august 2012 - AIDS Emergency Fund

AUGUST 2012
AIDS EMERGENCY FUND | QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
HeartToHeart
30th Anniversary
Gala in the National AIDS Memorial
Grove on December 1
Thanks to the generosity
of the board and staff of the
National AIDS Memorial Grove
in Golden Gate Park, AIDS
Emergency Fund will host
its 30th Anniversary Gala
under the stars, at a magical,
once-in-a-lifetime venue on
World AIDS Day, December
1, 2012. The Grove has
offered AEF the free use
of its clear tent in the
heart of the Grove for
AEF’s formal dinner to
mark the occasion.
Underwritten by four of
San Francisco’s powerhouses
of HIV/AIDS funding (Levi
Strauss & Co., The Bob Ross
Foundation, Wells Fargo and
Ambassador James Hormel &
Michael Nguyen), the event
will highlight 30 years of San
Francisco’s unique generosity
and support for people living
with HIV/AIDS.
The evening’s entertainment will feature diva Martha
Wash (of “It’s Raining Men” and
“Everybody, Everybody” fame).
Ms. Wash began her career in
San Francisco in the late 1970’s
as one of Sylvester’s backup singers, Two Tons O’ Fun.
When he died of AIDS in 1988,
Sylvester bequeathed his music
royalties to AEF. In recognition
of Ms. Wash’s decades of generosity to AIDS organizations
and Sylvester’s unique role at
AEF, Ms. Wash will receive a
Lifetime Achievement award
for them both, accepting
Sylvester’s posthumous award
on his behalf.
The tent in the Grove only
holds 320 people, and more
than half the seats have been
secured by early patrons and
sponsors. Individual tickets
will not go on sale until September, and there may be very
few available. If you are interested in attending and want
information about becoming a
patron to guarantee your seat,
please contact Jonathan Foulk
at [email protected]
or 415-558-6999 x236.
Giving Back... One Party at a Time
Our Parties with a Purpose!
are making a huge impact for
our clients. To date we have
raised over $34,000! With the
matching grant from the Bob
Ross Foundation we are well on
to making our fundraising goal
of $90,000! A few highlighted
parties include our first party
hosted by Sanjay
Gujral, who owns
the amazing Catch
Restaurant in the
Castro which raised
$4,100. It was a
packed house where
diners enjoyed delicious food and specialty cocktails as they
Register
now at
leatherwalk.org
helped raise money for AEF.
Rock the Boat: on a beautiful
warm Saturday afternoon on
San Francisco Bay, 70 party
people rocked the boat to the
tune of $8,933. A huge thank
you to our party hosts, Scott
Walton, Brad Saget, Scott
Williams, Kent Blackford and
Maurice Kelly. On the same
day down in hot Palm Springs,
Patrick Smith, Bart Vis and Bill
Sanderson hosted Cocktailing
by the Pool at their beautiful
mid-century home with the
backdrop of the desert mountains and created a fun time
raising over $2,100.
LeatherWalk is September 16!
The 21st Annual Leather- which includes stops at some
Walk, benefiting AIDS Emer- of San Francisco’s favorite
gency Fund (AEF) and Breast watering holes and ends
Cancer Emergency Fund with a beer bust dance party
(BCEF), is Sunday, Septem- hosted by the Bare Chest
ber 16, 2012. LeatherWalk is Calendar Men. Please join us
the official kick-off for San and our event chair, Sandy
Francisco’s Leather Pride “Mama” Reinhardt, as we
Week which culminates the revamp, retool and expand
following Sunday, September this 20-year tradition. Help
23, with the Folsom Street us reach our goal of raising
Fair. From the Castro to SoMa, $20,000 for people living
we walk together to celebrate with disabling HIV/AIDS or
leather, kink and community breast cancer.
– all while raising funds for
All are welcome to form
two great agencies.
walking teams of any size:
Each year, hundreds of bars, sports clubs, fraternal
LeatherWalkers join the route organizations, title holders,
businesses, community
groups, or just family and
friends! There is no registration fee or minimum fundraising requirement. All teams
will be posted on our new
website with links to your
facebook or team pages.
We’ve taken some steps to
make things easier: a new
website and pledge forms, a
secure online giving option,
and lots of details about
LeatherWalk. We’ve even
added incentives for raising
funds including LeatherWalk t-shirts, bandanas, caps
and more! Most importantly,
100%
of all funds raised go
directly to benefit AEF &
BCEF.
