In Focus #11: December 2000
Support Project Inform While Filling That Holiday Wishlist
Avoid the crush of holiday shoppers and help Project Inform! If
you are shopping online this holiday season, why not choose a site
that turns your shopping into dollars for Project Inform?
Project Inform is now listed as a charity on iGive.com. It’s
FREE to join iGive.com, and you’ll receive a Gift Basket of
discounts, FREE shipping offers, and special savings to add to the
great everyday prices.
Specific stores that partner with iGive.com—such as Amazon.com,
J.Crew, CDNow, PlanetRx, Dell, EddieBauer.com, Gap.com, (and many
others)—will give a contribution of up to 15% of your purchase
to Project Inform when you shop through iGive.com. And many of these
contributions can be tax deductible for you. Just specify Project
Inform as your charity of choice and shop! It’s as easy as
1, 2, 3.
For more information, visit www.iGive.com,
and make your holiday giving do a little bit more!
Donor Uses an Employer Matching Gift Program to Increase Her Gifts
to Project Inform
Lokelani Devone is Senior Vice President and Senior Counsel for
VISA International. She also served as Chair of Project Inform’s
Fundraising Committee this year, and just recently ended her term
as member of the Board of Directors.
“I choose to support Project Inform as a donor because it’s
critical that treatment information remain accessible for all who
need it.”
For the past several years, Loke has made donations to Project
Inform through her employer’s matching gifts program. This
is a great way to double, triple or even quadruple the cash value
of your gift to Project Inform with no additional out-of-pocket
expense. All you have to do is take advantage of your company’s
matching gift program.
A growing number of companies and corporations match charitable
gifts made by their employees to non-profit organizations. You may
qualify if you or your spouse are currently employed by a company
with a gift-matching policy. In many cases, retirees and directors
are also eligible. Some companies match gifts of cash, gifts of
stock, and gifts-in-kind on a dollar-for-dollar basis, while others
match at ratios as high as four-to-one. In any case, the value of
your gift will be greatly magnified.
During the 1999 fiscal year, Project Inform received more than
$10,000 in matching gifts, thanks to donors, spouses and friends
who took advantage of gift-matching programs. Each year, matching
gifts like Loke’s helps ensure that the financial resources
necessary to maintain and expand Project Inform’s status as
the nation’s leading resource for HIV treatment information.
Talk to your human resources department about doubling or even
tripling your gift, obtaining a blank form, or finding out if you’re
eligible to have your gift to Project Inform matched quarterly or
annually.
Project Inform is classified as a 501(c)3 organization, which is
a section of the Federal Tax Code that establishes the criteria
for tax-exempt charitable organizations.
Additional Resources
www.guidestar.org
The GuideStar website is produced by Philanthropic Research, Inc.,
a 501(c)3 public charity founded in 1994. GuideStar’s mission
is to promote philanthropy by helping donors, institutional funders,
and charities become more informed, effective, and efficient.
www.CCInet.org
This Corporate Community Involvement site from the Charities Aid
Foundation demonstrates how businesses are supporting their communities
by providing links to hundreds of company CCI web pages. It has
extensive search facilities enabling visitors to find company giving
web pages, and the pages of various organizations working independently
on corporate responsibility, in a number of ways.
Get Ready to Roll for the Ron Wilmot Bike Ride
Saturday, May 12, 2001 in Golden Gate Park!
Mark your calendar and ride for a reason in the 7th annual Ron Wilmot
Bike Ride! This fun-filled 7-mile ride will raise money for Project
Inform’s national HIV/AIDS treatment information & education
programs.
The Ride was started in 1995 by real estate entrepreneur, AIDS
activist and avid cyclist, Ron Wilmot. Before he died of AIDS in
1997, Ron challenged family, friends and the community to continue
a local ride for people of all abilities in which to participate.
The Ride is unique for its low overhead costs and high average funds
raised per rider—over $500 each. What started as a visionary
idea has become one of our most important and much loved events.
Last year alone, more than 110 riders raised over $80,000 for Project
Inform programs.
