ICE - AIDS Services Foundation Orange County

THE
NOv 09-jAN 10
Vol. 20 • No. 4
www.ocasf.org
V ICE
The longest
journey
begins with
the first
step, p.4
The greatest of these is love, p.5
Paying it
forward, p.6
help
= Hope
a publication of
AIDS Services Foundation Orange County
Special Issue: “Through Our Clients’ Eyes”

Inside this issue
FEATURES
Board of Directors
Through Our Clients’ Eyes .......................................................................... 4-6
Big Splash – Going Out in Style ............................................................... 8-9
Friends of Dorothy Conclude Fundraising Season ................ 10-11
National Latino AIDS Awareness Day Health Fair ........................ 12
Secret Angels ......................................................................................................... 13
Volunteer Recognition ...................................................................................... 13
“Bells, Bows and Balls” Kicks Off ASF Holiday Season ................... 16
New Year’s Eve Party to benefit ASF ....................................................... 16
DEPARTMENTS
Letter from the Executive Director .............................................................. 3
HIV in the News ....................................................................................................... 7
Donors & Supporters ................................................................... 8, 11, 12, 15
Act Against AIDS Update ............................................................................... 14
Memorials, Tributes & Grants........................................................................ 15
Our Mission
The mission of AIDS Services Foundation is to prevent the spread of HIV
and improve the lives of men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in
Orange County.
Our Story
A small group of volunteers founded AIDS Services Foundation Orange County
(ASF) in the late summer of 1985 because people were dying, had nowhere to turn,
and desperately needed help. ASF is now the largest and most comprehensive non
profit HIV/AIDS service provider in Orange County, with a staff of over 60 committed
and caring individuals, a 19-member Board of Directors, and hundreds of dedicated
volunteers.
Each year, ASF helps more than 1,600 men, women and children, along with their
families, that are either living with HIV or are impacted by HIV disease. Services
include food, transportation, housing, case management, emergency financial
assistance, children and family programs, Latino outreach programs, mental health
counseling, support groups, HIV testing, and an extensive array of HIV prevention
and education programs. We hope for a time when these services are no longer
needed. Until then, we work hard each day to prevent the spread of HIV and to
ensure that everyone living with HIV and AIDS in Orange County has access to lifeenhancing
care and services.
Officers
Maria Marquez, M.F.T.
President
Barbara Venezia
Vice President
Mark Guillod, C.P.A.
Treasurer
Mark Gonzales
Secretary
Members
David W. Bennett,
C.F.P., C.L.U.
Frank Bianchini
Erik Buzzard
Terry Delonas
Hung Fan, Ph.D.
Megan Gorman
Arnold Henson, M.D.
Ken Jillson
Abigail Lloyd
Todd Rachal
Al Roberts
Jorge Rodriguez, M.D.
Arash Samadani
Patrick Stanton
Ed Todeschini
Duane Vajgrt, M.D.
Shelly Virkstis
Founding President
Al Roberts
Executive Director
Philip Yaeger
follow ASF on
Advisory Board
The Honorable
Marilyn C. Brewer, Chair
State Assembly,
Retired
Barbara Boxer
U.S. Senator
Dean Corey
Executive Director,
O.C. Philharmonic Soc.
Ron Davies
Business Executive
Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Senator
Bill Gillespie
Robert Haskell
President, Pacific Life
Foundation
Janice Johnson
Arnold W. Klein, M.D.
Marica Pendjer
Anita May Rosenstein
Business Executive
The Honorable
Loretta Sanchez
U.S. Congresswoman
Rick Silver
Business Executive
Jeffrey L. Stuckhardt
Stan Tkaczyk
Dick Weil
Managing Director,
PIMCO
In Memoriam
Roger Johnson
Advisory Board
Founding Chair
www.ocasf.org • www.ocaidswalk.org
17982 Sky Park Circle, Suite J, Irvine, CA 92614 • (949) 809-5700
NOV - JAN, 2009/10 Vol. 20 No. 4
Editor:
Barbara Lohman
Feature Writer:
Nushin Rashidian
Design & Layout:
King Graphic Design
Printing Services: Richard Baca, Printing Division

Letter from the Executive Director
From Philip Yaeger, Executive Director
Through Our Clients’ Eyes
In this issue of The Voice we bring you a different perspective
on ASF by presenting the stories of three people that have
been deeply affected by HIV/AIDS and helped by our agency.
“
They exemplify
thousands of others in
our community, around
the nation and around the
world who depend on the
services of organizations
like ASF made possible
through the generosity
of people like you.”
—Philip Yaeger,
ASF’s Executive Director
In the magazine, often we focus on the numbers of people
we help, but rarely do we have the opportunity to share with
you the personal stories behind those numbers. To be sure,
we are always bound by client confidentiality. But in this case,
a handful of people have offered to tell their stories in order
for you to better understand and appreciate how your help
gives them hope.
We call this feature “Through Our Clients’ Eyes”. Clearly no one
knows the journey before them better than Scott, Sarah and
Austin who have been forced to live with HIV/AIDS. They
exemplify thousands of others in our community, around the
nation and around the world who depend on the services of
organizations like ASF made possible through the generosity
of people like you.
As you read their stories I hope you will keep two things in
mind. Their struggles, although still significant, have been
somewhat eased by the services provided by ASF.
And there are many more like Scott, Sarah and Austin we
cannot tell you about that receive similar services from ASF
thanks to you.
I sincerely hope you will consider ASF and the work we do in
your year-end gift giving. s
help
= Hope
The following are the very personal stories of Austin,
Sarah and Scott who are living with HIV.
Their journeys, while unique, have brought each of
them to ASF.
We thank them for their courage to share their stories
with our readers.
THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10 3

