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Monthly E-Newsletter
for
February
2010
Dear Friends,
Please
join us Monday, February 22 for our Annual Meeting and
Appreciation Party, an overview of the people, events, and
accomplishments of TIHAN. It's a fun, inspirational hour,
designed just for you. Hope to see you there.
—Your
Friends at TIHAN
1.
Mark Your Calendars for TIHAN's Annual Meeting and Volunteer
Appreciation Party
2. Shining Our Light -
Educating and Activating Our Brothers and Sisters About HIV in
our African American Communities
3. March 10 is National
Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
4. Learn about Older
Adults and HIV
5. Join Us Every Tuesday
Night for TNT!
6.
Volunteer Orientation is Approaching – It's Easy to Get
Involved
7. Volunteer Spotlight
– Stephanie Hanson
8. Check Your Knowledge
of HIV: Test Question of the Month
9. TIHAN is Streamlining
Our Donor Acknowledgement Process – Want Us to Email Your
Donor Acknowledgement Letter?
10. TIHAN's Wish List
11. "Treasures for
TIHAN" Benefit Auction – Saturday, May 22
12.
Help Shape TIHAN's Educational Efforts!
13.
Volunteer Impact Reports
14.
TIHAN is Bonkers about Steve Rinehart
1.
Mark Your Calendars for
TIHAN's Annual Meeting and Volunteer Appreciation Party
TIHAN's Annual Meeting
will take place on Monday, February 22nd at St. Michael's and
All Angels Episcopal Church (602 N. Wilmot on the corner of
5th Street and Wilmot). The reception begins at 5:30pm and the
annual "year in pictures" slideshow and awards
ceremony runs from 6:00pm-7:00pm.
This event is a great way
to meet up with all the people who work so hard at TIHAN,
acknowledge TIHAN's dedicated volunteers, and reflect back on
2009 while indulging in good food and good company!
 Featuring
hors d'oeuvres,
our annual slide show
highlighting
the people
and
events of 2009,
presentation of the 2010
Board of Directors,
and
our
Volunteer
Recognition
Awards.
Free admission —
all are welcome!
RSVP to
299-6647
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2. Shining
Our Light - Educating and Activating Our Brothers and Sisters
About HIV in our African American Communities
How can
you and your faith community participate in this year's Black
Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS? We have many ideas,
from simple to grand. Please contact Natalie Brown, natalie@tihan.org
or 299-6647, for support. We also have a free gospel concert for
AIDS awareness, a clergy roundtable discussion, and HIV education
programs for women, men, and teens. Together we can change the
state of AIDS in our African American communities.
-
Offer
a prayer for the healing of HIV/AIDS during your worship
service on Sunday, March 7, 2010
-
Host
an educational program featuring TIHAN speakers at your place
of worship
-
Provide
HIV/AIDS pamphlets and brochures at your faith community
-
Develop
a partnership with TIHAN and local faith communities who are
also active participants in the Black Church Week of Prayer
-
Include
HIV/AIDS facts in your Sunday bulletin
-
Host
HIV testing at your place of worship
-
Hold
a prayer vigil for our HIV-positive brothers and sisters and
their families
-
Hold
a prevention workshop in your youth group
-
Encourage
your congregation to participate in one or more of our events:
Clergy
Roundtable – Tuesday, March 9, 11:00am-1:00pm
Attendance at this event is restricted to clergy. Call for
location.
Family
Night: Dinner, AIDS Education, & Raffle Prizes –
Thursday, March 11
Enjoy dinner at 6pm. The program will begin at 7pm and
will include gender-specific and age-specific HIV/AIDS
education, an opportunity for free HIV testing, and raffle
prizes. Event will be held at Siloam Freewill Church, located
at 628 E. Adams Street. Free and open to all.
Gospel
Concert for AIDS Awareness – Friday, March 12, 7:00pm
Enjoy great gospel music and a message from African
American clergy about a compassionate faith-based response to
the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Admission is free, and inspiration is
assured! Join us at Grace Temple Missionary Baptist Church,
located at 1019 E. 31st Street.
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3. March 10 is
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Take
this opportunity to increase compassion and awareness in your
faith community. You can hold an educational session on the facts
of HIV/AIDS, hear from our wonderful CarePartners living with
HIV/AIDS, or learn about TIHAN volunteer opportunities. Contact
your faith community's liaison to TIHAN or Natalie Brown, Director
of Education and Community Relations, at natalie@tihan.org
or 299-6647.