Your participation will help Project Inform provide the most complete
and up-to-date HIV/AIDS treatment information to everyone who needs
it, free of charge. Generous donations made by local businesses
help us cover the administrative costs. More than 95% of the money
raised goes directly to providing vital treatment information.
However you participate, the Ron Wilmot Bike Ride is a terrific
way to show your support for persons living with AIDS, and for Project
Inform.
How You Can Join the Bike Ride Fun This Year!
- Register as a Rider online at www.projectinform.org/develop/
or by calling us at 415-558-8669.
- Make a tax-deductible donation and support other cyclists!
- Volunteer. Help us get the word out, or join the fun on the
day of the event. Contact Mark Owens at 415-558-8669 x218.
- Become a Corporate Sponsor. Opportunities include underwriting
a challenge grant, supplying raffle prizes, or making a donation
of $500 or more. Your company will enjoy prominent recognition
on all promotional pieces and on our web site. For more information,
call Julie Doherty at 415-558-8669 x223.
Mark Your Calendar for the Bay Area’s Largest Annual AIDS
Benefit Concert
Help Is on the Way VII: An All Broadway Concert, July 30 &
31, 2001
The Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco
Project Inform is pleased to announce that we have been chosen
as a beneficiary for the annual Help Is on the Way benefit concert
of the Richmond Ermet AIDS Foundation. This event, for which several
Bay Area AIDS Service Organizations are chosen as beneficiaries,
will feature world renowned performers from the worlds of Broadway
and Hollywood as well as the best of Bay Area talents.
There are three parts to the event, and we hope you will mark your
calendar now and attend in this summer! The Help Is on the Way event
features:
- A pre-performance gala with fabulous hors d’oeuvres from
some of San Francisco’s best restaurants
- A special martini bar and wine tasting from some of Northern
California’s premier wineries
- Concert performance at 8:00pm
- A gala wine and dessert party with the cast following the performance
Mark your calendar! We’ll be getting you more information
as soon as it’s available!
San Francisco Evening of Hope
October 30, 2000, St. Francis Hotel
Creating Hope with Action … Renewing Our Commitment
More than 1,000 Project Inform supporters, AIDS activists, researchers
and friends attended the two Evenings of Hope, held at the St. Francis
Hotel in San Francisco and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.
Together they raised over $500,000 for Project Inform programs.
This year’s events were a landmark occasion, marking Project
Inform’s fifteen years of service to individuals with HIV/AIDS.
Nava Sarver, Ph.D., Chief of the Targeted Interventions Branch,
Division of AIDS, NIAID in Bethesda, MD, was honored this year for
her enduring work in AIDS research. Dr. Sarver is one of the un-sung
heroes in the battle against AIDS. She has been involved in many
of the most important research triumphs, and is still tirelessly
working on new research initiatives, including the search for a
therapeutic vaccine. Dr. Sarver has a long history of working with
Project Inform, particularly as a key participant in the annual
Immune Restoration Think Tank. Although she was unable to join us
at the event this year, her colleague and friend—Dr. John
Zaia of LA’s City of Hope Medical Center—attended to
accept the award on Nava’s behalf.
Former Project Inform board member and former CARE Council co-chair
Will Carter was also honored and spoke movingly as an important
contributor to Project Inform’s history, as well as a person
living with HIV. As a long-term survivor, Mr. Carter has been a
recipient of Project Inform’s services and has played a critical
role in outreach efforts to communities of color. Will identified
Project Inform’s ability to rationally discuss science and
new treatments, share information and the experience of other people
living with the disease, and enabling individuals with HIV/AIDS
to become active participants in their own healthcare. “For
the sake of all our peoples,” he added, “Project Inform
must stand for the same things it has for the past fifteen years;
truth in the midst of lies, vision in the midst of blindness, and
hope in the midst of fear and despair.”
Martin Delaney, Project Inform’s Founding Director wrapped
up the evening. Martin is an internationally recognized leader of
the movement to accelerate FDA approval of promising treatments,
and through Project Inform a leader in providing patients and physicians
with an unprecedented level of HIV treatment education. For fifteen
years Mr. Delaney has been a constructive critic of federal, academic,
and industry AIDS research efforts and a featured voice in the media
and at scientific conferences on AIDS-related topics.
