Philadelphia's Gay Bingo, an offspring of Philadelphia's AIDS Fund, recently blew out its 10th candle. To celebrate the momentous occasion, Gay Bingo organized a special bingo night. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, who had been the bingo organization's Straight Man of the Decade in 2000, was among the guests/players of honor.

To make sure that Governor Rendell and his fellow bingo players make no mistake marking their cards, a special team - the Bingo Verifying Divas (or BVD's) – was invited to assist those unfamiliar with the game.

Gay Bingo, held each month at the city's Gershman YMCA, is one of several activities introduced by Philadelphia's AIDS Fund branch to raise funds for AIDS/HIV and for AIDS/HIV-related services. In 10 years of regular activities, the bingo charity collected more $1 million for the benefit of the AIDS Fund.