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Monthly E-Newsletter
for
October
2009
Dear Friends,
We
hope you enjoy reading this latest news from TIHAN, and
discover at least one way you can make an important difference
in someone's world.
1. Recommendations: The
Seasonal Flu, H1N1 Flu, and TIHAN
2. Celebrating TIHAN's 15
Years of Serving Tucson with AIDS Awareness, Advocacy, and
Service
3. Who Do I Go To For…?
TIHAN Staff and Key Volunteer Responsibilities
4. Musical Potpourri
Concert – Sunday, November 8
5. Help Brighten the
Holidays for our CarePartners with HIV
6.
Announcing the Return of TNT (Tuesday Nights at TIHAN)! Join
us for extended evening hours with walk-in volunteer projects
7. Volunteer Spotlight
– Cathy Davis
8. Join Us for a Mailing
Party! All are welcome
9. Checking What You Know
about HIV/AIDS - Test Question of the Month - True or
False: An AIDS Vaccine Has Been Found?
10. Free Continuing
Education: This Month's Topic - "HIV and Communities of
Color"
11. We're Bonkers about
Randy Decker
1.
Recommendations: The Seasonal Flu, H1N1 Flu, and TIHAN
We are receiving questions regarding the seasonal flu and
the H1N1 flu. We want to do everything we can to stop the
spread of both kinds of flu virus within TIHAN and our staff,
volunteers, and CarePartners. According to the US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with HIV/AIDS are
considered at increased risk from serious influenza-related
complications. It is of critical importance that all of us
learn about the flu and how we can minimize the possibility of
getting the flu and spreading the flu. It is extremely
important that, if you are experiencing any of the symptoms of
the flu virus, you stay home until you fully recover.
What are the symptoms of the flu? What steps is TIHAN
taking to prevent the spread of the flu virus? What are
TIHAN's recommendations for our volunteers, CarePartners, and
staff?
For answers to these questions and for resources for
information on the flu as it pertains to nonprofits and faith
communities, review our statement:
"PROTECTING YOURSELF AND OTHERS
DURING THE FLU SEASON: A STATEMENT FOR TIHAN'S STAFF,
VOLUNTEERS, AND CAREPARTNERS"
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2.
Celebrating TIHAN's 15 Years of Serving Tucson with AIDS
Awareness, Advocacy, and Service
This year marks the 15th anniversary
of TIHAN's formation. Thousands of people educated and
activated, thousands of acts of compassion and service,
thousands of meals served and rides provided, and a presence
of hope and healing, advocacy and action as we have catalyzed
faith communities to respond with an informed, compassionate
response. In recognition of our milestone, please consider
making a "15" donation in support of TIHAN's work:
- $15/month gift, charged
automatically to your credit card, or by check
- $150 gift in honor of TIHAN's
accomplishments
- $1,500 gift to support the
people and programs of TIHAN
- Or your gift of any amount that
will allow us to continue to meet the needs of those
living with HIV/AIDS…
To
make your gift online, click here, or mail your check to
1011 North Craycroft, #301, Tucson, Arizona 85711.
Thank you for supporting our work
over the past 15 years, and for helping us provide support and
education, until there's a cure…
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3. Who Do I Go
To For…? TIHAN Staff and Key Volunteer Responsibilities!
With
changes in staff, it might be helpful to have a refresher on
whom to go to for various items. Here's a list to help!
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To receive information on support
services for people living with HIV
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Erin
Strange, Director of CarePartner Support
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To get started as a volunteer
To report your volunteer hours
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>>>
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Katelyn
McDonald, Volunteer Resources Coordinator
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To request a presentation on HIV
To get my faith community involved
To schedule an interview with
media
To become a speaker living with
HIV
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>>>
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Natalie
Brown, Director of Education and Community Relations
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To make a donation
To propose a fundraising event
To develop partnerships and
collaborations
To apply for a job
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>>>
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Scott
Blades, Executive Director
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To get information on HIV testing
To request emergency financial
support
To sign up to attend Poz Cafe
To request a CareTeam
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>>>
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Link
Specialist Volunteer on duty
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To sign up for a TIHAN
orientation, training, continuing education program, or
TNT
To sign up for TIHAN's mailing
list, or to change your contact information
To schedule room use or computer
use in the TIHAN office
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>>>
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Receptionist Volunteer on
duty (call 299-6647)
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To assist with data entry,
mailings, and technology issues
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>>>
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Serena
Turley, Administrative Assistant
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For a listing of TIHAN staff,
including photos, bios, and job responsibilities, click here.
