On Dec 10th owners and staff of >VIVO restaurants gave a benefit for the Octopus Club at their newest location, 12233 RR 602 North. The restaurant's opening was slated for the next day, but they generously opened one day early for a "sneak preview," supplying all the food and drinks. The crowd just kept pouring into the beautifully decorated rooms, enjoying the delicious appetizers and cocktails, and donated $2,463 to the The Paul Kirby Emergency Fund at AIDS Services of Austin.

Many thanks to everyone connected with VIVO, including Paula Biehler, and to those guests who donated, knowing that because of your generosity, persons with AIDS who finds themselves in need during the holiday season, won't go without medication, food or housing. As always, 100% of the donations go to the Fund.

Pictures of the event can be found in the VIVO Sneak Peak Album at the Octopus Club photo gallery.

You have raised the bar AGAIN!

Thanks to your support, your hard work and your willingness to make a difference, the Octopus Club is pleased to report a very successful "fun-raising" year for 2008. Events held during 2008 allowed the Octopus Club to raise a record $160,585 for the AIDS Services of Austin Paul Kirby Fund. The Paul Kirby Fund provides assistance to our friends and neighbors living with the challenge of HIV. This includes the most basic living essentials such as rent, medication, food and utilities. Since the Octopus Club was founded by Lew Aldridge in 1989, your efforts have helped raise an amazing $1,227,970!