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In Focus: Fall 1997Project Inform Welcomes:We want to salute the outgoing Volunteer Representative of the Project Inform Board of Directors, John Sigel, who remains a dedicated and hard-working volunteer for PI. Joining the Board as Volunteer Representatives are Diane Cenko and Bill Sprick. Diane is a current hotline volunteer, and Bill has been our invaluable information systems volunteer since 1995. We also have added Michael Gottlieb, M.D., of Los Angeles, an outstanding pioneer in AIDS research, to Project Inform’s National Board of Governors. Welcome to all of these new Board Members. We have had recent changes to the Project Inform staff with Judy Leahy Hogan coming on as Outreach Assistant, Camilla Dickinson joining as Administrative Assistant, Tanya Wilks coming into a new Office Assistant position, Hunter Morey joining as Hotline Assistant and long-time women’s treatment activist Dawn Averitt taking a new position in the Information and Advocacy Department. We regret to announce the departure of Karen Meng, Constituent Services Manager; Marvin Carter, Outreach Coordinator; and Michael David, Administrative Assistant. We wish them well in their new endeavors! Supporting Project InformThe generosity of our donors and volunteers enables us to provide a range and depth of critical HIV/AIDS treatment information and advocacy services free-of-charge. As a grass-roots organization, contributions from our constituents provide 70% of our budget, one of the highest percentages of any major AIDS organization. The remainder of our funding comes primarily from private and corporate foundations. Project Inform is an extremely efficient steward of your contributions. Project Inform’s audited financial statements for 1996 show that total fundraising and administrative expenses were 17.2% of expenses, one of the lowest of any major AIDS organization, and well below national averages for all non-profits. There are many ways to support Project Inform. To name a few, you can send a check, make a gift of appreciated stock, purchase event tickets, join our monthly pledge program, or help us create a special gift or bequest in support of a particular program. For more information, call Tom Teasley, Director of Development at 415-558-8669. Additionally, Project Inform is eligible to receive Matching Gifts from corporations and foundations. A matching gift is a contribution from a corporation or foundation that matches the amount given by an employee. Please check to see if your employer has a matching gift program. And let us know when you make your donation. You will typically be given a Matching Gift form to fill out and send to us along with your donation or pledge. Estate PlanningOne important way to support Project Inform and its fight for better HIV/AIDS treatments is through a planned gift—through your will or estate, or with a special lifetime gift of appreciated stock or real estate, or through a trust gift. If you would like to discuss any of these possibilities, please call Director of Development Tom Teasley at 415-558-8669, or email him at tteasley@projectinform.org Project Inform is grateful for recent donations from the estates of the following individuals: The Estate of Robert Capuzelo Partners In Hope – The Jim Hormel ChallengeProject Inform’s major donor fundraising program, Partners in Hope, will be kicking off in August and September. We are excited to announce that philanthropist Jim Hormel has made a generous Challenge Grant to Project Inform to inspire new and increased individual giving. He will match one for two each new membership in Partners in Hope between May 1, and December 1, 1997 (e.g., if someone joins at $500, Mr. Hormel will donate $250), and he will do the same for increased donations (e.g., if a current $500 donor increases their gift to $1,000, Mr. Hormel will donate $250, or if they increase it by $5,000, he will donate $2,500 to Project Inform). We are very grateful to Jim Hormel for this significant challenge gift to Project Inform. If you are not already a member of Partners in Hope, please consider joining with a tax deductible donation of $500 or more. If you are already a member, please increase this year’s gift by at least $250. This is a terrific and important opportunity for all of our existing donors to leverage their contributions to Project Inform. By making a new or increased gift during this time period, Jim Hormels challenge grant makes it possible to double your contribution. Under the continuing leadership of Board Member Susan Brautovich, Partners in Hope recognizes and promotes significant unrestricted donations to Project Inform. Starting at $500 per year for individuals or $1000 for companies, you may contribute by check or Visa, MasterCard or American Express; or you may extend your gift as a monthly or quarterly pledge. For more information regarding Partners in Hope, or if you would like to become involved or pledge for the program, contact Tom Teasley at 415-558-8669. Special EventsRon Wilmot Bike Ride for Project Inform We would like to particularly thank Ron Wilmot’s wonderfully supportive family: his mother Pat Wilmot, his sister Pam Perillo and her family, Jim O’Donnell and Lyssa Newhall for their support. A special thanks to Joe Schmitz and Deborah Udin who worked hard as