To get started today visit
www.leatherwalk.org to
see the current list of teams,
download pledge sheets
and sample solicitation letters, and learn more about
LeatherWalk.
New Talen ynthia Hester, Board President
t on AEF’s
Board
We are so fortunate to have
two brand new board members the Black Brothers
C
at AEF. Joe Headlee, Manager of
Social Work Services at Kaiser
Permanente, brings
30 years of experience with HIV/AIDS
as both a friend and
caregiver and as a
leader in battling
AIDS in the broader
community. Prior to working at
Kaiser Permanente, he was Prevention Director at the SF AIDS
Foundation, where he developed
and implemented
Esteem program which provided comprehensive social
services to AfricanAmerican men living in the Tenderloin
and South of Market
neighborhoods. He
is very proud of his
career in social work
and brings important skills that
will help AEF continue to be
strategic in serving our clients.
Joe tells us, “I have referred
hundreds of patients and clients
to AEF over the years and I have
always heard
A Heartwarming
Story — Baby Miracle
positive feedback
from them about
not only the services
received, but more
importantly, about how they
were treated.”
Scott Williams is the Senior
Manager of HIV Medical Affairs
at Gilead Sciences where he
focuses on certified
medical education
programs on clinical
care of HIV patients,
strategic solutions
through Gilead’s
grants program to
research institutions, and commentary on proposals relevant to
HIV testing and linkage to care
initiatives. In the mid-90s, Scott
was the Associate Director of
Communications at the Names
Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. In
his 20-year commitment to HIV/
AIDS, Scott’s work has spanned
the globe to spread the word,
further the collaboration of
researchers and medical providers who are working to bring an
end to AIDS, and build concern
and compassion for
those living with HIV/
AIDS through clinical
care, social services
and public discourse.
Scott joins our board
because “AIDS has
been my primary social cause
in both my personal and professional life. I’ve had many different roles including volunteer,
employee, and writer. In the
Richard Goldman, Client Services Volunteer
Showing Pride for AEF
I had only read about HIV+ women having children,
but had not met one until Rita came into our offices
early this May with her adorable 6-month old daughter,
Angelica. She told me her story.
Rita is a 30 year-old Native American from a Northern
California tribe. She was homeless, HIV+ and unable
to work. She was staying with a friend but also living
on the street and struggling with substance abuse
and addiction. She went into a program operated
by Walden House, which helped get her clean and
sober and back on her feet.
She first came to AEF in January 2011. AEF provided funds that enabled her to move into stable,
subsidized, supportive housing, also operated by
Walden House. She then had access to good medical care and started her HIV medication regimen.
Six months into her recovery, she became pregnant. She was terrified that she would transmit
the virus to her baby. Because of the excellent
medical care she was getting, she stayed on
her HIV meds, and her baby was born healthy.
Her baby girl was given pediatric doses of
HIV medications for the first few months of
life and tested HIV negative at birth and at
three and six months, and is now considered
HIV negative. As a single mother, Rita calls
Angelica her “miracle baby.” She said she
was so grateful to AEF for providing the
emergency assistance she needed at
that time to help save her life and
the life of her daughter.
AIDS Emergency Fund and
sister organization Breast Cancer
Emergency Fund marched in the
2012 San Francisco LGBT Pride
Parade. Special thanks go out to
Beach Blanket Babylon’s Stephanie Harwood and Misa Malone for
Our Com
Never Sto munity
ps Giving
“Regular guys”
Making a
Difference
Brad Harbin, Den Daddy,
Bare Chest Calendar
Raising money in this town
is not for the faint of heart. For
nearly 30 years, the Bare Chest
Calendar has been made up
of “regular guys” in the community with a heart for service
and a strong commitment to
APRIL 5
last few years, so many people
I know—even people of higher
educational and socioeconomic
levels—have encountered serious
problems making ends meet.
It’s why I also decided to focus
on poverty, which is an issue
inextricably linked to the AIDS
epidemic. Through my work with
AEF to help people with HIV/
AIDS who don’t have adequate
resources to maintain basic living
standards, I’m able to combine
the two causes that are my philanthropic focus.”
We extend a hearty welcome
to both Joe and Scott and know
that they will help AEF remain
focused on our core mission while
also creating critical strategies
for our future.
dancing and singing all the way
down Market Street! Volunteers
marched with Penny Jars for our
Every Penny Counts program.
