Category: News
October 2018 Newsletter
October 25, 2018
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Special thanks to Eric McCormack, star of Will & Grace for hosting a cocktail party at the home of Mark Itkin and Bradley Bayou. Eric and his wife Janet have been supporting the Monument since its inception and helped raise an additional $50,000 at this event thanks to the support of Takashi Cheng and Linda Janger, who both made leadership gifts to the Foundation, and many other donors that we proudly welcome to our Monument donor circle. 
STORIESTelling: A Conversation on Hollywood & HIV/AIDS
May 12, 2019
On April 10th, 2019 STORIES: The AIDS Monument hosted STORIESTelling: Hollywood & AIDS. The panel discussion featured industry leaders in conversation about Hollywood’s response to HIV/AIDS and how HIV/AIDS impacted Hollywood. We were honored to have Lee Daniels, Nevin Dolcefino, Brian Graden, Daniel Lipman, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Howard Rosenman, and Bruce Vilanch as our panelists with moderator Karl Schmid. Did you miss the event? No worries! We recorded it live on our Facebook page here.
STORIES: The AIDS Monument Brunch in Hancock Park
May 12, 2019
On March 31, 2019, Mike Rose & Ruben Rodriguez hosted a brunch fundraiser at their beautiful Hancock Park home for STORIES: The AIDS Monument. Guests included Wilson Cruz and Adam Rippon who each spoke at length about the importance of The AIDS Monument for the community. At the end of their powerful calls-to-action, thanks to our generous guests, the Foundation raised over $120,000, which included a $50,000 match from the Herb Ritts Foundation. Among the guests who generously donated was Jane Lynch who gave $25,000 and later encouraged her social media followers to support as well. See Jane’s Instagram post here.
Spring 2019 Executive Director’s Note
May 12, 2019
Dear Friends,
One of the most frequent questions I’m asked as FAM’s Executive Director is When is the Monument going to be finished? Here’s an update on the progress so far.
STORIES: The AIDS Monument will be the very last section completed in the major renovation currently underway at West Hollywood Park. To be located along San Vicente Boulevard just north of the steps of West Hollywood library, the Monument will stand where the old red brick recreation center now sits. The park construction timeline provided to FAM by the City of West Hollywood has us breaking ground in summer or fall of 2020. A major Dedication event for STORIES: The AIDS Monument is planned for early to mid-2021. It’s important to note that delays are common with large scale construction projects. While we believe groundbreaking and construction of the Monument are on the horizon, unforeseen delays could push our Dedication slightly further out. I’ll continue to share progress about the Monument’s construction in future newsletters.
Last month at a STORIESTelling event we hosted at NeueHouse, a number of prominent industry leaders gathered to talk about the impact of HIV/AIDS on Hollywood from the early days of the epidemic to the present. The conversation about films, documentaries, and TV shows that featured AIDS storylines brought back powerful memories. In 1985, when I was in the 11th grade, I locked myself in my bedroom to watch An Early Frost, the first major film about AIDS to air on network television. Starring Aidan Quinn, the Emmy-winning film is about a closeted gay man who learns he has AIDS and decides to disclose his homosexuality and his illness to his family. It was terrifying and devastating to watch as a 16 year old. And yet, that movie was profoundly important to me as a closeted gay high school student. Although I had never met an openly gay person much less anyone with AIDS in suburban 1980’s San Diego, in that film I could see a version of my future life even if some of it seemed bleak. My family is Mexican and Italian, not anglo like the film’s protagonist, but I still identified with his plight. That’s the power of the arts, of film and TV. That’s the power of stories. It was, therefore, a great honor to have the co-writer of An Early Frost, Daniel Lipman, among the panelists. I was able to tell Mr. Lipman that his film gave me a roadmap to navigate my percolating gay identity in the midst of the AIDS epidemic when before it I had none.
I invite you to learn more about our Hollywood & AIDS panel conversation here which, in addition to Mr. Lipman, also featured Lee Daniels, Nevin Dolcefino, Brain Graden, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Howard Rosenman, and Bruce Vilanch.
Approximately one year out from the Monument’s unveiling, FAM will be introducing a series of community engagement programs to inspire, educate and involve the citizens of West Hollywood and Los Angeles with STORIES. You’ll be hearing much more about FAM’s future programming later this year.
With much gratitude,
Watch the Award-Winning The Unit: Lessons on Living & Dying
May 13, 2019
The Unit: Lessons on Living & Dying
We invite you to see the critically acclaimed film The Unit: Lessons on Living and Dying, a short documentary feature directed by STORIES Board Member and filmmaker, Peggy Callahan.
Throughout much of the 80’s and 90’s, there was a strong dedicated team of individuals who devoted themselves to treating and caring for patients who otherwise would have gone untreated. This short film celebrates those who worked on this unit and educates us about the heroes who stepped up when much of the world stepped away.
