In Focus #12: March 2001

Project Inform Welcomes New Executive Director on Board

Ellen LaPointe, Executive Director

After a thoughtful and intensive recruiting effort, the Board of Directors is pleased to announce Ms. Ellen La Pointe as Project Inform’s new Executive Director. Ellen will work closely with Founding Director Martin Delaney and the Board of Directors to take Project Inform forward into the 21st century and the next chapter of HIV advocacy. Ellen brings to Project Inform her expertise in public health and AIDS advocacy, as well as finely honed management and leadership skills. Ellen has a degree in Public Health from Brown University where she served as coordinator of the Brown University AIDS Program until 1992, at which time she relocated to San Francisco to become Director of Clinical Research at the HIVCare program at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. In 1994, the American Foundation for AIDS Research selected HIVCare to be one of twelve AmFAR-sponsored community based clinical trial programs in the United States. Ellen returned to graduate school in 1996, and received her J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, where she focused on Law and Medicine. Most recently, Ellen practiced general litigation and intellectual property law at Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP in San Francisco.

Welcome Ellen!

Project Inform Looks Towards the Future with Strategic Plan

The greatest challenge to any organization is to serve the changing needs of its constituents while maintaining the vision and integrity of its mission.

Last year, Project Inform marked our 15th year of providing critical HIV treatment information and patient advocacy. Over the years, Project Inform has developed a reputation as a vocal and effective advocate for people living with HIV. Thanks to our work, hundreds of thousands of HIV-positive people and their care providers received the information they needed to make some of the most important decisions of their lives.

The need for accurate information and aggressive advocacy has not changed. Above all, the need for Project Inform’s message of hope remains. What has changed is who needs our services most and how best to communicate our message.

In an effort to ensure that Project Inform’s programs and services are as relevant and accessible as they can be for all people living with HIV, our Board of Directors and staff have engaged in an intensive strategic planning process. We’ve also invited key members of the AIDS activist community as well as service providers to give their perspectives.

The strategic plan resulting from this process will inform and guide all of Project Inform’s programs and services. By prioritizing projects based on assessed needs and measurable outcomes, we will ensure that our resources continue to be utilized in the most efficient and effective way possible.

Project Inform Staff Present at HIV Educator/Activist Training in South Africa

Last summer, the world’s attention was focused on Africa for the XIII International Conference on AIDS held in Durban, South Africa. The impact of these meetings continues to reverberate as community activists in South Africa work to combat the spread of HIV with their education and advocacy efforts.

One exciting development was a three-city training tour coordinated by the Treatment Action Campaign of South Africa and Treatment Action Group—U.S. Recognized as experts in the field of HIV treatment advocacy, Project Inform’s Angela Garcia, Director of Women’s Education and Advocacy, and Ben Cheng, Director of Antiviral Advocacy, were invited to develop and present curricula for the program. Angela presented on three topics: women and HIV, mother-to-infant transmission, and pediatric AIDS, while Ben presented on antiviral therapy and opportunistic infections.

The program created a unique opportunity to develop curricula in conjunction with local researchers and activists. The result was the development of a culturally competent and locally relevant training tool that represented the latest in HIV treatment information and served as a local resource guide.

The trainings were held in Johannesburg, Durban and Capetown and were attended by over 250 activists and healthcare providers, many of whom were HIV-positive.

Since their return, both Angela and Ben have received numerous requests for treatment materials and additional information from the participants. Project Inform is excited and encouraged by the requests from other activists worldwide for copies of the curricula and by the invitations we have received to present the curricula while sharing their experiences on developing HIV treatment information in transnational settings. One more way that Project Inform is working to stem the tide of HIV globally.

Project Inform LaunchesNew National Hotline Campaign

When Project Inform first began providing treatment information 15 years ago, our Hotline was a single phone hooked up to an answering machine. At a time when no one knew where to get information about AIDS, that single line served as a beacon of hope. Today, the Hotline is staffed six days a week by highly trained volunteers who yearly answer the specific treatment questions of over 20,000 English- and Spanish-speaking callers, and connect them to Project Inform’s other resources.

The only national hotline devoted solely to HIV treatment issues, the Project Inform Hotline is an invaluable resource for people living with HIV. However, as we see a shift in the epidemic towards those communities who traditionally experience greater barriers to HIV treatment information and care, it becomes increasingly important to promote Project Inform’s services with targeted outreach.

