The event follows World AIDS Day and marks the organization's evolution since its founding in 1987 as "AIDS Volunteers of Lexington." Today, AVOL Kentucky offers free HIV testing, screening for sexually transmitted infections, treatment, housing support, and connections to preventive options like PrEP.
"We were originally founded as 'AIDS Volunteers,'" said Jon Parker, AVOL's executive director. "And along about 1996, names changed and evolved to the point where we didn't use the terminology AIDS that often."
The shift reflected medical progress. Modern antiretroviral therapy stops the virus from replicating, allowing people's immune systems to stay strong and preventing HIV from advancing to AIDS. People on treatment who achieve suppressed viral loads can't transmit the virus to sexual partners.
"So many people, because of advances in medication or medical technology, never have an AIDS diagnosis. They're people living with HIV. And that's an important distinction," said Parker.
In partnership with the Faulkner Morgan Archive, the open house will feature historic photographs, artifacts, and first-person accounts from Kentucky's fight against HIV. Attendees can connect with early advocates, longtime volunteers, and community members who shaped the state's response during the epidemic's earliest days.
The event runs from 4 to 7 p.m. at AVOL Kentucky, 1824 Hill Rise Drive, Suite 100, Lexington.