Through our Clients’ Eyes
The Longest Journey Begins with the First Step
Austin and his friend were scared as
the sympathetic, slow speaking nurse
explained what needed to be done in
the case of a positive result, or in the
case of a negative result. Both men got
their blood work done and endured a
long two weeks—two weeks of waiting
and wondering—before their results
would be available.
The best friends decided to get their news
at the same time, together. The nurse
opened their charts and looked up at the
two, young men.
“You are both HIV positive,” she said, sadly.
Austin will never forget hearing that for
the first time. And he can still remember
the uncontrollable flow of tears and the
incessant thought that he was going
to die. He had just finished college and
moved to Los Angeles for work—he
thought these would be the best years of
his life.
“I would have never believed in a million
years that because of my choices…” he
begins, trailing off. “I kind of thought that
somehow I would never be infected.”
Austin began taking two AZT tablets every
four hours, coupled with what he calls
“an absolutely horrific white liquid” that
would cause him to gag and dry heave
upon consumption. He began to notice
that as he took his medication, his energy
slowly declined. The medicine was killing
everything in his body in its attempt to kill
the HIV virus. He lived the next six years
believing each was his last—a fear that
still has not dissipated—and kept himself
busy with work until his health took a
downward turn. His best friend that got
tested alongside him grew sicker as well.
Austin’s instincts told him to take care of
his friend, to play the nurse role, but his
health just didn’t permit it.
“I always want to help people and be there
for people I love,” he says, “but it just didn’t
work.”
But it was what happened next that
proved to be the hardest, most bitter pill
for Austin to swallow. He was called into
work and told not to return until he had
taken care of himself, until he got better.
What marked the years between 1992 and
1997—what Austin calls his “black hole
years”—was the death of his best friend
that was tested for HIV alongside him.
Austin decided that his time would come
soon enough, and he tried to hasten the
process. He would take bottles of alcohol
from the freezer and put it to his lips. He
developed a serious cocaine addiction.
“I remember being in my beautiful home,
in the bedroom, in the bathroom, in the
dark, on the floor crying, crying, crying
and feeling as if I was in a black hole just
spiraling down.”
Without the support of his family, Austin
turned to his phonebook.
“I remember going through my
phonebook from A to Z to tell my close
friends because I felt that there was no
sense in hiding it,” he says. Half of his
“friends” never called him again. One
fourth of them could only muster a “You’ll
be OK.” The other fourth have stayed by
his side for his journey.
In 1997, Austin moved to Orange County.
He was loosely involved with ASF at this
time, mostly attending their recovery
group, Choices. But he was still using
cocaine, and was in a fog. His participation
was limited to sitting in the back of the
conference room and announcing that
his drug of choice was medicinal. “But
they never made me feel like I was a bad
person,” he says.
In 2002, Austin turned 40. And he decided
he needed to get sober.
“I remember looking in the mirror and
asking ‘what am I doing?’ I felt I was an
idiot because I was still here,” he says of
his continued drug use as an attempt to
die sooner. “It was the first time I looked it
myself and didn’t like what I saw. I wanted
something different.”
ASF helped Austin get the funding he
needed to begin paying off his debts,
and they gave him the emotional support
he needed to get and stay healthy. Six
months into his sobriety, they even
referred him to their health department to
convince him to quit smoking cigarettes.
And with their help he was able to drop
his habit of 25 years.
“ASF becomes your family. I think that
people find here what is missing in their
own family,” Austin says. “You come in
here and they don’t want anything back.
There are no tricks, no games. They are
here for you 100%. I don’t know what I
would have done without them. I just can’t
imagine having done this by myself.”
Austin is currently finishing his bachelor’s
degree in nursing and hoping to continue
two more years of graduate school after
that. One of his dreams is to work as a
nurse for ASF and with his bachelor’s
degree, he will be able to make a reality of
that dream.
“Sometimes, I would just love a vacation
from this disease. A time out. No medicine,
no doctors, not so many pills every day.
Just a short break would be nice,” he says.
“But now I am just trying to be healthy as I
walk through the rest of this journey with
grace and dignity.” s
Housing: Last year, two hundred and forty five people and their families received 515 ASF payments toward rent, utilities and
security deposits. Seventy four people and their families were provided 2,797 bed nights in motels or sober living arrangements
through ASF’s Emergency/Transitional Housing program.
4 THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10

