Joining Hearts For Valentine’s Day

February is the month of love – a time not only for Valentine’s Day but for one of Joining Hearts popular fundraisers, Love on the Rocks on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020.

This year, the annual Valentine’s cocktail event will be an evening of drinks, food, music, and a live auction, all for a good cause: raising money for the HIV and AIDS community in Atlanta.

Jerry Henderson, president of Joining Hearts, said in an interview that this year’s event with the theme Reverie: Love on the Rocks is very important. “The event is a critical piece for the community because the funds that are raised are put directly back in the Atlanta community to fight HIV/AIDs,” Jerry said.

Unlike many early Valentine’s Day events, Jerry said that Love on the Rocks is a unique event. “It’s an event that has evolved over the years and caters to all demographics that do not attend our Main Event,” he added. “This event is usually held in an exclusive location boasting the history of Atlanta and also the community.” This year, the event will be held at The Frazer Center.

According to the organization’s website, “This year, the theme of the event is about re-imagining the world if we each elevated our threshold to love one another (and even ourselves); it’s about dreaming how the world would look if we spent the time lifting each other up instead of tearing each other down. It’s about living together in harmony and respect. It’s about re-imagining the world without the stigma of HIV/AIDS.”

“The organization decided to build a theme that quantifies the struggles of the LGBTQ community, and each event will personify that with meaning. Reverie is the first one signifying bringing the community together for the common good,” Jerry noted.

Reverie: Love on the Rocks is Joining Hearts’ 33rd year of fundraising activities. While the mission is the same, Jerry added that each year the Host Committee along with the Director of Events and Director of Special Events, “work tirelessly to bring different options to the event. This year, we are incorporating a Live Auction for the first time. In the past, they have held silent auctions.” The auction will be hosted by Miss Joining Hearts, Celeste Holmes.

For an organization like Joining Hearts, whose mission is to raise money and awareness of AIDS and HIV, they need the community to come out and enjoy an evening of love and reverie all the while raising money for a good cause. According to Jerry, Joining Hearts is a 100 percent all-volunteer 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to raise awareness and funds to support prevention, care and housing assistance to those impacted by HIV/AIDS in Atlanta.

“Since 1987, Joining Hearts has raised and donated over $2.6 million to local charities in Atlanta,” Jerry added. “Last year’s recipients were AID Atlanta, Lost and Found Youth, Jerusalem House, HOPE ATL, and Project Open Hand.”

The money is awarded in the form of a grant where local ASOs submit a need for review by our Board of Directors via the organization’s website. The Board conducts a thorough review of the submission then decides if it meets the guidelines set forth and the current need of the community, Jerry said.

So, Joining Hearts needs you to make plans to attend Reverie: Love on the Rocks. Specialty cocktails will be provided by Tito’s Handmade Vodka with expanded bar selections, delicious bites, and beats by DJ Eric James will be just a few of the evening’s highlights.

This year, the event will be held Saturday,
Feb. 8 from 5-9 pm at The Frazer Center located at 1815 S. Ponce De Leon Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30307. Tickets are on sale now, and you will want to purchase your tickets early because no tickets will be sold at the door. Early bird tickets are $50 with $3.49 fee until Feb. 7 after Feb. 7 the price will increase to $60.

Members can renew their Patron status to avoid lines as well as other advantages at all of the Joining Hearts events for 2020. You can visit the Joining Hearts website to find the benefits of becoming a Patron, purchase tickets and see the other ticket options at www.joininghearts.org.