volunteers to make certain that this Ride in honor of Ron Wilmot will continue. In addition, special thanks go to Steve Hutnick and Total Communications, The Gap Foundation, Zephyr Real Estate, Ink Inc., and Frontiers magazine for their corporate support, and all the riders and donors that made the event successful. Thanks also to all the volunteers—including ten members of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority at San Francisco State University—who made the event run so smoothly. And thanks to San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown for sending the riders off with extremely thoughtful comments about Project Inform and Ron Wilmot, and to Martin Delaney for welcoming them across the finish line and handing out the certificates. We have already selected the date, May 9, 1998—the Saturday before next Mothers Day - for the next ride. Our goal for next year is to keep Ron’s spirit alive by by doubling the number of riders. Thank you all for the wonderful support of the Ron Wilmot Ride for Project Inform. This is an exciting and warmly personal event that everyone at Project Inform has come to cherish. A Special Thanks to the Charter Riders in the Ron Wilmot Ride GOLD RIDERS (gathered donations of $1000 or more): Love! Valour! Compassion!The Los Angeles premier of the new highly regarded film “Love! Valour! Compassion!” was held as a benefit for Project Inform and the Los Angeles meals-service agency Project Angel Food on May 8. The film, based on an award-winning play of the same name, was produced by Project Inform Board Member Barry Krost and David Chapin. The entire cast, including Jason Alexander and John Glover, attended. We are grateful to Barry and everyone involved for this deeply felt film, and for remembering PI at the premier. AIDS Walk 1997Project Inform has been selected as a beneficiary of AIDS Walk San Francisco this year—and we are taking this opportunity to put together a Project Inform Walking Team! The Walk is in Golden Gate Park and will take place on Sunday, July 20, 1997. For more information about walking with Project Inform, or if you want to volunteer to help the largest AIDS Walk in the country, call Mark Owens at 415-558-8669. Make a Donation to Project InformMacy*s Passport ’97We are pleased to announce that Project Inform has been selected as a major beneficiary of Macy*s Passport Event in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. These fashion show fundraisers, in San Francisco on September 18 and 19, and in LA on September 26, are always great fun and early sell-outs. They raised more than $500,000 last year for a number of AIDS organizations. This will be Project Inform’s first year as a major beneficiary. Tickets are not yet available, but if you want to make sure you receive an invitation, call the Project Inform Development Office at 415-558-8669 and leave your name and address. San Francisco Evening of HopeThe fourth annual Evening of Hope is tentatively scheduled for November 7, 1997 in San Francisco. We are still putting together the speakers for this event, which is our largest fund raising event of the year. If you want to make certain you receive an invitation to the Evening of Hope, call development at 415-558-8869 and leave your name and address. What’s New in Outreach and Education?For more than three years, Project Inform has been providing technical support and training on HIV treatment advocacy to other community-based organizations. This pilot project began as an attempt to bring HIV treatment information and inspiration to harder to reach communities. Project Inform is offering this program nation-wide. Listed in the PI calendar of events are several cities where Project Inform is tentatively scheduled to visit this year. A variety of activities are planned for each city including a half-day training on treatment advocacy and treatment resources, site visits to local service providers and provision of HIV treatment materials. If you are interested in sponsoring a Project Inform technical assistance visit to your area this fall or early next year, please call the Outreach and Education Department at 415-558-8669 or email us at outreach@projectinform.org. In many instances, we are able to combine our visit to service providers with an evening, Project Inform Treatment Update Town Meeting for the local public. Project Inform Has a New Look!Thanks to FCB Health Care, Project Inform materials are getting a face lift, a new look, a refreshed logo and a more reader-friendly format. This issue of the PI Perspective and the In Focus will also debut a new look, incorporating the new logo and art from FCB along with a complete new design and layout provided by PI friend Jim Tetzlaff and his employer, Design Vectors, Inc. of San Francisco. The new approach also separates the organizational newsletter, In Focus, from the rest of the Perspective, leaving room for more treatment information. In line with the results of the reader survey conducted last year, published on the back page of the PI Perspective, we are maintaining our existing standards for content and reading level as well as the balance of information on a variety of topics. Advocacy Efforts ExpandProject Inform’s advocacy department is thrilled to welcome Dawn Averrit, long-time women and AIDS activist, who hails from Atlanta, the