HIV is not just transmitted by sex

January 22, 2018

Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron was born and raised in South Africa, where she grew up around #HIV and experienced people dying from #AIDS. As a result, she founded the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (@ctaop), an organization that helps fund and support local nonprofits fighting AIDS, with a focus on youth in South Africa.

October 2018 Newsletter

October 25, 2018

October 2018 Quick Links Our Website Donate Now Email Us       FAM Board of Directors      Mark Lehman, Chair    Irwin Rappaport, Vice-Chair    Craig Dougherty, Treasurer    J. Hobart, Secretary      Bobby Benveniste    Bruce Brown    Peggy Callahan Rogerio Carvalheiro    Bobby Heller    Mark Itkin    Jason H. Kennedy    Irene Kim, MD    Jorge Mellado    Michael Nutt    Stephen Simon    Dimple Thakkar    Marc Ware    Todd Williamson       John Gile    Development Consultant Special Thanks   Foundation for The AIDS Monument is extremely grateful and honored to recognize our naming sponsors who have donated or pledged to donate $100,000 or more. Naming Sponsors Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Foundation Visit West Hollywood County of Los Angeles State of California   We’d also like to offer a very special thank you to those who have donated or pledged to donate $25,000 or more. AIDS Healthcare Foundation Patricia Anawalt Neal Baer Larry Block Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Thomas Buttgenbach Foundation Bruce Brown Takashi Cheng Enrique Cheng-Robles, MD Nevin Dolcefino Craig Dougherty & Tony Leonhardt GUESS Foundation Bobby Heller & Charly Shahin Kevin Huvane Mark Itkin & Bradley Bayou Elton John AIDS Foundation Kathy Griffin Andrew J. Kuehn Jr. Foundation Eugene LaPietra Foundation Mark Lehman & Gabriel Pacheco Bryan Lourd & Bruce Bozzi MAC AIDS Fund Tom R. McClay & Mike Feddersen Jerome Murray & Jason Gallaher Jonathan Murray & Harvey Reese Irwin Rappaport Herb Ritts Foundation Mike Rose & Ruben Rodriguez The Shulman Family Foundation Sharon Stone Bruce Stuart Ruth Tittle Marc Ware Silva Watson Moonwalk Fund Wells Fargo Trammell Whitfield J & Mary Wilberding-Hobart Kevin W. Williams ______________________________ Foundation for The AIDS Monument was recently named a Gold GuideStar Nonprofit participant! This leading symbol of nonprofit transparency and accountability is presented by GuideStar, the world’s largest source of nonprofit information. Check out our GuideStar Nonprofit Profile and tell us what you think! ________________________ Hold a Fundraiser on Facebook for Stories: The AIDS Monument Please consider raising money to benefit Stories: The AIDS Monument. If you’d like to create a Facebook fundraiser for us, please follow the instructions below: 1. Visit our Facebook Fundraising Page and select “+Raise Money“ 2. The Basics – Choose how much you would like to raise (i.e. $1,000) and when the fundraiser should end. 3. Tell Your Story – Here you can change the title of the fundraiser and add in any message you want to include as to why you are fundraising for us! 4. After completing your message, click create to include the pre-set cover photo and create your fundraiser! 5. Invite all of your friends to donate and help you reach your goal! If you are having difficulty creating a fundraiser for us, please watch this tutorial video! Thank you for supporting Stories: The AIDS Monument! _____________  FOLLOW US:  @TheAIDSMonument    @TheAIDSMonument    @TheAIDSMonument Tony Valenzuela is Named Executive Director of The Foundation for The AIDS Monument   The Board of Directors of The Foundation for The AIDS Monument (FAM) is pleased to announce that Tony Valenzuela has been selected to be the organization’s next Executive Director.   Valenzuela is a longtime community activist and nonprofit leader in LGBTQ, HIV/AIDS, and arts communities. He most recently served as Executive Director of Lambda Literary for nine years where he presided over significant revenue and programmatic growth.   “We’re thrilled that Tony Valenzuela has come on board as our new Executive Director at this crucial time for our organization,” said Board of Directors Chair, Mark Lehman. “In the upcoming year Tony will lead us through the final design development of the AIDS Monument art piece, work with us to continue our remarkable fundraising efforts, and marshal our resources to flesh out and expand the development and delivery of online and on-site content and programming. Tony brings with him a unique set of management skills, vast experience in the non-profit arena, and expansive contacts in and connections with the local and national HIV/AIDS community that will be great assets for FAM going forward. I personally look forward to working hand in hand with Tony to realize FAM’s and West Hollywood’s dreams for what the AIDS Monument will be.”   Previously Mr. Valenzuela had worked at Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services in Los Angeles, and the LGBTQ Community Center in San Diego. Since the 1990’s he has been a leader in the gay men’s health and HIV/AIDS communities.    “No issue has shaped my life as profoundly as the AIDS epidemic,” said Valenzuela. “Today, as we reflect on the darkest years of the 1980’s and 90’s and continue to grapple with an intractable epidemic, especially in communities of color, I consider it paramount to understand where we’ve been and where we’re going, to honor the legacies of the hundreds of thousands of brilliant souls lost to the plague in the U.S., and to educate the public about the history of the epidemic so that we never face a similar calamity again.”   STORIES: The AIDS Monument will memorialize the devastation of AIDS on our nation, and will honor the courage of activists, caregivers, and community leaders, while creating community programming to address the cultural impact of the AIDS crisis. The Monument will be in West Hollywood Park, the most prominent public space in the City. It will be a work of art with global significance, and an iconic landmark for the City. The AIDS Monument Fundraising Updates We are pleased to announce that the State of California awarded a $250,000 grant to help build the Monument, thanks to the dedicated advocacy and commitment of California State Senator Ben Allen. Additionally, Assembly Member Richard Bloom helped carry the measure through the State Assembly. Thanks to the advocacy efforts in Sacramento of our development consultant John Gile, former Executive Director Michael Ferrera, and Board member Stephen Simon, and numerous community partners who helped bring this forward. The grant was announced by Sen. Allen at a fundraising event on June 28th at the home of Mitch Hollander and Mike Mooney. The same night, John Gile announced that Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning producer and New York Giants Chairman Steve Tisch pledged a generous $100,000 donation. The Tisch family have been extraordinary philanthropists in the fight against AIDS since the very early days of the epidemic.  The event featured an emotional and entertaining speech from our honored guest and Council of Advisors member Sheryl Lee Ralph.     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.    We invite you to visit STORIES: The AIDS Monument’s refreshed website to share your stories, watch moving videos, and keep up with the ongoing progress of the AIDS Monument. The Unit: Lessons on Living and Dying On September 25th Cedars-Sinai and STORIES: The AIDS Monument hosted a screening of The Unit: Lessons on Living and Dying, a short documentary feature produced by STORIES Board Member 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 evening was emceed by board member Jason Daley Kennedy, featured remarks by Cedars Chief Advancement Officer Art Ochoa, and concluded with a remarkable panel discussion, moderated by Peggy and featuring STORIES Advisory Council Member Dr. Michael Gottlieb, as well as Jennifer White-Gellar, Dee Dee Klute, Peter Anderson and Dr. Eric Daar, all of whom were featured in the documentary. Look for more panel discussions and screenings in late 2018 and next year as we continue to tell your STORIES! Please visit our website and make a donation at www.aidsmonument.org. Foundation for The AIDS Monument is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization.

 

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/

Pioneering AIDS Researcher Dr. Mathilde Krim, Who Battled The Virus And Stigma, Dead At Age 91

January 22, 2018

“The dawn of the AIDS crisis was a time of chaos, confusion and misinformation. But there was one woman who saw the devastation and dedicated herself to raising public awareness about its cause and treatment. Dr. Mathilde Krim, a pioneer in the battle against HIV/AIDS passed away Monday at age 91.” (via NewNowNext)