This time, Shores discusses the unexpected comedy of returning to the world of dating after divorce in your 50s. Tinder, Grindr, Scruff, OkCupid, "Oh, sh*t!"�Shores quips, "Sometimes it's just too damn much!"�He shares a litany of bad dates and his own trials and tribulations of being on the prowl again when you are a "minor gay celebrity." Read more here.

Annual Zumba Fitness Dance to Fight AIDS Benefits GMHC: On Sunday, November 8, Zumba� Fitness teachers Richard Martinez and Eileen Bastien hosted their third annual Zumba� Fitness Dance Fundraiser to Fight AIDS, benefiting GMHC. Richard and Eileen will be joined by 15 Zumba� Fitness teachers from the tri-state area, who are all donating their time because they all are committed to raising critically needed funds. "When I visited GMHC in 2013, I knew instantly that this phenomenal organization cared not only about those living with HIV and AIDS, but also the families and communities impacted by it," said Richard Martinez. "I believe in GMHC's vision and mission. I only wish that I had known about GMHC when my brother was diagnosed so many years ago."
Read more here.

Barlesque Strip-A-Thon Raises Funds for Chicago HIV/AIDS Organizations: Throughout the month of November, contestants representing sixteen local businesses will compete for the title of "Chicago's Sexiest" to raise money for the Test Positive Aware Network in its online strip-a-thon, "Barlesque 8: Bedtime Stories." Running from November 5-22, Barlesque is a hotly anticipated annual event combining the naughtiness of burlesque and the generosity of Chicago's philanthropic community. As donations are raised online and at in-person events, contestants' photos advance from fully dressed to "nature's best." The more donors give, the less the contestants wear. Barlesque culminates at midnight on November 22, when the contestant who has raised the most money is crowned "Chicago's Sexiest Bartender." Read more here.