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4. Learn about
Older Adults and HIV
Join
members of St. Mark's United Methodist Church on Sunday, February
21 at 11:00am as they hear from a TIHAN volunteer about issues
related to older adults living with HIV/AIDS. St. Mark's UMC is
located at 1431 West Magee Rd. This educational forum is open to
the public. Please contact Natalie Brown for more information - natalie@tihan.org
or 299-6647.
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5. Join Us
Every Tuesday Night for TNT!
One way
to make a difference is to attend our weekly drop in volunteer
night, TNT. Stop by the TIHAN office on Tuesday nights from
5:30pm-8:00pm to help with various projects around the office,
while enjoying the company of TIHAN's staff and volunteers. Please
call ahead and let us know you are planning to attend—299-6647.
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6. Volunteer
Orientation is Approaching – It's Easy to Get Involved
Want to
get more involved with TIHAN? Attend our Volunteer
Orientation on Thursday, March 11 from 5:15pm-9:15pm. The
orientation will take place at the First Congregational UCC (1350
N. Arcadia Ave—two blocks north of Speedway and two blocks east
of Swan) and will include information on HIV/AIDS, TIHAN and our
volunteer opportunities, and more ways that you can get involved
in your community. To register for the orientation, please call
(520) 299-6647 or e-mail Katelyn@tihan.org.
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7. Volunteer
Spotlight – Stephanie Hanson
After
several years in the banking and fashion retail industry,
Stephanie Hanson found that it was time to give back to her
community. She has lived in many places, from Colorado Springs to
Albuquerque, but she found her place here in Tucson, Arizona
(where she moved admittedly against her will during her senior
year of high school). Stephanie volunteers with several
organizations, including TIHAN.
Stephanie
graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts in Fashion Promotion from the
University of Arizona, but her main focus after college was
raising her family. Both of her daughters are now grown and
Stephanie spends most of her time volunteering, but also enjoys
the occasional romance novel or sewing project.
Stephanie
became aware of TIHAN nearly four years ago, through her faith
community, La Aldea Spiritual Community, in which she is
very involved. When her church members became more involved with
the community, Stephanie was reluctant at first to begin
volunteering at TIHAN, but now she could not be more excited to be
both a receptionist volunteer and a member of a CareTeam. For her
CareTeam, Stephanie has regular meetings with her fellow CareTeam
members and their CarePartner living with HIV, sometimes enjoying
dinner together or social outings such as trips to the zoo with
her CarePartner. Stephanie has also contributed to TIHAN's
quarterly newsletter and Poz Cafe, which she describes as "a
blast." She says that volunteering at TIHAN is an incredibly
rewarding experience, highlighted by many "thank you's"
and hugs.
Bubbly,
enthusiastic, and with a great sense of humor, Stephanie is a
wonderful volunteer and a great asset to the community. She will
continue to volunteer with TIHAN in the years to come and offers
this advice to anyone contemplating volunteering at TIHAN: avoid
being reluctant and just "step out of your comfort box."
Thank you, Stephanie, for all of your hard work and we look
forward to your many years as a TIHAN volunteer!
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8. Check
Your Knowledge of HIV: Test Question of the Month
Question:
True or False? The incidence of Kaposi's Sarcoma in HIV infected
persons is decreasing.
Answer:
True. Thankfully, KS—while still common—is seen far less than
in the early days of the epidemic.
The
Facts About HIV and Kaposi's Sarcoma -
An AIDS Defining Combination
By Mark Cichocki, R.N., About.com Guide,
Updated: July 12, 2007
About.com
Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical
Review Board
At the
beginning of the epidemic, Kaposi's Sarcoma was the face of HIV.
HIV infected people had what many referred to as the "AIDS
look." Part of that look was the small darkened lesions
scattered on the skin known as Kaposi's Sarcoma (KS). In the movie
"Philadelphia," Tom Hanks' character was thin, drawn,
with dark lesions which he tried to hide. HIV and Kaposi's Sarcoma
became synonymous with death, becoming known as the "gay
man's cancer." Today KS is much less common but it can cause
a problem in HIV infected people.
What
is KS?
KS is a lesion that primarily affects the skin but can affect
internal organs and the lining of the mouth as well. When it is
located on the skin, KS presents as small bruise-like areas that
are not painful and do not itch. In fact, they are often mistaken
for simple bruises. KS appears about eight times more often in gay
men than in women. If isolated to the skin, KS is not life
threatening. However, if KS forms in the intestinal track, lungs,
brain or other internal organs, it can have serious consequences
and can even be fatal.
