A St. Louis gala built around art, cocktails, and pet food is back next Saturday to help cover veterinary bills and pet food for local residents living with HIV, even as the program behind it says 50 people remain stuck on a waiting list. Art of PAWS & People returns to the Gatsby Ballroom STL at the Alverne, 1014 Locust St., from 7 to 10 p.m. on October 24, with proceeds benefiting Vivent Health's Pets Are Wonderful Support program.
According to KSDK, guests at the event can enjoy hors d'oeuvres and cocktails while bidding on original artwork, with all proceeds directed to local people living with HIV in the St. Louis area. The PAWS program helps cover veterinary expenses and pet food for eligible clients, support that Jordan Braxton, Vivent Health's community engagement manager for Missouri, says lets people focus on what matters most. “We just take the burden off of making sure they have care for their pets,” Braxton told the station, adding that the support helps clients concentrate on self-care, medical visits and medications rather than worrying about how to feed their animals.
The need is substantial. The PAWS program currently serves roughly 80 clients living with HIV in St. Louis, but another 50 people sit on a waiting list because resources haven't kept pace with demand, according to Sophisticated Living. That gap illustrates how far local need has outstripped what a single fundraiser can cover in a given year.
A Program Rooted in a Decades-Old Insight
PAWS was established in St. Louis in 1990. The program helps cover pet food and veterinary expenses for clients, easing the burden of pet care.
This year's event carries extra symbolic weight: Art of PAWS & People marks its 38th year and falls within a yearlong celebration of St. Louis Effort for AIDS' 40th anniversary, per KSDK's reporting. St. Louis Effort for AIDS merged with Vivent Health in 2019, folding decades of grassroots AIDS advocacy into the larger organization's current structure. Jordan Braxton was one of the original co-founders of St. Louis Effort for AIDS in the 1980s, according to Out in STL, a history that keeps Braxton closely tied to the city's long-running HIV advocacy work.
Honoring Local Advocates and a Long-Running Sponsor
This year's gala will present the Daniel Flier Vivent Champion Award to advocate Jeff Noble and the Soulard Art Gallery, recognizing their contributions to local HIV support services, the outlet's coverage notes. St. Louis-based Purina has served as the event's presenting sponsor for 23 years running, according to Sophisticated Living.
Organizers say the fundraising push matters because medicine and health care costs continue to rise, KSDK reports, and Vivent Health continues to advocate for sustained funding for HIV services more broadly. Beyond pet care, proceeds from Art of PAWS & People also feed Vivent Health's emergency relief fund, which provides direct financial assistance to St. Louis clients for rent and utility payments when no other funding source exists, according to the organization's own event materials shared through Vivent Health. The assistance addresses practical needs beyond medical care.
One Organization, Many Services Under One Roof
Vivent Health houses multiple services under one roof specifically to reduce barriers like transportation and make care easier to access, per KSDK's reporting. That includes medical services, pharmacy services, dental care, mental health support, case management, prevention services, a food pantry, and legal assistance — all delivered to more than 3,600 St. Louis-area residents living with HIV as of 2025, according to Out in STL's earlier reporting. The organization's advocacy efforts focus on protecting access to HIV care and resources in Missouri and beyond.
That scale matters locally: the St. Louis region accounts for nearly half of all people living with HIV in Missouri, making it a primary focus area under federal and state “Ending the HIV Epidemic” strategic initiatives, per a study published in PMC. Missouri is one of seven states nationally targeted for concentrated federal HIV prevention and care investment, the study notes, underscoring why an integrated model combining clinical treatment with practical supports like pet care has taken hold in the city.
Part of a Larger Organizational Story
Vivent Health itself traces back to 1985, when it began as the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin before rebranding nationally in 2019 and merging with regional organizations across several states, including St. Louis Effort for AIDS that same year and Thrive Health Connection in Kansas City in 2021, Hoodline's prior reporting on the organization's Kansas City footprint has noted. Those mergers let local AIDS organizations pool clinical, legal, and financial infrastructure rather than operate in isolation.
Tickets and additional details for Art of PAWS & People are available through Vivent Health, with the gala set to run from 7 to 10 p.m. next Saturday at the Gatsby Ballroom STL at the Alverne in downtown St. Louis.
