January 5, 2012

Students and faculty from Drexel University College of Medicine will be celebrating the 19th annual Pediatric AIDS Benefit Concert (PABC) on February 18, 2012. The proceeds of this student-run event support the Pediatric AIDS program at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. The event will be held at the Main Building on Drexel University's main campus on 32nd and Chestnut Streets.

The event – which has raised $425,000 since its beginning – benefits the Dorothy Mann Center for Pediatric and Adolescent HIV at St. Christopher's. The center is the largest of its kind in the tri-state area, providing comprehensive care, including social services, to children infected with HIV and their families. The money raised by PABC helps pay for the services of a child-life specialist and a dietitian for the program, offers the children the opportunity to attend summer camp and helps provide the affected families with emergency funds for housing and other expenses.

The doors open at 5 p.m. and the concert will begin at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for students and $30 for non-students; online ticket sales for students, faculty and staff will be available from January 23 through February 10. Tickets can be purchased in person outside the Queen Lane Campus cafeteria from 12 until 2 p.m. February 6 through February 17. Tickets may also be purchased at the door at no additional cost. The evening will include entertainment provided by College of Medicine students and faculty, a wide variety of food donated by local restaurants and the opportunity to bid on distinctive items at silent auction.

St. Christopher's Hospital for Children is a teaching affiliate of Drexel University College of Medicine. Most of the hospital-based physicians also hold faculty positions in the Department of Pediatrics at Drexel University College of Medicine.

For more information about the event, or to make a donation, please email pabc2012@gmail.com.