voice - AIDS Services Foundation Orange County

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Inside this issue FEATURES Act Against AIDS ........................................................... 4 ASF Family Reunion ..................................................... 7 Big Splash – Going Out in Style ................................... 8-9 Friends of Dorothy Launch Fundraising Season ........ 10-12 OC AIDS Walk ........................................................... 13 Pursuing a Renewed National HIV/AIDS Strategy .......... 14 DEPARTMENTS Letter from the Executive Director .................................. 3 Letter from the Board President .................................... 4 HIV in the News ............................................................. 5 Donors & Supporters .......................................... 6, 12, 15 Memorials, Tributes & Grants........................................ 15 Save the Dates ............................................................. 16 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 life-enhancing 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 Terry Delonas Hung Fan, Ph.D. Megan Gorman Arnold Henson, M.D. Ken Jillson Abigail Lloyd Al Roberts Jorge Rodriguez, M.D. Arash Samadani Patrick Stanton Ed Todeschini Duane Vajgrt, M.D. Founding President Al Roberts Board of Directors Executive Director Philip Yaeger Advisory Board The Honorable Marilyn C. Brewer, Chair State Assembly, Retired Barbara Boxer U.S. Senator Dean Corey Executive Director, O.C. Philharmonic Society 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 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 AUG-OCT, 2009 Vol. 20 No. 3 Editor: Barbara Lohman Associate Editor: Tahereh Jaafari Photography Intern: Rhett Roback Design & Layout: King Graphic Design Printing Services: Richard Baca, Printing Division
From Philip Yaeger, Executive Director Many of you have likely followed the state of California budget saga this year. After weeks of stalemate we finally have one – but not without significant cost. Some quick background: In May, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a budget cut of $80.1 million to eliminate state funding for California’s HIV/AIDS programs administered through the state’s Office of AIDS Prevention and Treatment. The governor’s proposed budget cut would have eliminated state funding of most prevention, education and surveillance programs that help fight and track the disease. The cut would have affected HIV testing, types of drugs available to the poor and prevention programs that target those most at risk of contracting the HIV virus. On June 10 busloads of protesters from across California converged on the state Capitol to rally on behalf of HIV/AIDS funding. Their efforts were somewhat successful. The joint legislative budget committee rejected the Governor’s plan to cut $80.1 million from HIV/AIDS programs, and instead the committee voted to reduce the $80.1 million proposed cut to $33.5 million. So while not perfect, the joint committee did essentially spare HIV/AIDS services. After weeks of wrangling the budget impasse was broken and a compromise was reached and agreed to by state representatives and the governor. But as he was signing the budget July 28 the governor decided to use his veto power to re-visit some programs – including HIV/AIDS funding. The bottom line: another $489 million in additional cuts in education, health care and state parks among others were made – including another $52 million for HIV/AIDS. This cut means there will be no state spending on HIV/AIDS prevention, testing or education or housing services for people living with the disease. The state will continue paying for AIDS medications and tracking of the epidemic. The shortsightedness of this should not be lost on anyone regardless of how they feel about the budget process and politics. The simple fiscal truth is it is far less expense to prevent HIV/AIDS in the first place than the cost of caring for someone with the disease. The state will still be responsible for the care of many of these patients, estimated by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation at about $600,000 over the course of their lifetime. No one knows for certain what the ultimate outcome will be. But it is safe to say these cuts will impact ASF and every other organization in the state serving people with HIV/AIDS. Clearly we have our work cut out for us. But we’ve been here before. ASF was founded by a small group of people who saw an emerging but unattended crisis growing in the community. I’m confident our Board, donors, staff and volunteers will do everything possible to ensure ASF continues to serve the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in Orange County. d THE VOICE aug-oct 09 3
Page 1: THE aug-Oct 2009 Vol. 20 • No. 3
Page 5 and 6: HIV in the News Kaiser Foundation r
Page 7 and 8: Family Reunion and Open House attra
Page 9 and 10: Big Splash! “Splash has been such
Page 11 and 12: Friends of Dorothy Fundraisers Laug
Page 13 and 14: Another ASF Home Run! More than 5,0
Page 15 and 16: Memorials As of July 31, 2009 In Me

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