The Greatest of These is Love
Through our Clients’ Eyes
Tony came from a large, loving Catholic family; a family in
which nothing could break their bonds; a family in which no
test of their strength together or their love for one another
would not be passed. That is, until he came out of the closet
as a homosexual.
“My mom wouldn’t acknowledge that gays existed,” says his
sister, Sarah, “let alone that one of her sons was.”
Tony internalized his family’s shame and kept to himself. What
his family didn’t know was that Tony had AIDS and was slowly
dying on his own. How could he have told them this after the
way they treated him just for being gay?
One day, his sister Sarah received an urgent phone call from
one of her older brothers.
“You need to come to the hospital immediately because Tony
is in the hospital,” he said.
“Is he sick?” Sarah asked.
“You need to come ASAP.”
When Sarah arrived at the hospital, she saw that her brother
Tony, who she hadn’t seen in four months, had withered down
to 89 pounds. The doctor told Sarah that her brother had full
blown AIDS and had had it for a long time. Sarah didn’t fully
understand what this meant, but the doctor told her that Tony
had three weeks to live and she was devastated. Even though
Tony was 44 years old, Sarah had helped raise him and she still
saw him as her “baby brother.” Sarah found herself angry with
the doctor for putting a timeline on Tony’s life and she decided
that she would do everything in her power to help him regain
his health. She left her loveless marriage of 21 years and moved
into Tony’s apartment to take care of him. She devoted all of
her time and energy to her brother.
Other members of Tony’s family felt differently. Sarah
remembers having a party for Tony’s birthday and making a
giant lasagna dish. But nobody came over because they didn’t
want to eat off of the same utensils that Tony had. This was the
first time that Sarah realized that the bonds of family were not as
strong as she thought. Shame had overpowered love.
Sarah and Tony got in touch with ASF. Tony got a case
manager, was given food at the pantry, and was helped with
SSI so he could get social security checks.
“It was like a web,” Sarah says. “They would instruct him in
health education classes and he became compliant and in four
months he was walking, had gained weight and looked good.”
Sarah decided to rent an apartment one-half mile from Tony’s
apartment
and return
to work.
She had
been
working
on her
Master’s
in Rehab
Counseling
and a woman told
her that ASF had an opening.
Sarah had already decided to go into social work
because she felt that she could do for others what she did for
her brother.
Sarah got the job with ASF. But then she got some bad news:
the hospital called to tell her that her brother was back under
their care. Tony had stopped taking his medication and his
health rapidly declined.
Sarah began advocating for her brother immediately. “I started
calling my family and saying ‘Shame on you! This is your blood,
this is your uncle, this is your brother, this is your son. What are
you doing? If you can’t be compassionate with your blood then
society has no hope, do they?”
Four months before Tony died, his mother and father came
to visit him every day because they felt that they had lost so
much time already.
Sarah spent years feeling guilty for her brother’s death, feeling
as if she didn’t do enough. But she remembers him telling her
a month or so before he passed away “Let me die with dignity.”
She has recently come to accept that her brother “decided to
die” and that every person with HIV/AIDS has that choice. But
with the help and support of Sarah and ASF, Tony stayed alive
for an entire year, despite the doctor’s prediction that he had
three weeks to live.
Sarah’s family is educated about HIV/AIDS now and they fully
support her work with ASF; she now works at ASF of Orange
County. She feels that her number one priority is to make sure
that a client is being compliant and doing what he or she
should be doing from doctor appointments to taking their
medication.
“This is what I plan to spend my life doing,” she says, “and if for
some reason or another this agency closed I would still end up
doing the same thing but elsewhere.” s
Mental Health and Family Programs: Last year, ASF staff assisted 340 clients through its various support groups and
one-on-one sessions. Because a positive HIV diagnosis can affect an entire family, ASF established the Wilbur May Family and
Children’s Program. Among the services made available to 125 family members last year was the annual family camp, various
recreational activities for kids and their parents and support and counseling sessions.
THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10 5

Through Our Clients’ Eyes
Paying It Forward
Scott knew. His partner, Michael, knew, too. They grew
suspicious in 1989 when Michael came down with
shingles, but it wasn’t until Michael was hospitalized due
to pneumonia in January of 1991 that both men were fully
expecting the news they were about to receive: Michael had
AIDS. “Test me,” Scott volunteered, knowing that he must
have been HIV positive—and he was.
At the time that the diagnosis was given, Michael and Scott
had relocated to Reno and opened a New Age bookstore
together, The Mystic Eye of Thoth. Perhaps they could have been
diagnosed sooner, but the drug that was being used to treat HIV
at the time, AZT, was known to be extremely toxic, and neither
man was ready or willing to deal with treatment.
“We chose not to be tested,” Scott says of his decision, with no
trace of regret.
Michael and Scott tried to continue living their lives as they had
before they knew that they were infected, despite the constant
doctors appointments and medications.
“It was hard watching him go downhill in a few years time,”
Scott says of his final years with his partner. “I guess I was angry
because he never had a chance to get on the cocktail.”
The “cocktail” at the time was a combination of the
pharmaceutical drugs AZT, D4T and 3TC, which couldn’t cure
the virus, but would slow down its replication in the body.
After Michael’s death, Scott slipped deep into depression. He
tried to stay involved with the AIDS group he worked with and
the clients, for which he put on annual Christmas parties, but
his grief was too great. When Scott had to go on disability and
close their bookshop, the solitude and the medications brought
his reality center stage: he was living with HIV, he was sick.
“I just couldn’t go out, I didn’t want to be around people,” Scott
says. “I just didn’t care. I would make up excuses not to go to
see doctors.”
In 1998, Scott grew tired of solitude and chose to move to
Orange County, California to live with his mother. A man who
had lived on both coasts, had a committed partner and had his
very own business was now alone and on disability because
of HIV, and all he wanted at this point in his life was some
company, some love.
He got involved with ASF in 1999 but wasn’t ready for the level
of involvement required to form a connection with the clients
and staff. It astonished him how quickly life could change, how
unexpected all of his losses were. But, in 2004, with the advice of
ASF staff, Scott agreed to meet with a therapist that was new to
the agency, named Brett.
Scott found himself looking forward to his weekly therapy
sessions with
Brett, a therapist
who not only
moved Scott to
open up, but
also urged him
to utilize all that
ASF offered,
especially
their support
groups. Scott
found himself
particularly
taken by a
group called Snickers in which clients would play card games
or have movie nights—it was a way to meet other clients with
similar stories, similar pasts.
“It was an opportunity that I hadn’t had before,” Scott says. Brett
pushed Scott to open himself up to new things and to consider
volunteering with ASF. After his weekly therapy sessions with
Brett, Scott found himself with an hour or two to spare in the
building before ASF transportation would take him back to his
house, so he offered Dave, who handled pantry, a helping hand.
Brett left ASF and Scott was upset, but already well on his way
to a new life, a fresh start.
“Brett saved my life,” Scott says. “He really saved my life.”
Brett recommended that Scott continue one-on-one therapy
with the facilitator of the Mindful Living group, who was also
named Scott. As Scott continued to see his therapist and help
out in the pantry at ASF, the pantry coordinator began to rely
on Scott to run pantry for two days a week. Scott rediscovered
a sense of duty and purpose and found that in helping with
pantry—and by extension, others with HIV—he was ultimately
helping himself, too. When Scott’s mother began allowing him
use of her car, Scott felt the final shift and pull towards a sense
of freedom that he almost forgot was attainable.
In October of 2008, Scott was promoted to pantry coordinator,
working ten hours and volunteering an additional twenty hours
per week. He has always been a person who keeps to himself,
but now has friends and acquaintances that he can rely on at
ASF. He has significantly progressed in his perceptions of HIV
and his medications, and is no longer constantly plagued with
fear when reminded of his illness. There is a sort of calm about
him that comes along with acceptance—both by oneself as
well as by others. After twenty tumultuous years, Scott has
finally bounced back.
“ASF saved my life,” Scott says, with a nod. s
food and nutrition program: Last year ASF provided 588 people with over 5,300 food orders made available through
a well-stocked food pantry, operated in large part by volunteers within the agency’s Irvine office. All told ASF made available
244,904 meals to those who otherwise may have had inadequate or not enough food.
6 THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10

