Adrienne Warren & More to Perform at DIFFA 40th Anniversary Gala

DIFFA will present its 40th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in NYC. It will feature a star-studded lineup of entertainment including Tony Award-winner Adrienne Warren (Tina –The Tina Turner Musical), vocalist and trumpeter Brian Newman and celebrity DJ Michaelangelo L’Acqua. The Gala will commemorate a remarkable legacy—forty years of impactful DIFFA initiatives — and raise critical funds to further support vital causes. 
 
The announcement comes on the heels of an incredibly successful Après Ski event held earlier this month, which raised over $100,000 for DIFFA grantees. Established in 1984 in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis, DIFFA has since expanded its mission to encompass broader community challenges such as homelessness and mental wellness.
 
“What started as a group of designers and manufacturer’s gathering in an NYC basement to raise money to help support their ailing friends and co-workers' doctor's visits and living expenses, has grown into a catalyst for change. Since our founding, we’ve granted more than $55 million to organizations which provide direct care to those most in need of assistance,” remarks Dawn Roberson, Executive Director of DIFFA.
 
“DIFFA has been a cause very close to my heart for more than 30 years. I’ve seen first-hand how the organization has galvanized the design community to rally our talents, resources, and creativity in the face of some of the most intractable social and healthcare challenges of our era. I’m so proud to celebrate 40 years of giving back and am excited about DIFFA’s next chapter,” said David Rockwell, who currently serves as Chair Emeritus of DIFFA.
 
“Serving as a rallying point for the design community, the Gala event will allow us to continue DIFFA’s legacy of giving. An opportunity for brands and individuals to demonstrate their solidarity, it will also pay tribute to those pioneering individuals who were champions of the cause and instrumental in making a DIFFA-rence—from the 1980s when AIDS was a mysterious illness with little hope for a cure, to DIFFA’s work today in line with its expanded mission,” adds current Board Chair Thomas Polucci.
 
The gala will feature an award ceremony and special video segment highlighting an honoree from each decade of DIFFA's history. Fern Mallis and Steven Cole of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) are among those offering video tributes to former DIFFA chairs Cindy Allen, David Rockwell, and George Slowik, and former executive director David Sheppard. The event will also recognize the incredible work of DIFFA’s grantees, including organizations such as Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Housing Works, God’s Love We Deliver, Bailey House, SAGE, Health, Hetrick-Martin Institute, and Callen-Lorde Community Health Center. These grantees provide direct care through several different initiatives—from funding pantry bag meals to supporting outreach programs for underserved and disenfranchised LGBTQ homeless and street-involved youth.
 
Thoughtfully designed installations by students at FIT, SVA, Pratt, and NYSID will provide an inspiring backdrop to the evening’s festivities. Each imaginative vignette will illustrate a different decade in DIFFA’s rich history. Guests will be treated to performances by Tony-award-winning actress Adrienne Warren, who recently played Tina Turner in TINA - The Tina Turner Musical on Broadway, as well as the dynamic sounds of DJ Michaelangelo L’Acqua.
 
The DIFFA gala is just one in several 40th anniversary fundraising events. Lip Sync for Life—a drag event originally founded by DIFFA Chicago—is scheduled for the last week of June in conjunction with PRIDE festivities.
 
For more information on DIFFA and the full list of grantees, visit diffa.org.