former Executive Director of Women’s Information Services and Exchange (WISE). Dawn, who is a woman living with HIV, will be developing Project Inform’s women and AIDS information and advocacy component, as well as expanding Project Inform’s efforts on opportunistic infections. Project Inform staff have known and worked with Dawn for the last several years on a variety of issues and projects. This issue of the PI Perspective provides expanded coverage on issues specific to women living with HIV/AIDS, including an update from the recent National Conference on Women and HIV Infection. Dawn’s efforts will include updating and expanding PI’s current array of women-specific information. She will also continue to play a major role in national advocacy, both for women’s issues and for AIDS in general. Volunteers Make A Difference!Volunteers have always played central roles in Project Inform’s mission to bring effective and reliable HIV/AIDS treatments and treatment information to all those need them. Over two hundred volunteers contribute their time and efforts in all areas and departments of the organization. The Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on Thursday, April 30th brought together staff, volunteers and Project Inform supporters to honor and thank all the invaluable interns and volunteers who have helped and supported PI throughout the past year. This year, nine exceptional volunteers for nominated for the Board Of Director’s Annual Bill Bradley Exemplary Volunteer Award. The award was given to Lucho Merino and Rodrigo Boldrin: (for their tremendous work on the Spanish translation of Project Inform information) and Bill Sprick: (for his MIS/computer support and his overall commitment to Project Inform). Congratulations and thanks to them, the nominees, and to all volunteers who help and support Project Inform! On The Policy Front:Treatment access has remained a top priority for Project Inform’s public policy department, as the fiscal crisis in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) continues to prohibit many individuals from obtaining new therapies. Horror stories are being reported from several states, including Mississippi where 600 people are about to be thrown off ADAP due to inadequate funding, and Colorado where the program will have to be shut down for the second year in a row. As part of the National ADAP Working Group, the Project Inform has worked to ensure adequate federal and state funding for this crucial program. The ADAP Working Group has projected that a $132 million increase in federal funding is needed to bring ADAPs to a minimal level of service, yet President Clinton has requested no increase for this program in his Fiscal Year 1998 budget. Project Inform’s Treatment Action Network (TAN) has been active on this issue, by writing and calling elected representatives in support of the $132 million increase. If you would like a sample letter to communicate with your legislators about this issue, please contact Project Inform’s public policy department. Project Inform has also been actively monitoring Medicaid. For over two years, advocates have been battling major cuts and changes to this program. This year, President Clinton had proposed a “per capita cap” system, which would have limited the amount of federal Medicaid dollars a state could receive per beneficiary. This proposal would have had a profound impact on the amount of Medicaid funds available for individuals living with HIV/AIDS, since their overall cost of health care is higher than many other Medicaid recipients. Fortunately, the President withdrew the proposal after receiving news of last-minute revenue increases. However, Medicaid still faces $15-17 billion in cuts over the next five years. Advocates will continue to monitor the ongoing Medicaid battle to ensure that the cuts do not result in inadequate care. AIDSWATCH ’97On April 13–15, over 400 advocates from 36 states came to Washington, DC for AIDSWATCH ’97. This annual event, organized this year by the National Association of People With AIDS (NAPWA), is an opportunity for individuals to meet directly with their federal legislators and discuss the need for increased funding for HIV/AIDS research, care/treatment, prevention and housing programs. Project Inform was a national sponsor of AIDSWATCH again this year, overseeing the regional coordinator system and providing airline tickets to bring several TAN members to Washington from around the country. Treatment Action Network members played an important role again in this year’s event. New TAN members came from Alaska and Mississippi, two historically underrepresented states. A TAN member from New York participated as a team leader and facilitated several legislative meetings. In addition, several TAN members served as regional coordinators, with new coordinators from Missouri and Georgia. It’s not too early to begin thinking about AIDSWATCH ’98, tentatively scheduled for early May. Look in future PI Perspectives for details. In Memory of Friends and SupportersDonations have been recently made to Project Inform in memory of:
Donations in honor of the following have recently been made to Project Inform: Dr. Ari Brown We deeply appreciate these meaningful gifts to the fight against AIDS. |
PAST ISSUESFall 1997 |
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