HIV In The News
US Senate and House of Representatives
Reauthorize Ryan White Care Act
Both houses of Congress have overwhelmingly
reauthorized legislation which will continue allocating
billions of dollars in federal money for the treatment of
HIV and AIDS. President Obama signed the legislation,
the Ryan White Care Act, into law October 30.
“Ryan White funding is critical to the provision of
services for people living with HIV in Orange County,
and is ASF’s largest funding source,” said ASF Executive
Director Phil Yaeger. “We applaud Congress and
the President for renewing the US Governments
commitment to providing continued funding for HIV
care and treatment for people living with HIV.”
The Act, which was first enacted in 1990, had technically
expired on September 30 but had been extended by
one month in order to craft and pass the new legislation.
By a vote of 408-9, the House reauthorized the Act on
October 21. The Act is named for the Indiana teenager
who made national headlines as he battled AIDS
and discrimination because of his illness. The Senate
previously passed the bill by unanimous consent.
The bill approves an additional four years of funding for
the program, which is administered by the Department
of Health and Human Services to about 500,000 lowerincome
people each year. It allocates $2.55 billion for
fiscal year 2010, with that figure rising to $2.95 billion by
the 2013 fiscal year. Practically speaking the legislation
continues the local flow of money through County
contracts to ASF and similar agencies to provide much
needed services.
The measure also mandates that states use a name-based
reporting system by the 2013 fiscal year, but allows states
to submit code-based data until then at a penalty. And
it includes a so-called “hold harmless” provision, which
protects communities that see relative drops in the
numbers of cases from facing large funding decreases.
Unintended Consequences Controversial
AIDS Inoculation Study Re-ignites Interest
in a Vaccine
“Vaccine researchers don’t often find themselves
at the center of public controversies. But a storm
has erupted over
the announcement
last month that an
experimental AIDS vaccine
tested in Thailand proved
modestly effective. It was billed as
a major scientific advance — the longawaited
hard evidence that it is possible to
inoculate people against AIDS. But now the trial has
been called into question in a way that is overblown
and possibly destructive,” wrote Seth Berkley,
president and chief executive of the International AIDS
Vaccine Initiative in a New York Times op/ed published
October 19. Berkley was referring to recent news
coverage on what were characterized as “promising
results” in the largest AIDS vaccine trial to date.
The trial conducted by the U.S. military, U.S. National
Institutes of Health and Thai Health Ministry followed
16,402 volunteers for six years. At a joint September
news conference it was announced that the tested
vaccine combination reduced the risk of infection by
31.2 percent in a statistically significant analysis. The
announcement was reported in media outlets around
the world. But just a few days later additional briefings
held by the study researchers suggested the initial
results may not have been statistically significant after
all based on a second analysis of the data.
Berkley wrote, “Even if the Thai vaccine regimen turns
out, on examination, to have had no real benefit,
researchers will still learn from the trial, as they do from
every study. Some 7,400 new HIV infections occur daily
throughout the world. Clearly we need better methods
of preventing the spread of HIV, and no public health
intervention is more powerful or cost-effective against
infectious disease than a vaccine.”
Berkley’s position has been endorsed by scientists and
activists alike throughout a number of news reports
including recent articles in Time Magazine (October
21) and the New England Journal of Medicine web site
(October 20). While interpreting the test results will
likely be debated for some time to come, it’s clear
that the study has renewed wide-spread interest in
developing an effective AIDS vaccine. s
THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10 7

