Key West The Newspaper

AIDS Help and Fantasy Fest Draw Attention to Critical Health Issue

The individuals who are crowned this year’s Fantasy Fest King and Queen will have the additional honor of serving as Grand Marshals for this year’s Fantasy Fest Parade. The King and Queen, who will have been crowned just the week before at the Royal Coronation, will lead the parade of approximately 50 floats and walking groups down Duval Street, on Saturday, October 29, starting at 7 PM.

“Fantasy Fest has always been about throwing a really good party – and the parade is the centerpiece of that – but it is also about supporting the wellbeing of our community and giving back,” said Linda O’Brien, Fantasy Fest Executive Director. “We are proud to honor and support AIDS Help by naming the King and Queen of Fantasy Fest the 2016 Parade Grand Marshals.”

“With the resurgence of new cases here in Monroe County, we felt it was imperative that we use this great stage we have to educate a new generation – and make sure everyone is aware – of the importance of knowing how to stay safe and healthy,” O’Brien said.

The King and Queen campaign is an eight-week fundraiser for AIDS Help, a local non-profit that cares for those living with HIV/AIDS throughout the Keys. The goal of having the King and Queen lead the parade is to remind people that HIV/AIDS remains a significant public health issue.
There are about 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S., and Monroe County has seen a sharp increase in new cases this year, with 22 new HIV diagnoses in the first six months of 2016.

“AIDS Help is as critical today as it was 30 years ago,” said AIDS Help Executive Director Scott Pridgen. “One of our goals with the kings and queens campaign is to remind people that HIV/AIDS continues as a threat to people, young and old, regardless of sexuality or gender.”
The agency’s primary mission is helping people with HIV live with dignity by focusing on treatment, prevention, housing and research. And, increasingly, they depend on private donations to raise the money they need to continue their critical work.

The King and Queen of Fantasy Fest campaign each year generates eight weeks of focused fundraising efforts by community advocates vying for the coveted royal titles. This year’s contenders are Queen candidates Kristen Livengood and Jane Rohrschneider, and King candidates Christopher Rounds and Thomas Ryan. Find out more at: www.ahmonroe.org.

For the second year, the Key West Chamber of Commerce will bolster the prize pool for the Fantasy Fest parade by awarding a total of $10,000 to the best local parade entries, with a top prize of $7,500. Winners of the 2016 parade and the announcement of the 2017 Fantasy Fest theme will be revealed in the local media Sunday, Oct. 30.