The Unit has received numerous accolades including from Best Short of 2018, Impact Docs, the Independent Shorts Awards, the Mindfield Film Festival Los Angeles, Accolade Competition, Indie Short Fest, and the Queen Palm International Film Festival.
Start Fundraising on Facebook
January 22, 2018
Now it’s easier than ever to raise funds for us! Use the “Fundraiser” function on our Facebook page and create a Fundraiser today! It’s so simple, all you have to do is click this link: https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheAIDSMonument/fundraisers/
Latest News
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On April 10th, 2019 STORIES: The AIDS Monument hosted STORIESTelling: Hollywood & AIDS. The panel discussion featured industry leaders in conversation about Hollywood’s response to HIV/AIDS and how HIV/AIDS impacted Hollywood. We were honored to have Lee Daniels, Nevin Dolcefino, Brian Graden, Daniel Lipman, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Howard Rosenman, and Bruce Vilanch as our panelists with moderator Karl Schmid. Did you miss the event? No worries! We recorded it live on our Facebook page here.
On March 31, 2019, Mike Rose & Ruben Rodriguez hosted a brunch fundraiser at their beautiful Hancock Park home for STORIES: The AIDS Monument. Guests included Wilson Cruz and Adam Rippon who each spoke at length about the importance of The AIDS Monument for the community. At the end of their powerful calls-to-action, thanks to our generous guests, the Foundation raised over $120,000, which included a $50,000 match from the Herb Ritts Foundation. Among the guests who generously donated was Jane Lynch who gave $25,000 and later encouraged her social media followers to support as well. See Jane’s Instagram post here.
Dear Friends,
One of the most frequent questions I’m asked as FAM’s Executive Director is When is the Monument going to be finished? Here’s an update on the progress so far.
STORIES: The AIDS Monument will be the very last section completed in the major renovation currently underway at West Hollywood Park. To be located along San Vicente Boulevard just north of the steps of West Hollywood library, the Monument will stand where the old red brick recreation center now sits. The park construction timeline provided to FAM by the City of West Hollywood has us breaking ground in summer or fall of 2020. A major Dedication event for STORIES: The AIDS Monument is planned for early to mid-2021. It’s important to note that delays are common with large scale construction projects. While we believe groundbreaking and construction of the Monument are on the horizon, unforeseen delays could push our Dedication slightly further out. I’ll continue to share progress about the Monument’s construction in future newsletters.
Last month at a STORIESTelling event we hosted at NeueHouse, a number of prominent industry leaders gathered to talk about the impact of HIV/AIDS on Hollywood from the early days of the epidemic to the present. The conversation about films, documentaries, and TV shows that featured AIDS storylines brought back powerful memories. In 1985, when I was in the 11th grade, I locked myself in my bedroom to watch An Early Frost, the first major film about AIDS to air on network television. Starring Aidan Quinn, the Emmy-winning film is about a closeted gay man who learns he has AIDS and decides to disclose his homosexuality and his illness to his family. It was terrifying and devastating to watch as a 16 year old. And yet, that movie was profoundly important to me as a closeted gay high school student. Although I had never met an openly gay person much less anyone with AIDS in suburban 1980’s San Diego, in that film I could see a version of my future life even if some of it seemed bleak. My family is Mexican and Italian, not anglo like the film’s protagonist, but I still identified with his plight. That’s the power of the arts, of film and TV. That’s the power of stories. It was, therefore, a great honor to have the co-writer of An Early Frost, Daniel Lipman, among the panelists. I was able to tell Mr. Lipman that his film gave me a roadmap to navigate my percolating gay identity in the midst of the AIDS epidemic when before it I had none.
I invite you to learn more about our Hollywood & AIDS panel conversation here which, in addition to Mr. Lipman, also featured Lee Daniels, Nevin Dolcefino, Brain Graden, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Howard Rosenman, and Bruce Vilanch.
Approximately one year out from the Monument’s unveiling, FAM will be introducing a series of community engagement programs to inspire, educate and involve the citizens of West Hollywood and Los Angeles with STORIES. You’ll be hearing much more about FAM’s future programming later this year.
With much gratitude,
The Unit: Lessons on Living & Dying
We invite you to see the critically acclaimed film The Unit: Lessons on Living and Dying, a short documentary feature directed by STORIES Board Member and filmmaker, Peggy Callahan.
Throughout much of the 80’s and 90’s, there was a strong dedicated team of individuals who devoted themselves to treating and caring for patients who otherwise would have gone untreated. This short film celebrates those who worked on this unit and educates us about the heroes who stepped up when much of the world stepped away.
The Unit has received numerous accolades including from Best Short of 2018, Impact Docs, the Independent Shorts Awards, the Mindfield Film Festival Los Angeles, Accolade Competition, Indie Short Fest, and the Queen Palm International Film Festival.
Now it’s easier than ever to raise funds for us! Use the “Fundraiser” function on our Facebook page and create a Fundraiser today! It’s so simple, all you have to do is click this link: https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheAIDSMonument/fundraisers/