LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — AVOL Kentucky (AVOL) was joined by Mayor Linda Gorton in announcing the primary goals and objectives for the tenth annual Dining Out For Life® (DOFL) event scheduled for Thursday, September 12. The premise for DOFL is simple: have breakfast, lunch, or dinner (or even all three) at any of our 56 generous participating restaurants, and those restaurants will donate at least 25% of sales to AVOL. A complete list of participating restaurants can be found at www.dineoutlex.com. For those who can't dine out that day, direct contributions can be made at the same website.
“Dining Out For Life represents the best in bringing our diverse citizenship together to make our community a better, safer and healthier place for all,” said Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton. “Imagine what we can do on an even grander scale when working together for the greater good.”
In keeping with AVOL’s mission to end HIV in Kentucky, all funds raised through DOFL will be used to advance this mission while focusing on:
- Ensuring more people who are living with HIV know their status
- Decreasing the number of new HIV infections
- Ensuring more people living with HIV are connected to, reconnected to, and maintain medical care
- Achieve and maintain viral suppression for those currently living with HIV
- Working to eliminate health disparities and HIV stigma
“Dining Out For Life allows AVOL to raise critically needed funds while making people more aware of the good work being done by our volunteers and staff in the communities we serve,” said Executive Director Jon Parker. “DOFL plays such an important role in our fight to end HIV in Kentucky while creating a day for the entire community to break bread together at so many of our community’s generous and hospitable partnering restaurants.”
AVOL provides extensive outreach, education, access to free HIV testing, prevention and connectivity to care. For individuals living with HIV, AVOL responds to and develops new housing opportunities which address critical housing needs. Stable housing as a direct impact on health outcomes. Individuals who are stably housed are more likely to achieve viral suppression and healthy living.
DOFL, founded in 1982, is now produced in 60 cities throughout the United States and Canada, with more than 3,000 restaurants donating a portion of their proceeds from their designated day of dining.
AVOL has hosted Lexington’s since 2009 and has raised over $650,000 which has provided a host of services to thousands, including benefits and resources counseling, case management, housing, and
food and nutrition assistance to low-income individuals. AVOL was recently recognized as one of the nation’s top-10 DOFL host organizations
