The AIDS Council of Northeastern New York announced today that 25-year-old pop music star Evan Taubenfeld will perform at Savannah’s Restaurant in conjunction with the restaurant’s participation in the Capital Region’s 6th Annual Dining Out For Life® on Thursday, April 30th.

The Baltimore native was Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne’s musical director and lead guitarist from 2001 to 2004. He co-wrote several tracks on her last two albums, including the gold single “Don’t Tell Me” from Under My Skin and “Hot” from her latest release The Best Damn Thing, and toured the world with her in support of her 6x-platinum debut Let Go. His debut solo album, Welcome to the Blacklist Club, will be released during the summer of 2009. Produced by John Fields (Jonas Brothers, Switchfoot, Lifehouse), the album is a self-assured set of thoroughly addictive, radio-ready pop-rock anthems that showcase Mr. Taubenfeld’s melodic gifts, driving rhythmic sensibility, and engaging personality.

In addition to Savannah’s, 46 area restaurants – from Plattsburgh to Hudson and throughout the Capital Region – will be donating at least 25% of their sales to help fight HIV/AIDS. Patrons simply have to donate their appetites on April 30th to support the AIDS Council.

Dining Out For Life® has received increasing support each year since its local inception. Last year more than $26,000 was donated to provide essential services to those living with HIV/AIDS and cutting-edge HIV prevention programs. Michele McClave, Executive Director of the AIDS Council, hopes Dining Out For Life® will raise even more funds and awareness this year. “Despite advances in HIV testing and care, we haven’t stopped the spread of HIV in our community. We ask for the community’s help in keeping up the fight in tough economic times. Dining Out For Life® is an opportunity to state loudly and clearly that AIDS is still with us and still needs our attention.”

Restaurants in Albany, Broadalbin, Clifton Park, Glens Falls, Guilderland, Hudson, Latham, Plattsburgh, Saratoga, Schenectady, Sharon Springs, and Troy are participating in the event. Diners will also have the chance to win several prizes by dining out such as a trip to Atlantic City, Lake Placid getaway or a $500.00 floral gift certificate. Dining Out for Life is an international event held in more than 40 cities that raises HIV/AIDS awareness. For a complete restaurant listing please call 518.434.4686 or visit

(NOTE: A version of this article appeared in print on April 20, 2009, on page A26 of the New York edition of The New York Times.)

The AIDS epidemic is spreading faster than previously thought, even as the American public’s concern about it declines. That dangerous disconnect underscores the urgency of a new campaign announced by the Obama administration to combat complacency about the disease and its potential to strike the unwary.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in 2006, 56,000 people around the country were newly infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, a hefty boost from previous estimates of 40,000. Meanwhile, surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation show a sharp drop in public interest or concern. The percentage of Americans who say they have seen, heard or read a lot about the problem of AIDS in this country fell from 34 percent five years ago to 14 percent today. The number deeming AIDS the most urgent health problem facing the nation dropped from 44 percent in 1995 to 6 percent today.

Such complacency may reflect a belief that AIDS is primarily a problem in Africa, or a feeling that AIDS has become treatable, so why worry about infection.

The administration’s new five-year, $45 million communications campaign will try to “put the HIV crisis back on the national radar screen,” according to the White House. It will feature video, audio, print and online messages about the severity of the threat and where to get information about it and will reach out to the populations most severely affected, such as African-Americans and Latinos. It will also try to enlist community organizations, public health groups and media outlets in the campaign.

Mere awareness won’t be enough to curb the epidemic. More than a million people in this country are infected with the virus, and 20 percent of them don’t know it. Their ignorance jeopardizes their own health and increases the risk that they will spread the virus to others. It is imperative that testing for the virus become routine among all those likely to be at risk.

The Bush administration achieved notable success in boosting American support for the fight against AIDS overseas; it cut the death toll from AIDS by 10 percent in 12 African countries but did not prevent new cases. President Obama should build on that legacy abroad while also shrinking the size of this country’s epidemic.

The AIDS Council of Northeastern New York is proud to host the Capital Region’s 6th Annual Dining Out For Life® on Thursday, April 30th. 47 area restaurants – from Plattsburgh to Hudson and throughout the Capital Region – will be donating at least 25% of their sales to help fight HIV/AIDS. Patrons simply have to donate their appetites on April 30th to support the AIDS Council.

Dining Out For Life® has received increasing support each year since its local inception. Last year more than $26,000 was donated to provide essential services to those living with HIV/AIDS and cutting-edge HIV prevention programs. Michele McClave, Executive Director of the AIDS Council, hopes Dining Out For Life® will raise even more funds and awareness this year. “Despite advances in HIV testing and care, we haven’t stopped the spread of HIV in our community. We ask for the community’s help in keeping up the fight in tough economic times. Dining Out For Life® is an opportunity to state loudly and clearly that AIDS is still with us and still needs our attention.”

In the past year, the AIDS Council has received cuts to its New York State funding totaling just under $250,000. McClave explained, “This loss of funding cuts to the heart of our core services to people living with HIV/AIDS in our community. As a result, our fundraising events are more important than ever. In tough economic times, an event like Dining Out For Life® gives the community a way to support the AIDS Council in a way that’s fun and won’t break the bank.”

Richard Nacy, Director of Development & Marketing for the AIDS Council, remarked, “In spite of the economic downturn, both the restaurant and corporate communities have responded to this year’s Dining Out For Life® in an overwhelming fashion. Our participating restaurants are up more than 40% over last year and corporate sponsorship is up more than 65%. This is a testament to the generosity of our community and its understanding that HIV/AIDS is still a major public health epidemic.”

Restaurants in Albany, Broadalbin, Clifton Park, Glens Falls, Guilderland, Hudson, Latham, Plattsburgh, Saratoga, Schenectady, Sharon Springs, and Troy are participating in the event. Diners will also have the chance to win several prizes by dining out such as a trip to Atlantic City, Lake Placid getaway or a $500.00 floral gift certificate. Dining Out for Life® is an international event held in more than 40 cities that raises HIV/AIDS awareness.

Sponsors of the event include Total Town Health, the Sandy Hill Foundation, CapitalCare Medical Group, Sam’s Club, and Trustco Bank. Media Sponsors: WNYT News Channel 13, Times Union, Metroland, Plattsburgh Press-Republican, FLY-92, and Spotlight Newspapers. Additional support from Barefoot Wine, Yankee Trails World Travel, Mirror Lake Inn and Brendan Flanigan Design.

For a complete restaurant listing please call 518.434.4686 or visit www.aidscouncil.org.