This month, Project Inform will send out 5,000 posters and 10,000 information request cards to a variety of AIDS service providers across the country, including early testing and intervention sites as well as each State AIDS hotline. The materials, displaying the Hotline’s new toll-free number (1-866-HIV-INFO), were designed with the input of HIV-positive focus groups. The cards are perforated so the Hotline number can be saved in a pocket or wallet while the remainder of the card can be returned to Project Inform for individuals to request our publications.

As a result of these targeted efforts, we anticipate calls to the Hotline to increase by 25% in the coming year. Remember, if you or someone you know has a question about HIV treatment, or would like to receive Project Inform publications, call toll-free 1-866-HIV-INFO or go online at www.projectinform.org!

Meet Greg Henson and Jeff Brooks –

Owners of wOrldware and long-time supporters of Project Inform

Interior designer Greg Henson & Jeff Brooks with the real owners of wOrldware, Rison & Carmel

Jeff Brooks and Greg Henson are the kind of friends every organization hopes for. Over the past several years, Jeff and Greg have consistently and significantly supported the work of Project Inform both financially and with in-kind donations from their locally-based store, wOrldware. Whether it’s joining our Partners In Hope major donor program, attending our annual Evening of Hope Dinner, or providing prizes for our bike ride, we can count on Jeff and Greg’s support.

Located in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley, wOrldware (www.worldwaresf.com) offers unique home furnishings, exquisite bath products and gift items from over 50 countries. Gift certificates from wOrldware have become a much appreciated staple at Project Inform’s annual Ron Wilmot Bike Ride. This year wOrldware is supporting the ride not only with in-kind gifts but also by sponsoring a company team! Thanks wOrldware!

If you would like to support Project Inform and get great recognition for your business, contact Julie Doherty at 415 558-8669 x223 or email her at jdoherty@projectinform.org. Your in-kind (non-cash) gift of goods or services would be much appreciated and tax deductible!

As a small business, the support of the local community is critical. Likewise, it’s important that we support the community. As part of this community, we have a social and business responsibility to respond to the epidemic. Being able to support Project Inform is clearly part of our business mission. Project Inform does great work and we’re proud to help them in any way we can.

Mark your calendars for the seventh annual Ron Wilmot Bike Ride May 12!

Ron Wilmot, Activist and Project Inform Supporter
photo: rick gerharter

This fun-filled seven-mile ride raises money for Project Inform’s national HIV treatment information programs. What began as a visionary idea has become one of our most important and loved events. Generous in-kind donations made by local businesses help cover the administrative costs so that more than 95% of the money raised goes directly to providing services.

In addition to individual riders, we also encourage participation of company teams! Collaborate with at least five of your co-workers to set a group goal of $5,000 or more. Many local companies have matching gift programs that will make your fundraising efforts go even further. As a perk, your company can get logo recognition on Bike Ride materials, a special feature on Project Inform’s website, and more! The sooner your company team registers, the more recognition your company receives.

For more information on teams, sponsorship opportunities, or how your company can become involved this year, contact Julie Doherty at 415-558-8669 x223 or email at jdoherty@projectinform.org.

So don’t delay. We’re counting on you to join us on May 12 at Peacock Meadow in Golden Gate Park. Register as a rider—encourage others to ride—and help to support Project Inform’s services.

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 be a beneficiary of this year’s multi-tiered Gala Event, which includes Gala pre-and post-performance receptions for Host Level Supporters; an extensive silent auction; and a Broadway-quality concert.

Confirmed performers to date include: Academy Award winner Rita Moreno, Emmy winners Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker, Broadway veteran Carole Cook, cabaret star Meg McKay, jazz sensation Paula West, actress Charlotte Rae, and others to be announced soon!

The event is produced by the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation, founded by Barbara Richmond and Peggy Ermet in memory of their sons, John Richmond and Doug Ermet, who both lost their lives to AIDS. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 415-931-2515 or visit www.richmondermet.org.

Additional Internet Resources

excessaccess.com
Linking society’s surplus with nonprofit needs. This website matches business and household item donations with nonprofit wish lists throughout the U.S. and internationally.

wishlist.craigslist.org
This popular Bay Area-interest website has partnered with Cole Hardware and now features a wishlist program.