Thousands of Clients helped through the years
“The Big Splash” Comes to Close After 24 Years
of Fundraising on Behalf of ASF
Nearly 700 people jammed into the Laguna Festival of the Arts September 24 and 25 to bid
farewell to one of the most successful fundraising events in Orange County history – “The Big
Splash”. The final production, “Splashin’ Under the Big Top” generated more than $400,000 bringing
the overall amount raised for ASF to $10 million since the first “Big Splash” in 1985.
“The Big Splash” was started by Al Roberts and Ken Jillson in the backyard of their Laguna Beach home 24 years ago to
raise money to launch ASF. That first show and subsequent productions took place in and around their swimming pool.
The show’s audience grew over the years and ultimately the production was moved to the Laguna Festival. However, a
portable pool and synchronized swimming remained a mainstay of all the “Big Splash” events.
Over the years, “The Big Splash” gained considerable notoriety and generated a number of stories. One of Jillson’s
favorites is that of Leslie Barry, the show’s lighting designer for many years who started as an ASF Splash volunteer while
earning $10 an hour at Cal Stage Lighting. According to Jillson, who produced, wrote and directed every show, Leslie
managed to put herself through law school while working, volunteering for ASF and helping raise her family. Says Jillson:
“This year Leslie outbid everyone for the $7,000 Tiffany Shopping Spree featured in the live auction. It was Leslie’s way of
giving back to ASF for all of the wonderful years the Splash had given her.”
Al Roberts, ASF’s founding president said that even though the “Big Splash” has concluded, the need to raise money to
help clients goes on. “Splash was an example of how a group of people had a vision, stuck with it despite the odds and
created something very successful. Now as ASF turns 25 it is time for a new group to step up with their vision and create
the next “Big Splash.”
Thanks to the following generous individuals, companies and organizations for making Splash 2009 possible:
Major Donors
$25,000+
William J. Gillespie
Mark Porterfield & Steve Chadima
Al Roberts & Ken Jillson
Anita May Rosenstein / Wilbur May Foundation
$20,000+
Nicholas J. Labedz
$10,000+
Anonymous
Marilyn C. Brewer
Howard Gleicher & Damon Chen
Allan D. Simon
Dick & Britney Weil
$5,000+
Jeffrey Benedick & Duane Vajgrt, M.D.
Judy Fluor Runels & Dick Runels
Blake Franklin & Tom Getgood
Mark Guillod & Alan Miller
Rick Silver
$2,500+
Jim Doria & John Wilson /
Richard & Paola Bisson
BNY Mellon Wealth Management / Jim
Fletcher
Bob Evans & Steve Mitchell
Hoot & Leslie Gibson
Mark Gonzales / Megan Gorman
Janice M. Johnson
Jorge Rodriguez / Frank Bianchini
Hugh Rouse & Leonard Olds
David W. Schaar
Fred Siegel
Dennis C. Sieting
T & T Development Co. / Thomas Panno
& Tony Maquet
Ed Todeschini & John Ferrante
Greg Weaver / Sheldon Harte & John Combs /
Karen Ellis & Sandra Hartness
Larry Will
$1,200+
Craig Benedetti & Alex Acosta
Gerry Bodamer & Mike Lewis
Dominic L. Bosco & Jack Reising
Kevin Broadwater & James Vaughn
Mike and Nancy Brown
Joseph Carberry, M.D. & Tim Turner
David Canzoneri & Eric Cortina
Michael Cole
Ron Dier & Jock Stalker
Hung Fan & Michael Feldman
The Flor Stor / Tom Ray
Marc Glasser
Kris Hansemann
Randy Harmat & Dr. Eugenio Vazquez
Robert G. Haskell
John Holcombe / Kent Rhodes
Jeffrey Johnston & Jim Urbina
Dave Kiff
Jack & Susie Kenefick
David Koontz / Jim Brophy
Dr. Tom Lochner
Shereen Loth
Mike McConnell & Mike Baum
Maria I. Marquez
Mary Lou Mooney
Judith A. Morr
Glen Morse & Douglas Coe / Dr. Elliott
Kornhauser & Dr. Joe Baker
Link Newcomb & Micah Leslie
John O’Neill & Ed Smith
Christopher Quilter / Dorene & Lee Butler
Steven Saucer / Bank of America Foundation
Ernie Schmider & Omar Rodriguez
Frank Schools / Dr. Max Schneider & Ron Smelt
Shanti Orange County
Jose Tellez & Joe Wilkins
David Thomas & Kevin Mundt
Barbara & Stan Tkaczyk
EJ Tracy
Larry Tracy & Ted Dietlin
Allan Weiss
Major In-Kind Donors
$25,000+
Tiffany & Company / Michael Botsko
Mark’s Restaurant
$20,000+
California Stage & Lighting, Inc.
$10,000+
American Airlines
Beaulieu Vineyards
$5,000+
Bill Atkins Design
Leslie Barry
Bright Ideas Lighting by Greg Christy
Mike Carter
Fairmont Hotel
Ray McElroy
Pacific Wine and Spirits
Bill Park
RCC, Inc.
Sean Patrick Small, D.Min.
Sundried Tomato Café & Catering
$2,500+
Accurate Staging
The Blade
King Design+Marketing
St. Regis Hotel
8 THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10

Guests were greeted with a sea of Tiffany
blue boxes on the dinner tables.
Each guest received a beautiful
Plaid Crystal bowl compliments
of Tiffany & Co., South Coast Plaza.
ASF would like to thank Mr. Michael
Botsko, Store Director, for their generous
donation valued at $18,000.
THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10 9

News from the Friends of Dorothy
Annual Haunted Halloween closes out another
wildly successful fundraising season for ASF
More than 250 people dressed as ghosts, goblins, pirates,
fairies and assorted other characters descended on the Village
Crean Estate in Newport Beach for the third annual Friends of
Dorothy Haunted Halloween Costume Party on October 24.
“We raised $43,000 at Haunted Halloween, topping the
$40,000 we made last year. During the 2009 season of fun
raising we have raised $100,232 for ASF. It has been a banner
year for the guild even in a bad economy,” said Barbara
Venezia, Dorothys’ founder and ASF board vice president.
The Haunted Halloween Party was the fourth and
concluding party in the Dorothy’s fundraising season which
included the “Lexus of Newport Cinco de Mayo” event, “Macy’s Impulse
for Fashion” and “Laugh Out Loud with the Dorothys”.
Haunted Halloween event sponsors and underwriters included
Mark Eskander, J.R. Universal Construction, Western Allied, Source
Systems, Andy and Sol Sandro-Yepes, Mary and Carl Raymond,
Pacific Plumbing, and DPR Construction.
A number of companies provided in-kind donations which
largely off-set event costs as well. Dinner was provided by Billy’s
Naked Chicken and the Barefoot Winery donated wine. Desserts,
sodas and waters were made possible by Am-Com. Tables, chairs
and other items were arranged through Classic Party Rentals.
The party included a hotly contested costume competition. Among the
prize winners were:
• The Scariest costume prize went to Brownie Brown who came as
the “Red Devil”
• The Best Group costume award went to Emily Thompson, Jeremy
Krout, Bridgit Silvestri, Lou and Mary Beth Volpini for “The Mod Squad”
• Best Couple’s costume was awarded to Liz and Arash Samadani
who dressed up as an “Ambulance and Ambulance Chaser”
• The Best Men’s costume went to Tom Ray as “Phantom of the Opera”
“Since the guild started in 2007 we have now raised $309,500 for
ASF and all because of the dedication and hard work of the men
and women who volunteer their time and energy for the Friends
of Dorothy Guild,” Venezia reported. s
A nearly constant fixture at every Friends of Dorothy event this season
was professional photographer Doug Gifford. Doug generously
donated his time ensuring ASF and the Dorothys have terrific
photographs they can use to build awareness about ASF services.
10 THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10

