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annual shows, recalls the event day in 1992 when she and others were preparing backstage at the Chantilly Ballroom at the Anatole. "Right before the show, Kim Dawson got on the microphone and asked us all to come out of hair and makeup. As everyone gathered around the stage, Dawson broke down in tears. Popular model Rauhman Browning, who had tested positive for AIDS a few months earlier, had just died. The artistic community, the modeling and entertainment community was so deeply affected by the disease." Fear, misinformation and shame were rampant. Many funeral homes and churches were refusing to accept bodies for burial, and people were dying alone in hospitals because their families were too afraid to visit, remembers Quist. "When I lost my first friend to this disease, they didn't even have a name for it," she says. "It was referred to as a gay man's disease. There was no treatment." But fear has given way to focus over the years, as new treatments and drugs have changed the face of HIV/AIDS, and now people are living for decades rather than weeks or months. Money raised from jacket auctions and event ticket sales have been poured back into the community: Over the past 25 years, DIFFA Dallas has granted more than $6 million to dozens of local HIV/AIDS service organizations, including AIDS Arms and A Sister's Gift, which helps women and families affected by HIV/AIDS with basics such as transportation to the doctor, medicines, rent, utilities and food. In 2012, denim jackets were replaced by updated smoking jackets, with an event themed "Smoking Haute." For 2015, Rhonda Sargent Chambers, who is producing the event in three acts (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow), will combine denim and smoking jackets with fashion from 2015, as well as a look into DIFFA's future. "The evolution and growth of the House of DIFFA have been incredible," says Steelman, "and we are expecting a record-breaking year with 2,000 guests." While DIFFA events have changed over the decades, its mission has not. "There's still no cure for AIDS," he says. "That's one of the messages we're trying to get out there, especially for the younger generation. People are not dying as rapidly, but the new cases of HIV are much greater than they were in the '80s. We understand how vital it is for local organizations to receive funding. Every bit makes a significant difference for their programs and clients." 2009 2010 2011 2013 2014 2012 2015 Theme: "UTOPIA," chaired by John Ahrens and Mark Stafford; produced by Rhonda Sargent Chambers and Brian Brothers; celebrating the 20th DIFFA denim jacket show; Abi Ferrin received the Excellence in Design award. Theme: "DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT," chaired by Mark Stafford, held at the Hilton Anatole, co-creative directors Jan Strimple and Brian Brothers of Planet Productions. Theme: "SMOKING HAUTE," chaired by Darin Kunz and Matt Wilkerson; smoking jackets replaced denim jackets for the first time, re- energizing the event. Theme: rebranded as "HOUSE OF DIFFA" (a French fashion-house theme); chaired by Brittanie Buchanan Oleniczak; honorary chair Linda Gray. Theme: "HOUSE OF DIFFA MASQUERADE," chaired by Jim DiMarino; held at the Omni Dallas Hotel; guests dressed in masks; $1 million raised. Theme: "HOUSE OF DIFFA NO. 25," chaired by Chuck Steelman; to be held at the Omni Dallas Hotel; celebrating 25 years of DIFFA shows. HOUSE OF DIFFA Timeline continued from page 5 Clint Bradley – chair Jim DiMarino – vice chair Matt Wilkerson – vice chair Mikael Coursey – treasurer Carol Quist – secretary Brittanie Buchanan – chair emeritus Sami Abboud Jhonatan Arreola Angela Auld Lee Borchert Justin Bundick Ferrell Drum Matt Gilley Carol Hatton Erik Karvonen Dr. Raymund King Darin Kunz Christopher McCullough Greg Nieberding Noel Rodriguez Chuck Steelman Johnny Wallace Warren Wetzel Olivia Zokai AIDS Arms, Inc. AIDS Interfaith Network AIDS Outreach Center of Tarrant County AIDS Services of Dallas Alden Clanahan Emergency Grant Fund A Sister's Gift Bryan's House Children's Medical Center – ARMS Clinic Cook Children's Medical Center East Texas Cares & Resource Center Health Services of North Texas JPS Health Network Legacy Counseling Center Legal Hospice of Texas Resource Center Samaritan House The Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund White Rock Friends NORTH TEXAS AIDS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS BOARD TRUSTEES * deceased RAISED $1 MILLION IN 2014 20th DIFFA DENIM JACKET SHOW CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF DIFFA SHOWS "THE HOUSE OF DIFFA NO. 25 SHOW WILL REPRESENT OUR PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE, WITH JACKETS DESIGNED BY KAY UNGER, TIBI, BILLY REID, JOHN VARVATOS AND CARMEN MARC VALVO, AND THE GRAND FINALE IN TRUE DIFFA STYLE." — Chuck Steelman, House of DIFFA chair ON THE COVER: Produced by DIFFA Dallas. Photography by Bode Helm. 2014-2015