We will soon be conducting our annual evaluation to help us assess how our services are meeting the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. If you are a CarePartner living with HIV, you will be receiving our survey form via mail and/or e-mail. Please take a few minutes to answer the questions about your needs and TIHAN's support services so that we can ensure we are providing the best possible programs and services.

Your opinion really matters! If you don't receive a survey within the next few weeks, please contact Juanita Molina at 299-6647 or Juanita@tihan.org

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5. Calling All Writers…

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6. Next Continuing Education Workshop - Substance Abuse

TIHAN and SAAF jointly offer a free workshop to increase our volunteers' knowledge of HIV/AIDS issues, with August's topic being substance abuse. Substance abuse is linked to both HIV transmission and the rate of progression of illness.

This Continuing Education session is scheduled for Thursday, August 2 from 6-8pm at TIHAN, 1011 N. Craycroft Road, #301. We ask volunteers to attend at least three continuing education events per year and here is a valuable education program that will help you be a more informed volunteer.

For more information or to RSVP, please call 299-6647.

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7. Did You Know…?

—that TIHAN is the largest faith-based provider of support services for people living with HIV/AIDS in the state of Arizona?

—that TIHAN's model, which encourages people to put their faith into action rather than into words, encourages love and compassion and prohibits prejudice and proselytism?

—that TIHAN was recently chosen to provide the keynote address at the White House Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives' presentation on faith-based responses to HIV/AIDS in Phoenix?

Are you a person who believes that God calls us to respond to the AIDS crisis in our midst by bringing hope and healing, education and awareness, care and support? If so, TIHAN wants to know you! Call Kim Talerico at 299-6647.

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8. Have A Part in Caring

The next Support Training is Saturday, August 11 from 9am-5pm at the TIHAN office. You can be a substantial show of support for our friends living with HIV/AIDS. Bring a willing spirit and you will learn the skills for serving a CarePartner who is living with HIV.

The training is $22 (for food and materials); scholarships are available. Attendance at TIHAN's Volunteer Orientation is a prerequisite.

If you are interested in providing direct support services to someone living with HIV/AIDS through Poz Cafe or Poz MarketPlace, or as a Link Specialist or CareTeam member, mark your calendar for this Support Training that will prepare you to serve in these ways.

Call 299-6647 to sign up for a fulfilling experience. (If you can't attend August 11, call us for details about the next training.)

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9. Be the voice of TIHAN!

Do you have the gift of hospitality, along with some office skills such as telephone usage and typing on computers? Do you want to spend your time in a more meaningful way? Then sign up to become a TIHAN Receptionist Volunteer.

Shifts are four hours long, preferably one or two mornings or afternoons a week. Attendance at our Volunteer Orientation training, as well as our Receptionist Training, is required.

For more information, contact Leslie Johnson, TIHAN's Administrative Assistant, at 299-6647 or leslie@tihan.org.

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10. Community Foundation for Southern Arizona Awards Grant for TIHAN's Link Specialist Initiative

We are very grateful to the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, which has awarded TIHAN a $10,000 grant in support of our Link Specialist program for 2007-2008.

As the number of people living with HIV continues to increase at a time when government funding for support services is dwindling, the need for community-based volunteer programs to fill the gap is becoming more crucial. Our Link Specialist program was created to reinvigorate and expand our Compassionate Care Services and build capacity for volunteers to respond.

Through this program, we are building an infrastructure that will lead to better utilization of the existing support services offered by TIHAN, our sister agencies, and medical providers with whom we closely collaborate.

Of the 171 agencies that applied for funding, TIHAN is one of 34 that received awards through the Spring Grant Round. We are grateful to the Community Foundation for investing in our work. This year, the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona awarded additional grant money, made possible by the generosity of the Blessings Fund, in honor of Desiree Kaye Bush.

For more information on the Community Foundation, click here…

Established in 1980, the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is one of nearly 700 community foundations in the United States today. Its mission, to work with charitably minded individuals and organizations to strengthen Southern Arizona communities, now and for generations to come, stands as a vital link between philanthropy and the needs of our community. For more information, call (520) 770-0800 or visit www.cfsoaz.org

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11. Give TIHAN Staff the Gift of Time

You could help TIHAN staff more quickly prepare for events like Poz Cafe and educational presentations, and more rapidly compile statistics necessary for grants, by contributing towards the purchase and installation of memory upgrade units for our four Dell Dimension computers. $95 will cover one upgrade, $190 will upgrade two computers, or $380 would cover all four computer upgrades. Simply note that your contribution is for computer upgrades.

Upgrading the memory in our four Dell Dimension computers will decrease the time we wait for various computer programs to open and close. The "downtime" is significant as we watch our computers struggle to handle the workload. Juanita, Ari, Leslie, and the Link Specialists would all be grateful for this gift.

Other items currently needed to help the TIHAN office run smoothly include:

• Toilet paper for the bathrooms
• Paper towels for the bathrooms and kitchen
• Paper hot drink cups (8-10 ounce)
• Plastic cold drink cups (6-12 ounce)
• Plastic waste basket liners (10-13 gallon size)
• White, letter-size, multi-purpose paper

Click here to see the full TIHAN WishList.

Next time you're at the store, please remember to purchase some of these items to give to TIHAN. Even a small amount helps!

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12. The Art of Caring

Links Specialists and CareTeam Volunteers work directly with our CarePartners living with HIV. Link Specialists provide short-term support to CarePartners, while CareTeam Volunteers work closely with CarePartners making regular visits and phone calls, going to the movies, helping with errands like grocery shopping, doctor's visits, etc. Attendance at our Volunteer Orientation as well as our Support Training is required.

For more information call TIHAN at 299-6647, or email Juanita Molina, Director Care Partner Support at Juanita@tihan.org.

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13. TNT "Tuesday Nights at TIHAN"

Are you looking for a fun, new, exciting way to volunteer at TIHAN? Come and be a part of "Tuesday Nights at TIHAN." We have many projects that need your time, talent, and expertise here at the TIHAN office!

If you want to help us become more organized, tidy up the office, engage in a few clerical functions, perform some minor repairs, hang pictures, help prepare for Volunteer Trainings, or become involved with data entry, this is the volunteer opportunity for you!

We are open late every Tuesday evening just for you. Please call 299-6647 to sign up for our next TNT, 5:30 - 8:00pm. See you there!

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14. TIHAN is BONKERS about Barbara Nelson!

Barbara with BONKERS!

Barbara Nelson (pictured above, with BONKERS) is an incredibly giving individual and is involved in almost every part of TIHAN. She acts as TIHAN's liaison with St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church, is a member of a CareTeam, bakes cookies for events and receptions and memorials, volunteers with our holiday programs, and does a million other things.

Barbara is always there when we need her. She is usually the first to answer a service request. Her tireless devotion has changed many lives, and her generosity and willingness to serve are comforts to those we serve.

Barbara, we are very grateful for your presence and contributions — we are BONKERS about you!