April 29th was a busier than usual Thursday night at Andrew's French Quarter in Crystal City when the restaurant became the first ever in Jefferson County to participate in "Dining Out for Life," a fundraiser for St. Louis Effort for AIDS.  The restaurant donated 25 percent of all sale proceeds for the evening, raising $2,139.  In addition, MasterCard is matching funds for any items that were charged to a MasterCard credit or debit card, and some patrons took advantage of special envelopes provided at the restaurant to make direct donations to the organization. 

     “I am very proud of Andrew for stepping up to participate in this excellent fundraiser for this very worthy organization” said Bob Kister of Bob Kister Trial Lawyer LLC, who hosted the evening’s event for St. Louis Effort for AIDS.

     As the event's host, Kister sent out 700 invitations and offered to buy the first round of drinks for anyone who attended.  Kister said that buying drinks for 64 dinner patrons only set him back a couple hundred bucks.  He also bought dinner for a table of personal guests.

     "I wanted to make sure it was a good first night," Kister said.  "It definitely was.  We were very, very pleased with the turnout and the amount of money we were able to raise."

     Cheryl Oliver, Executive Director for St. Louis Effort for AIDS was equally pleased with participation from Kister and Andrew's French Quarter.  Although this is the first time a Jefferson County restaurant has participated in Dining Out for Life, the organization offers services to more than a hundred Jefferson County residents annually.

     "I want to really personally thank Andrew's French Quarter and our host and the people who were there that night because it really is a milestone," Oliver said.  "It was just wonderful that we had this type of participation and we would love to have more."

     One of the things Kister likes about this fundraiser is that even though the event has international participation, money raised locally stays local.  St. Louis Effort for Aids provides linkage to care services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS as well as education and testing for the general public.  In 2009 the organization spent 76 percent of its budget on programs and services, and only 24 percent on administration and fundraising.

     Kister has represented close to a dozen Jefferson County residents with HIV in Social Security matters and he explained some of the recent improvements in testing and treatment.   

     "Now, when there's a newly infected person, they not only check for the virus, but they're able to genotype the virus," he said.  "Then they have the better ability to line up the mutation with the correct cocktail that will work for the patient."

     Kister also cited examples of mothers with HIV giving birth to children who are completely free of the virus.

     "If the mother is taking the anti-retroviral medications and they are working, they most of the time prevent the transmission to the unborn child,"  he said.  "The placenta is an amazing device.  But the mom has to be on top of it with the medications."

     St. Louis Effort for AIDS offers HIV testing and education through a mobile outreach program.

     "We have a testing lab here at the agency, and then we have a mobile testing unit that goes out into the community and beyond the direct metropolitan area," Oliver said.  "Usually the quick tests have a 20 minute return.  If they get tested positive then this whole linkage to care system is designed to help them get into the resource system as fast as possible."

     Although a final tally hasn't yet been completed, Oliver believes this year's Dining Out for Life met its goals.  Last year the organization received almost $75,000 in individual donations for an overall total of $225,000.  It was one of their most successful years. 

     "We think we'll probably come in again at anywhere from $200,000 to maybe $225,000," she said.  "Actually we're thinking that we might get a little less in donation envelopes and more because we had more restaurants, so maybe more from the restaurants.  We're very pleased.  The only rule we have is that people have fun."

     Andrew's French Quarter proprietor, Andrew Guillot, hopes that more patrons will use a MasterCard next year to take advantage of the matching funds.  He estimated that 30 percent of diners at his restaurant used a MasterCard this year.  Guillot is already making plans for next year's event. 

     "We'll probably find a better way to promote it and carry some sort of a special, a certain entree for that evening or maybe a specific theme of cuisine that we feature for the night,"  Guillot said.

     Dining Out for Life is held the last Thursday in April each year.  Individuals who wish to join the Andrew's French Quarter mailing list may contact the restaurant at 636-931-9333.  Those who wish to donate to, or volunteer for St. Louis Effort for AIDS can contact the organization at 314-645-6451, or visit their website at www.stlefa.org.