The law firm of Morrison & Foerster was recognized for their
outstanding contribution to Project Inform and the AIDS community
in 2000. In addition, The Bill Bradley Award for Exemplary Volunteer
Service was presented to our volunteers who have been with the organization
for ten or more years. The Tom Kelley Award for Fundraising Activism
brought the crowd to its feet in recognition of the extended Ron
Wilmot family, including former Board member Jim O’Donnell,
Pat Wilmot and the Perillo family for their consistent and significant
support of Project Inform.
Los Angeles Evening of Hope
November 13, 2000, The Beverly Hills Hotel
Creating Hope with Action … Renewing Our Commitment
At the Los Angeles Evening of Hope event, attendees included some
of Project Inform’s long-time supporters, past honorees and
new supporters, such as Kathy Ireland, Bruce Vilanch, Swoosie Kurtz,
Diahann Carroll, Greg Louganis, Kathy Nijimy, Erik Estrada, and
Ed Begley, Jr., among others.
Project Inform Education Award
Judith Light, the Emmy Award winning actress, was honored with this
year’s Education Award for her outstanding personal commitment
to the fight against AIDS and homophobia; and spoke movingly about
her dedication to organizations like Project Inform, “There
is no mystery in why I became involved in fighting AIDS: it was
impossible for me not to. The people and organizations in this community,
like Martin Delaney and Project Inform have provided us with an
example of how the world could work at its best, and have inspired
me by seeing what was needed and immediately working to find ways
to create it. I will forever be grateful to their contribution to
the fight against AIDS, for being a role model, and to me personally
for the inspiration and instruction they have provided.”
Project Inform Leadership Award
Tim Hanlon, Senior Vice President of Wells Fargo Bank and President
of the Wells Fargo Foundation accepted this year’s Leadership
Award for the Wells Fargo Foundation, in recognition of the outstanding
corporate leadership that both Wells Fargo Bank and the Foundation
has shown in partnering throughout California and the western U.S.
with numerous local and national AIDS organizations. At the beginning
of the AIDS crisis, when Wells Fargo was one of the first major
U.S. corporations to meaningfully address the issue by funding grassroots
organizations and outreach at a time when little was known about
the disease. At a time when many were afraid of this uncertain and
frightening disease, Wells Fargo stepped up to the plate with a
call for action and set the standard of response—to this day
serving as a model for other major corporations throughout the country.
Project Inform Humanitarian Award
Project Inform National Board of Governors members Erik Sterling
and Jason Winters are the founders, COO and Vision Strategist, respectively,
of Sterling/Winters Company, a management and marketing firm. SWC
represents artists, creates branded merchandise and produces television
and theater projects. They received Project Inform’s first
Humanitarian Award for their fifteen years of outstanding philanthropy
in Project Inform’s fight against AIDS, and for their support
of other organizations including the March of Dimes, the Entertainment
Industry Foundation and the Dream Foundation. In the words of Project
Inform Founding Director Martin Delaney, “… few people
have given so much for so many, with so little recognition for their
efforts.”
Project Inform will use these funds to support its far-ranging
information, advocacy and public policy programs. Thanks to all
who helped to make this year’s two events the most successful
ones in our history!
Project Inform Volunteers Make a Difference!
Volunteers are the heart and soul of Project Inform. Currently,
over 165 active volunteers and interns play central roles in Project
Inform’s efforts to bring vital information on the diagnosis
and treatment of HIV/AIDS to anyone who needs it. These individuals
do this tremendous work by supporting a myriad of programs and work.
These volunteers and interns are recruited from the community and
represent the diversity of our constituency. Their passions make
a difference in the fight against HIV disease.
Another way people make a difference at Project Inform is by serving
on the Board of Directors, and three new individuals joined the
Board in November. Kathleen Fisher is a partner in the law firm
of Morrison & Foerster, where she is actively engaged in general
business litigation practice. Kathleen is also active in professional
and civic organizations and has served on numerous boards and committees.
