With or without dessert, you can make it a sweet 16th for the clientele of Chicago's AIDSCare charity on Thursday, April 30, 2009. That night, many of Chicago's and Chicagoland's restaurants will donate a portion of their night's profits to the charity as part of the 16th Annual Chicago Dining Out for Life (DOFL). DOFL is made possible by the efforts of participating restaurants, corporate and media sponsorship (including this magazine), community volunteers, and, of course, diners. BOI Magazine has a list of all the participating Chicago and Chicagoland restaurants elsewhere in this issue. As a diner, there's nothing required of you but to eat at a participating restaurant and pay your bill. Restaurants will then contribute either a flat fee for their participation or one-third of the evening's take. According to AIDSCare Special Events Coordinator Kevin Richards, there will be "volunteer ambassadors" at many of the restaurants to answer questions and provide information. In addition, dinner tabs will be accompanied by donation envelopes. While diners cannot deduct the dinner tab from their income taxes, donations made directly to DOFL are charitable contributions for those who itemize their income tax deductions. This year's DOFL is especially important in light of the proposed three percent cut in HIV/AIDS funding that's pending in the state legislature, which may end up impacting AIDSCare's social services, according to AIDSCare Director of Finance and Development Basil Diab. Last year's Chicago DOFL included 74 restaurants that raised over $80,000 for AIDSCare. For the restaurants, it's a win-win situation: their participation helps the community, and they benefit from a city-wide marketing campaign that, on average, increases their business for the evening by 20% to 30%, according to AIDSCare. Richards hopes to increase participation this year by involving regional Chambers of Commerce to encourage neighborhood restaurants to take part and help spread the message to diners. DOFL dates back to 1991 when Philadelphia restaurateurs agreed to donate a portion of every diner's tab on a specified night to ActionAIDS, a local Philly nonprofit organization. In 1993, Chicago held its first DOFL when ActionAIDS made DOFL a North America-wide event by issuing licenses to regional AIDS service organizations in the United States and Canada. Traditionally held on the last Thursday in April, DOFL internationally raises more than $300 million and includes the participation of almost 3,000 restaurants. All monies raised in Chicago go directly to maintaining AIDSCare's facilities and services. AIDSCare is a charitable non-governmental organization that assists those living with advanced HIV/AIDS in the Chicago area. The charity's goal is to help its clients achieve a higher quality of life through housing, care, support, and wellness services. AIDSCare maintains three buildings in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood on the city's west side for impoverished people affected by HIV/AIDs. There are 66 housing units that are home to more than 100 men, women, and children. Residents are provided case management services, medical and emotional assistance, and general care and wellness services. One of the buildings is specifically a sober-living environment. Though today's outlook for those with HIV/AIDS is very different than when DOFL began, for those who benefit from AIDSCare's services, AIDS remains "a virulent disease", explained Richards. "The people we help would truly be homeless without our services." Residents come to AIDSCare from hospitals, shelters, substance abuse treatment programs, and even family situations where they are shunned because of their illness. "There's not a cure. There are people in poverty-stricken areas who need help. We don't live in a country with universal health care." The homeless are at an increased risk of alcohol and drug abuse and mental illness. In addition to HIV/AIDS, many come to AIDSCare with other conditions requiring treatment including diabetes, asthma, liver disease, and cancers. After moving from shelter to shelter or being on the street, new residents often have never been on any HIV/AIDS medical regiment. Medications and proper nutrition are two of the essential ingredients to stable living with HIV/AIDS. BOI Magazine is proud to once again be a Chicago DOFL Media Sponsor. We encourage our readers to participate in DOFL and to support AIDSCare. Also note on your calendars that AIDSCare will hold its annual Bar AIDS fundraiser - a similar event with bars taking the place of restaurants - on August 27, 2009. For more information about AIDSCare and an updated list of DOFL Participating Restaurants, check out www.aidscarechicago.org