Thanks to all parade walkers,
donations totalled $1,306!
hard work and change. Since
its founding in 1984, when the
leather community decided to
take action in the face of so
much loss and pain, the Bare
Chest Calendar has raised over
$1.5 million dollars to meet the
needs of men and women living
with HIV/AIDS in our community.
Today is no different for this year’s
“regular guys.”
In the past 29 years, San
Francisco and the Bay Area
have watched as hundreds of
men have answered the call to
make a difference. 2013 is here
and so is a new crop of men.
The 29th edition of the Bare
Chest Calendar is on the streets
with twelve sexy, hot, dedicated
“regular guys” hitting the road
and raising much needed funds
for AIDS Emergency Fund and
Positive Resource Center. The
2013 Bare Chest Calendar men
have already raised an amazing
$72,152 at the halfway point in
the year. Congratulations men!
Thriving Resilience, Back to the Picture
Jok Church Art Auction
MAY 1
JUNE 3
Lucasfilm Trivia Night
FEBRUARY 1
A huge shout out goes to Derek Hargrove from Back
to the Picture/SOMA. He put his heart and soul into
creating an amazing art show and reception benefiting AEF. This event raised $1,015.
When is trivia not trivial? When it raises a mind-blowing
$81,781.66 for AEF/BCEF! There’s nothing trivial about
the amount of talent, hard work, and just plain heart
that the talented employees of Lucasfilm put into making Trivia Night both fun and successful. Hats off to the
masterminds, Eddie Pasquarello and Kate Shaw, and
to Micheline Chau for her special support, and to the
entire team at Lucasfilm!
“Choosing AEF as a beneficiary for our exhibition,
here
at Back To The Picture/SOMA was an easy choice. Like
most people today, our lives at home and at work have
been greatly affected by HIV/ AIDS. Numerous friends,
family members, and co-workers have benefited from
AEF’s generosity.” The exhibition, featuring active Bay
Area artists living with HIV/AIDS was a great success.
Longtime supporter Jok Church raised $2,500 from
the sale of vintage posters from the days of Grateful
Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and many
other musicians in famous venues like the Avalon
Ballroom and the Fillmore Auditorium. Thank you, Jok!
A beautiful Sunday of flagging, music by the amazing DJ Russ Rich, flora, and friends in the National
AIDS Memorial Grove raised $1,300. A huge thank
you to FITP organizer Xavier Caylor and a very special
thank you to Rich Stadtmiller for providing shuttle
service to the Grove.
MARCH 31
Back To The Picture/SOMA (83 10th Street) is happy
to offer readers of this newsletter 30% off custom
framing through Sept. 2012, when they mention AEF.
www.backtothepicture.com
Whiskies of the World
This popular annual event raised $985. Thanks to you
all for combining your love of whiskey with support or
an appreciative beneficiary.
MAY 24
Golden Gate Men’s Chorus,
7th Annual Spring Fundraiser
Spring Blooms — The 7th annual fundraiser of the
Golden Gate Men’s Chorus was a celebration of music
and merriment with festivities which included performances by members of GGMC and Counterpoint.
There were refreshments and a live auction hosted
by SFPD’s Inspector Lenny Broberg. The Men’s Chorus
event raised $405 for AEF.
Flagging in the Park
JUNE 23
Pink Saturday
With all that goes on during San Francisco’s world–
renowned Gay Pride festivities, The Sisters of
Perpetual Indulgence still find time to throw
a little party in the Castro called Pink Saturday.
Thanks to our volunteers that lent a hand to
help out The Sisters who have always been
generous to AEF!
Frank Martinez
Dennis Katrones
I am so excited to be here at AIDS Emergency Fund. HIV/AIDS
has personally affected my life, and since then I have been
able to turn that into positive work in the community. It’s a
cause that is very important to me, and I have been working
in HIV services and care since 1999. Over the last ten years,
I have worked at Mission Neighborhood Health Center. Since
arriving here in San Francisco, I have also volunteered my time and skills with
the San Francisco Gay Softball Community and am now serving my third year
as a board member. I am originally from Los Angeles, California, but fell in
love with San Francisco.
Coming to work for AEF is a dream come true. I am able to funnel my energy
and commitment to HIV services into a great, established volunteer program
at AEF. I have plenty of ideas for meeting new volunteers and maintaining
the valued relationships of our long-time volunteers. Working at all the great
street fairs, SF Pride, parties and other functions keeps me in touch with our
valued volunteers, community partners and in a position to meet new friends
and new volunteers. Thank you for the warm welcome
already, and say hi by sending me an email to
[email protected] or calling 415-5586999 x225 and let me know if you want to help
us out by volunteering. WE NEED YOU!