Alonzo Reese is Office Manager for the law firm of Ropers, Majeski,
Kohn & Bently. Alonzo is a dedicated political and community
activist, is co-founder of Lesbians & Gays of African Decent
for Democratic Action (LGADDA), and is a Board member of the Vanguard
Foundation. Jeff Wiggins was elected to the Board after volunteering
as a hotline operator. An MBA graduate from Northwestern University,
Jeff has worked for several companies, including O’Connor
& Associates and Dresdner RCM Global Investments. Jeff also
serves on the Board of the National AIDS Memorial Grove. We also
welcome Curtis Ingraham and his enthusiasm for fundraising back
to the Board, where he formerly served as Co-Chair. Curtis is active
in other community organizations and teaches French.
The National HIV/AIDS Treatment Hotline is yet another area where
volunteers are continually recruited. The Hotline receives over
30,000 calls a year from women, men, and youth of every age and
ethnicity. Currently, about 45 volunteers staff the Hotline, working
a minimum of one three-hour shift a week. The volunteers answer
phone calls, provide treatment information to callers, and give
support in developing effective treatment strategies, including
how to access treatment and provide referrals to other organizations
with critical services. In order to maintain the necessary volunteer
support for the Hotline, Project Inform holds three trainings each
year. The next training will be held on January 24, 27 and 28. For
more information about the training or other volunteer opportunities,
please contact Mark Owens at 415-558-8669 x218.
One such individual is Nona Nangalama, who started with Project
Inform in April 2000. As an intern, Nona organized the first HIV
Women’s Lobby Day in Sacramento, CA where 30 women, most of
whom were HIV-positive, met with key legislators to talk about issues
of particular concern to women living with HIV. In June, Nona became
a consultant with Project Inform and arranged a community forum
to discuss MediCal issues, specifically as they related to women
with HIV. In November, she presented at NATAF (National AIDS Treatment
Advocacy Forum) on a panel of how to have a successful legislator
visit.
Profile in Donor Commitment: The Wells Fargo Foundation
As Board Chair and as a major donor to Project Inform, I have the
opportunity to promote awareness of Project Inform’s mission
and connect with many folks in the corporate community. My work
brings me into contact with all kinds of organizations throughout
the Bay Area and beyond. It allows me to engage Project Inform in
relationships that will sustain healthy communities and improve
the quality of life for which the Bay Area is known.
Nowhere have I found a more gratifying relationship than with Wells
Fargo, evidenced by their early and unfaltering support of organizations
serving people with HIV—and more importantly—their ongoing
commitment over the years to many nonprofit organizations like Project
Inform.
At the beginning of the AIDS crisis, Wells Fargo was one of the
first major U.S. corporations to meaningfully address the issue
by funding grassroots organizations and outreach at a time when
little was known about the disease. Indeed, the company early on
started a program for all employees to provide time off to care
for loved ones suffering from the disease.
Wells Fargo’s commitment to Project Inform extends beyond
consistent funding of specific programs to significant support of
Project Inform’s Evening of Hope events. During Project Inform’s
landmark 15th year, it is doubly appropriate that we’re able
to partner with a company that has served as an outstanding model
for corporate giving throughout the Bay Area and beyond.
Wells Fargo was the Underwriter of both fundraising dinners this
year: the San Francisco Evening of Hope on Monday, October 30 and
Los Angeles Evening of Hope on Monday, November 13. Wells Fargo
was also the recipient of Project Inform’s Corporate Leadership
Award in Los Angeles. Foundation President, Tim Hanlon, spoke movingly
about the long-term commitment of the Wells Fargo Foundation from
the beginning of the AIDS crisis.
In addition to their ongoing commitment to Project Inform’s
fundraising efforts, Wells Fargo has made a significant gift this
year that sustains our treatment education programs, particularly
Project WISE, Project Inform’s program tailored to address
the specific needs of women with HIV. In fact, Wells Fargo has contributed
an outstanding cumulative total of over $200,000 since 1996 in support
of Project Inform programs.
