'Red Ribbon Cash' Grants Announced; Illinois Lottery Launches New Ticket
Proceeds exceed $7.6 million since 2008
| For Immediate Release | Contact: Jason Schaumburg (312) 793-3034 |
CHICAGO, IL — June 8, 2018 — The Illinois Lottery and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) helped kick off Pride Month today by revealing the 11 agencies that are receiving 2018 grants to fund HIV/AIDS research, treatment and prevention programs across the state of Illinois. The grants, ranging from $50,000 to $75,000, are made possible through the sale of the Illinois Lottery’s Red Ribbon Cash instant ticket. This year’s ticket launched this week.
Since 2008, Red Ribbon Cash has raised more than $7.6 million to help fight HIV/AIDS in Illinois. One hundred percent of proceeds are dedicated to HIV/AIDS research, education and prevention through grants administered by IDPH and the Quality of Life Board.
"The Illinois Lottery is proud to be partnering again with the Illinois Department of Public Health to support the fight against HIV/AIDS,” Illinois Lottery Acting Director Greg Smith said. “The Red Ribbon Cash instant game allows players to know they are directly supporting HIV/AIDS research and services throughout Illinois. The grants being awarded today make a difference in Illinois’ fight against HIV/AIDS."
The Red Ribbon Cash instant ticket is available at more than 7,000 Illinois Lottery retailers across the state. Each Red Ribbon Cash ticket costs $3. Available prizes range from $5 to three top prizes of $50,000.
“We are fortunate that our partners at the Illinois Lottery, the Governor’s office, and the legislature who developed this ticket continue to prioritize HIV/AIDS research,” said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. “We depend on the funds raised to support innovative projects in diverse communities of need that will improve screening, testing and prevention efforts.”
According to IDPH, Illinois ranks sixth nationwide in the diagnosis of HIV infections and ninth in the estimated number of AIDS cases. In 2016, the last year for which complete data are available, there were 1,476 cases of HIV/AIDS diagnosed in Illinois. In Chicago alone, there are more than 23,500 people living with HIV/AIDS – nearly three times the national prevalence rate.
The 2018 Red Ribbon Cash/Quality of Life grant awardees are:
• Asian Human Services, Chicago, $50,000
• Bethany Place, Belleville, $50,000
• Brothers Health Collective, Chicago, $75,000
• Center on Halsted, Chicago, $50,000
• Lake County Health Department, Waukegan, $50,000
• McLean County Health Department, Bloomington, $50,000
• Men and Women in Prison Ministries, Chicago, $75,000
• Phoenix Center, Springfield, $75,000
• Puerto Rican Cultural Center, Chicago, $50,000
• Sisters Helping Each Other, Gardner, $75,000
• Writers, Planners, Trainers Inc., East St. Louis, $75,000
“Without the support of grants like these from the state of Illinois, the Center on Halsted would be unable to provide essential services to the more than 1,000 community members that visit our Center every day,” said Modesto Valle, CEO of Center on Halsted, which hosted today’s event. “I urge everyone in our community to go out and buy the Red Ribbon Cash Lottery ticket, because 100 percent of profits are dedicated to an HIV/AIDS-free Illinois.”
The Illinois Lottery has contributed more than $20 billion since 1985 to the state’s Common School Fund to assist K-12 public schools, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars to the Capital Projects Fund and to special causes like Illinois Veterans services, the fight against breast cancer, MS research, Special Olympics and assistance for people living with HIV/AIDS.
For video footage of the ticket launch event click here. For more information about Lottery’s Red Ribbon Cash ticket, please visit www.illinoislottery.com.
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Founded in 1974, the Illinois Lottery has contributed over $20 billion (since 1985) to the state’s Common School Fund to assist K-12 public schools, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars to the Capital Projects Fund and to special causes like Illinois Veterans services, the fight against breast cancer, MS research, Special Olympics and assistance for people living with HIV/AIDS. In addition to playing in-store, the Illinois Lottery offers online and mobile play for all draw-based Illinois Lottery games at illinoislottery.com. Players must be at least 18 years old