Why do I volunteer for AEF?
Featured Volunteer
Welcoming Our New Volunteer Coordinator
I have chosen AEF because I have been living with
HIV/AIDS since 1992. In 2004, I became ill and was
unable to work. In 2007, I couldn’t pay my rent so I
had to move into an SRO in the Tenderloin. AEF helped
me move out of the Tenderloin into a great new studio
near Dolores Park. I felt that I owed something to AEF’s
donors, staff, and other volunteers who have shown
me compassion by helping me. Last September, I was
volunteering in the AEF office stuffing envelopes.
When I finished I asked Lee Harrington, the Director of
Client Services, if there was anything else he needed
help with. “Yes, would you like to volunteer in client
services?” was his immediate reply. Since then I have
been volunteering my time as a
client services volunteer. This
has been the best volunteer
position I could think of doing,
helping others and giving back
to this community in the way
I had been helped. Thank you
AEF! You are a lifesaver!
Who’s
Who
at A EF
FOUNDERS
Frederick H. Boot
h, Jr.
Walter Mellon
BOARD PRESIDEN
T
Cynthia Hester
BOARD OF DIRECT
OR
S
Eric Christiansen
Lu Conrad
Neil Figurelli
Joe Headlee
Lance Holman
Randy Marcotte
Heather Renshaw
Vucetin
Scott Williams
AEF Supporter Spotlight
Marathon fundraiser Bill McCarty runs 400 Miles.
Brian Kent
Party with a Purpose!
I’m thrilled to be a part of
AEF’s “Party with a Purpose!”
campaign to help raise money for
this truly wonderful organization.
Having seen the work
they do over the years
for so many including
personal friends of
mine, I decided to
bring my one-man
show to San
Francisco from NYC and
use it as a medium to help
reach their 30th anniversary goal. I remember a
time back in the 80’s when
mainstream care for people
with HIV/AIDS was very hard
to come by and people needed
assistance... it was
Thanks to Bill McCarty, who has raised $2,215
organizations like AEF
so far on behalf of AEF. Bill is challenging himself
that were created and
and his friends by participating in marathons all
helped those in need
over the United States. He seeks sponsorship
and continue to do so
from friends and acquaintances to pledge for
to this day. While the
each event. We can’t thank him enough for
epidemic is not what
the consideration and stamina!
it was back then, it still
“My goal is to complete four 100-mile footraces in 2012. I
exists and
am calling my goal “4 in 12”. I have already completed one
we can’t forin May and my next one will be in San Martin, CA on August
get those who
18 – 19. That may sound like a difficult thing to accomplish but
need help facing
in comparison to low-income people with HIV/AIDS who are
challenges and
struggling to keep a roof over their heads, trying to keep their
obstacles of this
power on, etc. it’s a “piece of cake.” I have been a long-time
disease everyday.
supporter of AIDS Emergency Fund. I love their commitment
It’s for this very reason that I
to provide quick emergency financial assistance to those with
will be donating 100% of the
HIV/AIDS who need it. I know that with AEF in charge of the
proceeds of what I expect to
be an amazing night to benefit
money donated, those funds will get to those who need it.
AEF and its clients.
Wish me luck on my “4 in 12” attempt and thank you,
Get your tickets now: www.
AIDS Emergency Fund, for all that you do!!”
therrazzroom.com/12ap/
brian_k.html
Photography by Michael Smith
JULY 15
SEPTEMBER 8–9
SEPTEMBER 23
This year’s AIDS Walk was a huge success. Special
thanks to AEF AIDS Walk team captains Doug Laine
and Joanie Juster for the incredible work they did
to recruit walkers. The team raised over $20,000! A
special thank you to the people who walked and supported our team: Jack Porter, Robert Moore, Kelly
Rivera Hart, William Funkhauser, Angelic Sunrise,
Ramon Campos, Timothy Dobbins, Robert Longer,
David Lowe, Dana Miller, Amy Smith, Bruce Smith,
Craig Smith, Linda Smith, Marc Smith, Stan Wong,
Griff Young, Julia Avramides and countless others.
AIDS Emergency Fund’s longest-running campaign,
Every Penny Counts, is approaching its 25th anniversary. So it is only fitting that a new EPC fundraiser,
Empty Your Drawers, makes its 2nd debut in the
Castro from 12 noon to 4pm at the top of the Castro
Muni Station entrance. The inaugural event was held
May 19–20 raising $643! Grab your money jar, the
loose change in your car, and cash lying around the
house and donate it to AEF!