Today, Wells Fargo Foundation continues to actively support numerous
AIDS service providers throughout its 23-state territory, such as
Project Angel Food, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, AIDS Service
Center, Desert AIDS Project, PAWS/LA, and the Lesbian and Gay Center
and Karibu in San Diego—to name just a few.
At a time when many were afraid of this uncertain and frightening
disease, Wells Fargo stepped up to the plate with a call for action
and set the standard of response which to this day serves as a model
for other major corporations throughout the country.
With its headquarters in San Francisco—for many considered
ground zero for the epidemic—Wells Fargo as a company has
felt the extraordinary affects of this disease on its employees,
customers and those close to them. Wells Fargo understands that
the battle has not been won in spite of recent medical advances.
And with HIV disease now further impacting low-income groups, women
and people of color, Wells Fargo has vowed to continue to fight
until there’s a cure.
It is with our deepest gratitude and pride that Project Inform
salutes the Wells Fargo Foundation this year for their leadership
in our collective fight against AIDS.
Landmark Advocacy Training in Alaska Convenes Local Activists
On September 19, Project Inform’s public policy department
held an HIV/AIDS public policy advocacy training in Anchorage, Alaska.
This training, co-sponsored by the Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association
and the National Association of People With AIDS, brought together
30 people living with HIV/AIDS, service providers, and others interested
in developing the skills and knowledge necessary to advocate effectively
with their elected officials.
A key component of Project Inform’s advocacy trainings is
that the content and agenda of the day is developed with input from
local organizers and community members. In order to ensure that
we heard from diverse community members, Project Inform staff met
the day before the training with several individuals from different
communities who had been involved in advocacy in Alaska. With their
input, and Project Inform’s partnership with the co-sponsoring
organizations, we were able to craft an agenda that was a starting
point to address their needs.
The morning session included a presentation on the legislative
process and key federal issues, as well as interactive discussion
focused on outlining the strengths and challenges specific to doing
advocacy in Alaska. The afternoon was a working session on how to
create a legislative agenda and a discussion on the development
of a local advocacy coalition that can plug into national efforts.
The day after the training, some of the participants met with Senator
Ted Stevens’ state office director to discuss HIV/AIDS issues.
Project Inform and NAPWA staff helped facilitate the meeting. Senator
Stevens is currently the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee
and is very influential in determining funding levels for HIV/AIDS
programs. This meeting helped educate the Senator’s office
about the concerns of Alaskans living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
Much of the meeting focused on the specific problems facing the
Native Alaskan community, a key issue identified at the previous
day’s advocacy training.
We look forward to working with the training participants as they
develop their advocacy coalition, and to doing follow-up on the
issues brought up with Senator Stevens’ office. If you’re
interested in discussing the possibility of an advocacy training
in your community, contact Ryan Clary at 415-558-8669, x224 or rclary@projectinform.org.
The 2000 Evening of Hope
Creating Hope with Action … Renewing Our Commitment
Project Inform is enormously grateful to the hundreds of friends,
donors, organizations and volunteers who made the 15th anniversary
Evenings of Hope a grand success. Over $500,000 was raised for Project
Inform’s HIV/AIDS treatment education programs. The generosity
of our supporters will help us continue to be an effective resource
for all who need it.
