Why I'm Angry... In memory of Ron Lorenc
In 1993 my brother, Ron, passed away from the AIDS virus. I was very close to my brother and it left a huge hole in my heart when he passed. He was 42 years young and was an amazing individual!
 |
Ron had so many natural talents and gifts. He would purchase homes that were fixer-uppers, completely renovate them,and by the time he was finished, these beautiful works of art would literally double in value. Every time I would visit him, I would be amazed at the changes and improvements he made in the short time between our visits. He had beautiful gardens in the yard. His roses were as picture perfect as any I had ever seen. He had a sweet spirit and a way about him that made everyone around him comfortable. He was loved by so many people and had wonderful friends that were very loyal to him because of the way he was. He loved his cats and had them all trained (that in itself is amazing). He had a passion for cars and the ones that he owned were always immaculate. He had a Lincoln Mark IV and a Mustang Convertible that was black with leather interior with all the upgrades included. |
Toward the end, when he could no longer see very well, he would have me drive him around in the Mustang with the top down just so he could still enjoy it. He really couldn't see very well, and since I wasn't from California, we would get lost quite often, but it was great fun and I loved driving that car. I think at times he would get us lost on purpose. I don't know if it was because he wanted to ride around longer or if he knew how much I loved driving around in that car with him. I have always said that he was the one who taught me what love really meant. Some people raise an eyebrow at that because he was a gay man. Ron is and will always be a HERO to me!Now you know the reason why I started this charity. I can't bring my brother back, but my hope is to do some good for people that are "living" with this disease. AIDS isn't the "in" disease anymore and the federal funding is all but gone. There are 250,000 people infected with HIV and don't even know it. It has killed more people than the Vietnam War and the Korean Conflict combined and what is amazing about that statement is how young this disease really is. This is our generation's plague and we need to be educated about its effects. If your life hasn't been affected by this disease, at some point you can bet it will be. We have chosen “Body Positive” as our benefactor. All monies raised will go directly to them. They are involved on a daily basis with providing education, food, support groups, counseling and research for those infected with this horrible disease. You can find more information about Body Positive by clicking on their link.
ANGRY AGAINST AIDS 2007
CACTUS JACK'S - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2007
We are proud to announce that this year's event will once again be held at Cactus Jack's in Ahwatukee. This year's event is promising to be bigger and better then it predecessors! We once again have six of the valley's top cover bands that will be playing all day.
The doors open at 10:00am with the first band hitting the stage at noon. The kitchen will be open and serving a special menu the day of the show with a portion of the proceeds going to the charity. We will be holding a raffle all day and night with double the prizes that we had last year. We are also holding a golf tournament (info below) the week before to help raise even more money.
There will be a $10.00 donation to get in and it will be an all ages show up until 9:00pm. All monies raised will be donated to Body Positive to help assist people in our community afflicted with the HIV and the AIDS virus. When I started this charity, it was important to me that we help those in our own community! This event means a lot to me, since it is being held in my brother Ron's memory. You can get more information about why we started this charity and past events below in the link at the bottom of this page.
The bands that will be playing this year are as follows…
ANGRY JON
THE CHUCK HALL BAND
RIZON
WALL STREET
CONTRABAND
PHAT BASTARD
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS…
BANG TANGO
ICON founding members... Dan Wexler & John Aquilino
We are looking forward to our most successful event yet and with your support we are hoping to raise $15,000. Please make your plans now. If you golf, get in the tournament on the 15th . If you just want to ROCK, we will be doing that all day long on the 22nd in the newly re-modeled/expanded Cactus Jacks!
Thank you,
Jon Lorenc
ANGRY AGAINST AIDS 2006 - AUGUST 5, 2006 @ CACTUS JACKS
Angry Against Aids 2006 was held August 5 th at Cactus Jacks in Ahwatukee. Six of the valley’s top cover bands including… Angry Jon, Whisper Alley, Chuck Hall, Shut Up & Drive, Rizon & Help Me Rhonda were on hand to donate their services and rock the house. (You can find all of these bands websites by clicking on their name) We also had many special guests throughout the day as well ending the night with a “Jam Session” featuring many of your favorite local artists. These types of jams are always a blast! There were some great items being raffled off as well as some great food and drink specials with all proceeds going directly to Body Positive. Your support for this event was be greatly appreciated. Pics from this event can be found on the photo gig page under 2006 gigs.