Membership
Chairman
Barbara Venezia
Vice Chair
Steve Bond
Membership Chair
Guy Babusek
PR Chair
Tim Dunn
Steering Committee
Jeannette Alden
Shannon Bishop
Michelle Burton
Bunny Clark
Joey Crabtree
Richard Burnley
Terry Delonas
Eve Kornyei
Mark Eskander
Patti Gordon
Dean Jones
Pat Kennedy
Geoffrey Laing
Jill Lloyd
Tony Mosqueda
Annemarie Miller-Jones
Lesley Nolen
John & Shauna Oyler
Ervin Page
Ty Rose
James Rust
Scott Sackin
John Schoffield
Nick St. Royal
Stan Tkaczy
Kevin Young
Andrea Waite
Vince Workman
Dee W. IEye
Renee West
Robin Wong
Wizard Members
Mark B Eskander
Stan Hanson
& Eve Kornyei
Jeannie Moriarty
Al Roberts
& Ken Jillson
Pol & Andy
Sandro-Yepes
Emerald City Members
Charles Mills
Mary Raymond
Ruby Slippers Members
Guy Babusek
Storm Bartling
David & Heidi Bennett
Steve Bond
Marilyn Brewer
Dan & Maureen
Callahan
Jeffrey Elder & Karla
Kjellin-Elder
Leonardo Flores
Jill Lloyd / Jill Lloyd &
Associates, Inc.
Barbara Venezia Tkaczyk
& Stan Tkaczyk
Yellow Brick Road Members
Charlie Gambetta
Steve Gough
& Jenny Devlin
Jo-E Immel
Dave Kiff
& Tom Lochner
Kevin Lukomski
Lian Murray
Dr. Katherine Nitta
Rita Phillips
Tom & Lynda Salinger
John H & Loretta Smith
Toto Members
Donna Anderson
Lisa Bartlett
Kenya Beckman
Bruce & Victoria Berman
Loren Blackwood
& Richard Moriarty
Kim Perry Brown
Michael Brown
Michelle Burton
Shirley Chaffers
Janet Curci
Michael Donohoe
Tim Dunn
Kathrine &
James Emmi
Kevin Farrell
Janet C Fosdick
Peggy Goldwater-Clay
Mark Guillod
& Alan Miller
Ann Hirschman
Gary Jones
Cynthia Koller
Casey Lesher
Barbara Lohman
Maria Marquez
Robert McCarthy
Betsy McCormick
Mindy & David Mullen
Marsha Orlin
Dean Padulo
Marla & Russ Patterson
Jerry Richards
Rene Rodarte
Ty Rose
Carol Rudat
James Rust
Scott Sackin
Mary Slouka
Amy Stoody
Jeff Stuckhardt
& Bill Lawrence
Duane Vajgrt
& Jeff Benedick
Jean Venezia
Shelly Virkstis
Matthew Vujovich
Andrea Waite
Alan Witchey
Phil Yaeger
Vicki Zimmerman
John Zinsmeyer
Munchkin Members
Carol K Abe
Jeannette Alden
Mark Allison
Barbara Amstadter
Silbert
& Suzanne Aragon
Judy Barry
Linda Beck
Lorna Berle
Frank Bianchini
& Joe Ramondetta
Julie Bower
Charles Brickell
Meg Britton
Michael Brophy
Scot Brown
Suzanne Bukema
Richard Burnley
Diana Canty
Carolyn Carr
Mike & Susan
Christiansen
Nancy Clark
Katrina Cobrin
Danielle K Craig
Jane E Cramer
Jessica Crovetto
Mr & Mrs James Dailey
Ruth Ding
Matt Erdman
Wiley Foults
& Walter Robinson
Todd Franklin
Nancy Gardner
Doug & Karen Gifford
Richard Gillette
Lisa Gordon
Megan Gorman
Charles Groux
David Hanson
Gary Hensley
John Holcombe
Tiffany Israel
Ramy Jarallah
Dale Jenkins
Dean Jones
Kevin Kamm
Terry Kerley
Linda Kutzke
Geoff Laing
Charles Lapple
Richard Layna
Christie Leach
Toby Lent
Elyse Lewin
Shonna Lindo
Abigail Lloyd
Bill Long
Robert Lord
Richard Lusk
Dennis Maravardi
Marc Marger
Lee & Racheal McCabe
Kelly McCann MD
Jeanne McCormack
Eileen McNamara
Chris Merritt
Metro Car Wash
Frank Mickadeit
Steve & Terry Miller
Sue Ann Miller
Annemarie Miller-Jones
Nancy Moore
Terry Moore-Pfeiger
Lori Morris
Susan Neas
Tom Neas
Karen Nilausen
Lesley Nolen
Maureen Olsen
Deniece Orduna
John Oxenham
Shauna Oyler
Jean Pasco
Cameron Pearce
Marcia Pendjer
Rev Mara Pennell
Leah Petersen
Jane Petree
Philip Poggi
Ann Quilter
Emily Quilter
Kenneth Raaf
Tom Ray
Chele Rubendall
James Rust
David Sanford
Steve Saucer
Dennis Sieting
Susie Skelly
Julie Smith
& Karen Cera
Patrick Stanton
Jonathan Stelmach
Joan Stevens
Scott & Jackie Stoney
Barbara Taylor
Emily Thompson
Murray Todd
Jacqueline Tzen
Julianna Van Den Berg
Frans Van Overeem
Stephanie Voss
Rene West
Ziggy Williams
Joe Willis
& James Forchilli
Tony Woltman
Jeffrey Wynne
Since its inception in 2007, the Friends of Dorothy Guild has raised $309,500 for AIDS Services Foundation thanks to friends like you!
If you’d like to be on our Evite list for these events, send an e-mail to bvontv@earthlink.net. You can always sign up to become a
Dorothy Munchkin at www.friendsofdorothy.com.
THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10 11