Underwriters
Jon Carrasco & Stephen Roseberry
Kathy Ireland & Greg Olson, MD
Wells Fargo Foundation
Presenters
Thomas Blount & Miles Swain • Sam & Mary
Haskell • iMetrikus • PlanetOut • San Francisco
AIDS Foundation • William Morris Agency
Benefactors
Bristol-Myers Squibb Immunology • Clear Ink •
Laura & John Fisher • Randi & Bob Fisher • Sakurako
& William Fisher • Joseph R. Garrett & John Lomibao
• Kaiser Permanente • MAC AIDS Fund • Ann &
Jerry Moss • Reese Relfe, in honor of Tom Kelley
Patrons
Abbott Laboratories • Chiron Therapeutics •
Bill Desser, Bear Stearns • elevations, inc. • Fada
Industries • Roger B.A. Klorese & David Haney •
Levi Strauss & Co. • Marilyn & John Moretz •
Roche Pharmaceuticals • Roxane Laboratories • Leslie
& Lance Robbins, Saban Entertainment • San Francisco Magazine
• Triangle Laboratories • The Walgreen Company •
Jeff Wiggins
Supporters
AIDS Research Institute at UCSF • BAPHR Foundation
(Bay Area Physicians for Human Rights) • Dan Bartley &
Dan Bunker • Diane & Michael Cenko • Thomas Coates
• Barbara Haim & Ron Dabah • Lokelani Devone •
B.J. Droubi Real Estate • Don du Bain & Susan Bateman
• Sim & Dr. Debbie Farar • Doris & Donald Fisher
• Fraenkel Gallery • Mr. & Mrs. Milo Gates •
Gilead Sciences • Polly Goodan • Linda Grinberg •
Jim Gutschick & Al Munoz • Nicholas Hodges • Hill
& Knowlton • The Isosceles Group • Tom Kelley •
Elizabeth W. King • Barry Krost & John DeShane •
Swoosie Kurtz • Morrison & Foerster LLP • Jim •
O’Donnell, MD & Michael Ginther • Pacific Bell •
Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold • SERONO, Inc. •
Seton Medical Center • David Singer & Diana Kapp •
Tom Steyer & Kat Taylor • Triangle Pharmaceuticals •
Vertex Pharmaceuticals • Ken Turner • Sam Whiting &
Victoria Maud Ritchie • Zephyr Real Estate
Individual Benefactors
AIDS Project Los Angeles • Al Baum, LCSW • David Bohnett
Foundation • Diahann Carroll • Frank Ching & Charley
Kearns • Mark Dickey & Pam Roberts • Jonathan Exley,
Exley-Foto, Inc. • Tom & Brenda Freiberg • Genentech
• Glaxo Wellcome • Steve Guttenberg • Bill Hudson
& Cindy Williams • Curtis Ingraham • Goldman Insurance
• David Henry Jacobs • K-Mart Community Volunteers •
Bill & Roberta Kerwin • Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis,
Jr. • Mike McCune & Karen Smith McCune • Tanner
Mainstain Hoffer & Peyrot • Linda & Tony Meier •
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter • Supervisor Gavin Newsom •
Dolly Parton • Laura King Pfaff • Queer Leadership Fund
at the Horizons Foundation • Rodger Rickard & Diane Talbert
• Susan Sachs & Gail Defferari • Albert & Joel
Schreck • Allen Schuh • Shaw Rugs • Roselyne C.
Swig • Joan Van Ark & John Marshall • Vanguard Furniture
• Viacom • ViroLogic, Inc. • Miriam, Daniel &
Sabrina Wizman
Individual Patrons
Stephen Becker, MD • Marla Benjamin & Kirk Rochester •
Steven Blumenfeld • Susan Brautovich • Steven Breimer
• Steve & Nicole Brown • Michael & Betsy Claffey
• Ken Coleman • Delphine & Allen Damon • Rose
& Dominic Danna • DataCom West • Harold Davidson
• Georgia DeCaro • Carol & Dixon Doll • Congresswoman
Anna Eshoo • David Ewing • Peter Fritz & Steve Hornbuckle
• Linda Geiken & Brittany Duncan • Nicole Gisele
• Goldstein Gellman Melbostad Gibson & Harris LLP •
John J. Hagenbuch • Ed Hardy • Greg Henson & Jeffrey
Brooks • Bruce & Susan Kelley • Manny Kladitis •
Kenny & Julia Loggins • March of Dimes • Paul Melbostad
• Michael Meldman • Meme Pederson • Michael Prochello
• Lorin Pullman • Arthur Rockoff • Eudice Rockoff
• Steve Rosenblum • Deborah Rush • Jim Scalfani
& Matthew Larson • Barbara & Lewis Schaffel •
Graham Schneider • Gregg Schoen • Scott & Lisa Stuart
• Stan Watson
Special Thanks To:
Accent On Flowers • Accurate Mailings • California Lithographers
• Cartier • Color Graphics • Isosceles Group •
Karen Mason • Levy Pazanti and Associates • RSVP Vacations
• San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus • The Sterling/Winters
Team
