ABOVE: Debra Messing will headline CAN Community Health’s second annual Red Ribbon Gala. Photo courtesy CAN’s Facebook page.
SARASOTA | CAN Community Health announced Oct. 7 that LGBTQ ally, actress and activist Debra Messing will headline the organization’s second annual Red Ribbon Gala at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota on Feb. 22, 2020.
Messing is best known for her award-winning role on “Will & Grace,” NBC’s groundbreaking LGBTQ television series. Its revival will end in 2020 with a third season, its eleventh overall.
CAN’s Red Ribbon Gala supports the organization’s mission to provide a continuum of medical, social and education services essential to the health and wellbeing of those living with HIV, hepatitis C, STDs and other diseases. Its inaugural gala welcomed Billy Porter and M.J. Rodriguez of FX’s “Pose” in March 2019.
The organization announced Messing would headline this year’s gala via social media. “We are so excited to welcome Debra Messing as our guest speaker for our Red Ribbon Gala: Reshaping the Face of HIV on February 22, 2020 at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota,” they shared.
“My favorite acting teacher died of AIDS complications,” Messing explains in the video’s voiceover. “It was devastating—and I vowed I would do what I could to change how people with HIV/AIDS were treated. Today, HIV is a manageable disease—with the right medication people are living long and healthy lives. Compassion, love, determination and hope are equally effective tools in this fight.”
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CAN’s “Red Ribbon Gala: Reshaping the Face of HIV” will be held Feb. 22, 2020 at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota and is a black tie cocktail reception and dinner. Sponsorship opportunities range from $2,500-$40,000 and individual tickets are $450. For more information, visit their website.