Health Fair Draws Hundreds
ASF organizes event as part of
National Latino AIDS Awareness Day activities
More than 1,500 people took advantage of a wide range of health
screening tests and HIV prevention education information at the
National Latino AIDS Awareness Day Health Fair held October 11 at
Fiesta Marketplace in Santa Ana. ASF coordinated the event which
included cholesterol, diabetes, vision, hearing and anonymous HIV
testing among a variety of other services.
Andrea Coulson, ASF’s director of Community Outreach led the
organizing committee which arranged the event.
“This was a well-attended event that provided real and tangible
assistance to an underserved population,” said Coulson. “Many
of the people that came don’t have health insurance and simply
can’t afford to pay for the tests and screenings that were freely
made available.”
Interest was so great that the fair actually opened earlier than
planned and remained open well past the official closing.
More than 360 diabetes tests were conducted and 180 eighty
people took advantage of cholesterol testing. Forty HIV tests were
also administered. Volunteers from the Orange County Visiting Nurses
Association and AltaMed Health Services offered weight, height and other
vital sign screenings. Anaheim Medical Clinics and Salud Clinica Medica
managed cholesterol and diabetes testing. Over 600 of those attending
the fair were able to complete all of the testing.
In addition, 120 people had dental screenings and about 80 people,
mostly children, had vision testing.
The fair was an effective way to share AIDS prevention information in
the Latino community where the epidemic is growing at an alarming
rate. “By working directly in the community we were able to reach a lot
of people that need information on how to avoid the HIV virus,” said Coulson. s
SPONSORS
Garden Grove Pharmacy
Walgreen’s
A-Med Pharmacy
Gilead Pharmaceuticals
Kohl’s
La Curacao
Fiesta Marketplace
La Pizza Loca
Fair Volunteers
Orange County Chapter,
American Red Cross
University of California, Irvine,
Medical School Students
ENTERTAINMENT
Orange County
High School
of the Arts
Relampgo del Cielo
12 THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10

Secret Angels Needed
ASF Volunteers Honored
ASF Seeking Holiday Donations
for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS
Once again ASF hopes to make holiday
wishes for about 200 kids come true this
December through its Secret Angels
project. The agency is seeking donors
who can either provide a $50 gift card or
a gift for each participating child.
“It’s easy to get involved,“ says
Laurie Barber, ASF’s Family Program
coordinator. “Just visit the Target
link at http://www.target.com/
lists/13CPSJ2RHTXOA to view the
list of gift items being sought for
participating children. Make a purchase
or purchases from the list and deliver
the gifts to ASF.”
The alternative says Barber is to simply
donate a $50 gift card that can be
used to buy the child’s desired gift.
Kids served by the program come
from families struggling to make ends
meet. Holiday gifts are not high on the
priority list much as parents may want
to provide them. Secret Angels donate
the gifts but the children think they
come from their parents.
“This is a very important aspect of our
project,” said Barber. “Living with HIV/
AIDS is really hard for our kids and their
folks. Secret Angels allows the children
the opportunity to have a sense of
normalcy and gives their parents some
much needed help making their kids’
wishes come true.”
Participating children range in age from
infants up to 17 years old.
Purchased gifts and gift cards should
be delivered to ASF by December 11
to ensure the donations reach all of
the children. s
For more information on the Secret
Angels project, contact Laurie Barber
at 949-809-5710.
When Joan Bender began volunteering in ASF’s food pantry 20 years
ago it was just one quarter the size it is today. Every week since those
early days, Joan has volunteered to help make this important service
available to the men, woman and children in Orange County living
with HIV/AIDS.
Because of her commitment, Joan was one of several volunteers
honored for their service to ASF on Saturday, October 17. About 70
people attended the event hosted at Rock Harbor Church including
board members, volunteers and staff.
Board president Maria Marquez was on hand to personally thank and
recognize the volunteers. Phil Yaeger, ASF executive director assisted
in handing out the volunteer awards.
“This was a great opportunity to thank all of our volunteers,” said Marc
Marger, ASF’s director of Support Services. “We’re especially grateful
to Kirsten Nielsen and Kelly O’Dell of Rock Harbor for their personal
assistance in coordinating the event.”
Joan Bender, one of ASF’s 20 Year Volunteers receiving her award from Phil Yaeger. Living in
New York in the 1980s, she was close to parents whose sons were suffering from AIDS and
emotionally supported her own son, whose friends were being affected by the disease.
Among those honored were:
20 Years of Inspiration 2009 15 Years of Dedication 2009
Mike Carter
Cynthia Condit
Craig Benedetti
Scott Sackin
Joan Bender
Frank Turro
10 Years of Caring 2009 5 Years of Service 2009
Dr. Edward Smith
Matt Foust
Debbie Barber
Alvin Williams
Austin Nation
Thora Fletcher
Kathi Winter
Martha Vallejo
Gloria Lucio
Dr. Hung Fan
Shawn Coakley
Bill Morris
Vivianna Foust
Jan Paul
Joan Crawford
Kathy Peviani
Frank Schools
THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10 13

