The 22nd annual Art of PAWS & People, presented by Purina, returns Friday, November 1 at The Gatsby Ballroom at The Alverne. The beloved fundraiser pairs art, pets, and purpose to raise critical funds for Vivent Health’s Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) program, ensuring that people living with HIV in St. Louis never have to choose between caring for their own health and keeping their beloved pets.
2024 Art of Paws & People event. Photo credit: Arvan Chan
Each year, local artists and animal lovers come together for an evening filled with music, art, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and one-of-a-kind auction pieces celebrating the unconditional love between people and their pets. Proceeds provide pet food and veterinary care for clients’ animals and fund lifesaving HIV prevention, care, and treatment for more than 3,600 St. Louis patients served by Vivent Health.
“Anyone who has ever been comforted by a pet knows how powerful that connection is,” said Jordan Braxton, one of the original founders of St. Louis Effort for AIDS and now a Community Empowerment Manager at Vivent Health. “Through PAWS, we care for the pets that care for us, because when our patients know their animals are safe and healthy, they can focus on their own healing too.”
Jordan Braxton
Braxton, a longtime HIV and LGBTQ advocate, helped establish St. Louis Effort for AIDS in the 1980s and continues to lead outreach and prevention efforts today. Her story reflects the compassion and resilience that define the city’s fight for health equity and the lasting impact of community-based care.
Now part of a yearlong celebration of Vivent Health’s 40 years serving St. Louis, this year’s Art of PAWS & People honors both the history and the heart of that work: a community united by love, art, and the animals that make life brighter.