As a major beneficiary of
Folsom Street Events, AEF is
looking for more than 50 volunteers to help produce the world’s largest fetish event.
Help us raise money by volunteering now. More info:
www.aef-sf.org/volunteernow or email our volunteer
coordinator [email protected].
San Francisco AIDS Walk
Every Penny Counts, Empty Your Drawers
SEPTEMBER 22
BigMuscle.com Meet and Greet
BigMuscle.com and BigMuscleBears.com founders
Bill Sanderson and Andy Wysocki will host their
8th Annual Meet and Greet at the DNA Lounge over
Folsom Weekend. 100% of all ticket proceeds are donated to AEF and
last year’s event raised a whopping $11,000!
Folsom Street Fair
SEPTEMBER 23
REAL BAD
REAL BAD, the dance party
immediately following the
Folsom Street Fair, is an annual fundraising event benefiting local LGBT charities. BE
off! AEF will receive a grant of
$7,500 for client services. Thank you to all the REAL
BAD volunteers, committee and host members for
making this one of the best parties of the weekend!
www.realbad.org
Many Thanks
We are grateful to others in our community who raise money
on behalf of our clients including: Beach Blanket Babylon,
Powerhouse, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, DJ Bus Station,
Aunt Charlie’s Lounge, St. Paschal Baylon Church, PO Plus,
Paul Moffett, Cookie Dough, Sam Egan, Jane Serlin, Wendy
Slick Productions, Scott Adelman, Kyle Dutoit, Golden Gate
Guards and so many more.
EXECUTIVE DIRECT
OR
Mike Smith
STAFF
Michael Armentro
ut
Jai De Lotto
Jonathan Foulk
Lee Harrington
Frank Martinez
Kome Muller
12 Grace Street, Su
ite 300
San Francisco, CA
94103
PHONE
415.558.6999
FAX
415.558.6990
WEB
www.aef-sf.org
www.barechest.o
rg
www.leatherwalk.
org
Federal Tax ID
94-2922039
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HeartToHeart
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
PERMIT #1504
AIDS EMERGENCY FUND
Providing emergency financial assistance to people fighting HIV/AIDS
12 Grace Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, California 94103
www.aef-sf.org
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
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The Beginning of the End
of the AIDS Epidemic?
Mike Smith, Executive Director
That’s a phrase we have all
heard often at the
recent International
AIDS Conference
in Washington, DC.
While there have
been a number
of medical breakthroughs recently, and there is
also very exciting news about
medically-based prevention
strategies, does it really mean
an end to AIDS?
Unfortunately, no. Notice
how the statement does not
say “The End of AIDS.” It says
the “beginning” of the end of
the “epidemic.” To medical
researchers and epidemiologists, that means slowing the
rate of new infections enough
so that the virus no longer
reaches a critical
reproductive mass
that def ines an
epidemic. We can
do this if nearly all
people living with
HIV/AIDS were able
to reduce their viral load to
undetectable levels by maintaining their drug regimen.
This, combined with a daily
drug regimen for people most
at risk of HIV/AIDS, does mean
the number of new infections
would plummet — a very good
thing!
But it does not mean a cure.
People who have battled
HIV/AIDS for a decade or more
— who have experienced the
permanent and debilitating
side effects of the illness or
its treatments — will not suddenly fully recover and re-enter
the work force. Thousands
disabled by HIV/AIDS will still
need financial assistance from
AEF, meals from Project Open
Hand, and specialized (and
expensive) medical care.
The 2,300 clients we serve
each year are already marginalized. They are nearly invisible on
the streets of San Francisco or
in the life of the community. We
may be on the verge of breaking the cycle of new infections,
but if the average Joe Sixpack
understands that news to mean
“the end of AIDS,” it will push
our clients and others farther
off the radar of compassion
and generosity.
After thirty years of service,
AIDS Emergency Fund intends
to be here until the end of AIDS,
not just until the beginning of
the end of an epidemic.
“LIKE” U
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Help AEF re K.
a
our goal o ch
f 3,000 “li
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LEVI STRAUSS & CO. AND WELLS FARGO PRESENTS
AIDS EMERGENC
Y FUND
30th
Anniversary
Gala
UNDER THE BIG TOP
IN THE NATIONAL AIDS MEMORIAL GROVE
SAVE THE DATE
WORLD AIDS DAY
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2012