Act Against AIDS Update
Partnership with National African-American Organizations Extends Reach of
“Act Against AIDS” Campaign
In the previous issue of The Voice we included an article about the recently announced “Act Against AIDS”
campaign launched by President Barrack Obama’s Administration in late spring. Here is an update
including specific initiatives being undertaken to reach African-American audiences with prevention and
education messages.
The White House is partnering with 14 of the nation’s
leading African-American civic organizations in its Act
Against AIDS Leadership Initiative (AAALI). The purpose
of these new relationships is to integrate HIV prevention
into each organization’s outreach programs.
The initiative will work with leading organizations
in multiple sectors of the black community –
civic, business, media and education – to deliver
campaign messages and conduct community
outreach activities.
The initiative’s participants include: 100
Black Men of America, American Urban
Radio Networks, Coalition of Black Trade
Unionists, Congressional Black Caucus
Foundation, National Action Network,
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP), National Coalition of 100
Black Women, National Council of
Negro Women, National Medical
Association, National Newspaper
Publishers Association, National Organization of Black
County Officials, National Urban League, Phi Beta Sigma
and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
While many of the organizations have long been
committed to addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis among
African-Americans, the new initiative will enable
each organization to support a full-time HIV/AIDS
coordinator to promote the use of the “Act Against
AIDS” campaign materials and messages through the
organizations’ national and local networks; enhance
their HIV prevention activities; and collaborate with
other AAALI partners, members of the African American
faith community and the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
“Reducing the disproportionate toll of HIV in black
communities is one of CDC’s top domestic HIV
prevention priorities, and African-American leaders
have long played an essential role in this fight,” said
Kevin Fenton, M.D., Director of CDC’s National
Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB
Prevention (NCHHSTP). “This new initiative
will further harness the collective strength
of some of the nation’s leading African-
American organizations to reach directly
into the communities they serve with
critical, life-saving information.”
The “Act Against AIDS” campaign
is only one component of CDC’s
HIV prevention efforts for African-
American and other communities at risk, which
include tracking the course of the HIV and AIDS crisis,
conducting research to develop new HIV prevention
approaches, expanding access to HIV testing and
delivering proven prevention programs for those at
greatest risk through its nationwide partnerships with
state and local health departments and communitybased
organizations. s
For more information on the “Act Against AIDS” campaign and partner activities, please visit www.
aids.gov or www.cdc.gov/hiv/aaa.
14 THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10

August 1 - October 31, 2009
Memorials, Tributes & Grants
tributes
In Honor of all those who are alone
Sean M. Seeley
In Honor of Miss Youngworth
In gratitude for her support of people with HIV
and other disabilities,
Louis D. Nealon
In Honor of my friends
Joe Ramondetta and Jack Hertzberg
Pauline Thomas
In Honor of Ken and Al
For their tireless work on Splash,
Duane Vajgrt and Jeff Benedick
In Honor of Laura Allen’s completion
of the Long Beach Marathon
Marie V. Allen
in Honor of Burt Hixson
Happy 70th Birthday,
Gordon Cowan and Dwight Spiers
in Honor of Burt Hixson
Happy 70th Birthday,
Al Roberts and Ken Jillson
grants
MAC AIDS Fund - $30,000
Nutrition Services Program
Memorials
In Memory of James K. Dang
Jerry Dang
In Memory of James Salmon
Darrell E. Spaulding
In Memory of Kenny M.
John R. Partington, Jr.
In Memory of Gene Ray Richardson
Always in our hearts, Patricia Richardson
In Memory of Dino Gomez
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur R. Gomez
In Memory of Jeff
Abraham and Lila Abramowitz
In Memory of John Beezley
Blake T. Franklin and Tom Getgood
In Memory of Richard Mazurek, M.D.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas O’Keefe
As of July 31, 2009
In Memory of Danny Breson
The kindest, most gentle and loving man I’ve ever known.
Rest in peace, Ronald White
In Memory of Hugh Crawford
A longtime supporter of ASF
Our prayers go out to his longtime partner Patrick Daltroff
Al Roberts and Ken Jillson
In Memory of Dave Weston
Longtime supporter of ASF
Our prayers go out to his longtime partner Craig Asher
Al Roberts and Ken Jillson
Allergan Foundation - $5,000
HIV Testing
Irvine Health Foundation - $5,000
Information Technology Support
Kaiser Permanente - $25,000
Case Management
Laguna Beach HIV Advisory Committee - $800
Case Management
Wells Fargo Foundation - $10,000
Transportation
Visit
www.ocasf.org
for
details
about
local
observances.
THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10 15

Tickets Going Fast!
ASF’s “Bells, Bows and Balls” Holiday Event
Back by Popular Demand
Last year’s ASF holiday party “Bells, Bows and Balls” was such a success, raising
more than $60,000 for the agency that organizers have decided to hold it again.
This year the party takes place Wednesday, December 2 at the Shark Club from
6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The Shark Club is located at 841 Baker Street, Costa Mesa.
“There was such a terrific response to “Bells, Bows and Balls” that we decided to do
it again,” said Frank Bianchini, committee chair and ASF board member. “It is especially important that we use this very
successful event to raise some much needed money to help the people of Orange County living with HIV/AIDS.”
Several local restaurants will be featured as a part of the “Taste of Costa Mesa” theme. In addition to great food and a fully
hosted bar will be music performed by the Tijuana Dogs Band. Live and silent auctions are also planned to raise more
money. The ASF Kids Club will have their handmade holiday ornaments available for purchase as well. One hundred
percent of the night’s proceeds benefit ASF client services. s
Ticket prices (valet parking included for each 2 guests over the $250 gift):
Holiday Bell Ticket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $65 admits one
Holiday Bow VIP Gift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $250 admits up to two
Holiday Cheer VIP Gift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $500 admits up to four
Holiday Ball VIP Gift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,000 admits up to eight
Tickets for “Bells, Bows and Balls”, which
is expected to sell out, are available at
www.ocasf.org or by calling Chris Bragg
at ASF at (949) 809-8760. Guests must
be 21 or older to attend.
Dance 4 The Cure
New Year’s Eve Party to benefit ASF
Join us for a fun-filled evening of food, music, drink, and especially
dancing at the Anaheim White House Restaurant on Thursday,
December 31 at “Dance 4 The Cure” an annual New Year’s Eve bash
created to raise money for ASF.
“Dance 4 The Cure” was started in 2008 by Dr. David Petreccia, an
infectious disease physician from Fullerton, to actively express his
appreciation for all that ASF has done for his patients and their families
over the years. Together with his wife, family and friends, Dr. Petreccia is
organizing this year’s event with a goal of generating $20,000 for ASF.
A variety of ticket levels are available for purchase through ASF’s web site at www.ocasf.org. Go to the “Dance 4 The Cure”
button for more information.
The Anaheim White House Restaurant is located at 887 South Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim. Dress is holiday, semi-formal.
Evening festivities begin at 7 p.m. and conclude at 1 a.m. s
THE VOICE nov 09 - jan 10 16