What
Causes KS?
The exact cause of KS is not entirely understood. Early on, it
was thought that KS was a form of cancer. However, scientists now
believe it is caused by the herpes virus HHV8. And since HHV8 can
be transmitted via sexual contact, the risk of developing KS is
thought to be spread from person to person as well. The health of
a person's immune system appears to have some affect on whether KS
will develop. In fact, KS has also been identified in HIV negative
organ transplant patients who were receiving immunosuppressive
therapy. The good news is that while KS is common, the incidence
seems to be decreasing.
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9. TIHAN is
Streamlining Our Donor Acknowledgement Process – Want Us to
Email Your Donor Acknowledgement Letter?
One of
our New Year's resolutions for 2010 is to streamline our donor
acknowledgement process. We will be sending our donor
acknowledgements via e-mail for donors who have an e-mail address
on file. This will help us save money on printing and postage.
If you
would like to receive an electronic thank you letter for your
financial support of TIHAN, please contact Serena Turley,
Administrative Assistant at serena@tihan.org,
or call 299-6647.
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10. TIHAN's
Wish List
-
Locking
two-drawer filing cabinet
-
A
desk chair with adequate back support
-
Digital
camera
-
Meat
thermometer, can openers, and busing trays for Poz Cafe
-
Toiletry
items for our CarePartners (especially toilet tissue)
-
Bulb
for our projector
-
Adhesive
name tags for Poz Cafe
-
2-inch,
white, economy view binders
-
Spools
of red ribbon
-
Sandwich
and gallon-sized bags
-
Postage
stamps
To
learn what is on our current Wish List, visit our website, www.tihan.org
and click on the word "Donate" in the blue bar at the
top of the page. For more information, contact Serena Turley,
Administrative Assistant, at 299-6647 or serena@tihan.org.
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11.
"Treasures for TIHAN" Benefit Auction – Saturday, May
22
"Treasures
for TIHAN," the signature fundraising event for the programs
and services of TIHAN, is Saturday, May 22 at the Doubletree Hotel
at Reid Park. Under the leadership of 2010 event co-chairs Tom
Murray (co-founder of the Sonoran
Center for Leadership Development) and Deb Van Sant (owner
of soon-to-be-opened pharmacy The Medicine Shoppe),
"Treasures for TIHAN" is one of Tucson's premiere
benefits, featuring hundreds of generous Tucsonans enjoying a fun
night and bidding on great auction items.
If you
can help by donating or soliciting items for our auction—trips,
antiques, jewelry, rugs, gift certificates, unique gift items,
textiles, ceramics, event tickets, hotel/condo/bed & breakfast
stays—please contact Scott at 299-6647 or scott@tihan.org.
We have
many volunteer needs—both now and as we approach the date of the
event. And we are seeking businesses, groups, and organizations to
help sponsor this year's event. If you or your business/group
wants to be a sponsor for the 13th Annual "Treasures for
TIHAN," please let us know. Sponsorship levels begin at $500
and each level offers you a host of benefits, including free
tickets, publicity, and great karma! Come on board and help us
make this another grand event.
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12. Help
Shape TIHAN's Educational Efforts!
Join us
for our next meeting of TIHAN's
Education Committee that coordinates and carries out our AIDS
education efforts in the community. We have opportunities for new
members to join our team. If interested, please contact Natalie
Brown, Director of Education & Community Relations, natalie@tihan.org,
299-6647 ext 14.
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13.
Volunteer Impact Reports
Please
remember to turn in your volunteer impact report at the end of
each month. The form is available on our website (http://www.tihan.org/volunteer.htm#volimpact)
and can be submitted via e-mail, fax, mail, or in person to katelyn@tihan.org.
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14. TIHAN is
Bonkers about Steve Rinehart
Steve
Rinehart is a dedicated TIHAN volunteer who brings his talents as
a teacher to the table as a member of the Education Committee.
Steve rarely misses an Education Committee meeting, often
volunteers to take minutes, provides useful feedback when
evaluating past and potential events, and helps improve TIHAN's
trainings based on his own experience as an educator and as a
TIHAN volunteer. Steve is always happy to do the necessary
behind-the-scenes work to keep TIHAN's education programs up and
running, including doing most of the data entry following training
events. His dependable nature makes him an ideal volunteer to work
with. Steve – thank you for your time, talents, and
contributions – we are BONKERS about you!
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