Back
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4. Musical
Potpourri Concert – Save the Date: November 8
The Musical Potpourri
Concert, an afternoon of music to benefit TIHAN's programs,
will take place on Sunday, November 8 at 3:00pm. This year's
concert will feature renowned musicians Jeff Haskell and
Friends (jazz), Howard Wooten (solo jazz guitarist), and
Reveille Men's Chorus. Cost for this 90-minute music concert
is only $10 (including an hors d'oeuvres reception
following the concert), with children 10 and under receiving
free admission.
All proceeds benefit the
programs and services of TIHAN. Tickets are on sale now at the
TIHAN office (credit card orders can be taken over the phone—299-6647).
The concert takes place at Lutheran Church of the Foothills,
5102 North Craycroft Road (southeast corner of Territory and
Craycroft). The concert is sponsored by Thrivent Financial for
Lutherans and Lutheran Church of the Foothills. For more
information, contact Geoff Hamilton, event coordinator, at withagee@comcast.net.
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5. Help
Brighten the Holidays for our CarePartners with HIV
I have found that among its other
benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver. —Maya Angelou
Have you noticed the holiday
decorations lining the isles of your favorite stores? Yes, the
holiday season is fast approaching and with it comes new and
exciting volunteer opportunities. For the past few years,
TIHAN and SAAF have partnered to bring holiday cheer to
families living with HIV and AIDS.
This event is a lot of fun and relies
upon donated gifts and time to make sure we can meet the needs
of our families. We need gift items for a small number of
young children, and a larger number of teenagers and adults.
Some suggested items are board games, sports equipment, small
appliances, books, clothing, movie gift certificates, and gift
cards.
If your congregation or group would
like to be involved in donating gifts, or if you personally
are interested in donating a holiday gift, please contact
Erin, Director of CarePartner Support, at erin@tihan.org
or 299-6647, extension 13.
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6.
Announcing the Return of TNT (Tuesday Nights at TIHAN)! Join
us for extended evening hours with walk-in volunteer projects
November
will mark the reinstatement of our weekly walk-in volunteer
evening here at TIHAN. TNT is a night for any volunteer or
potential volunteer to come and hang out at the TIHAN office
for a couple hours and work on a variety of projects. TNT is a
great opportunity to come out and meet new people or better
acquaint yourself with the ones you already know. Starting
Tuesday, November 3, TNT will run from 5:30pm-8:00pm every
Tuesday night.
Unlike
many of our other volunteer opportunities, no training is
required for volunteers wanting to get involved with TNT. We
would love your help! If you are interested in getting
involved in TNT, please contact Katelyn at (520) 299-6647 or
at katelyn@tihan.org.
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7.
Volunteer Spotlight – Cathy Davis
Cathy Davis is one of TIHAN's key
volunteers, so we thought we'd provide some background about
her! She has lived in Tucson 25 years; she and her husband
moved from Texas when he accepted a position as bass
trombonist for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Their current
family consists of three children, two dogs and two cats.
Although Cathy's degree is in
history, she was drawn to social service work when she moved
to Tucson. She has worked in the field of residential and
outpatient substance abuse treatment, as a specialist for the
Foster Care Review Board, and as a director for youth and
family services. Five years ago, she migrated to the insurance
field and is currently a District Coordinator for AFLAC (the
company with the duck commercials!).
Through the years of working with
families struggling with a wide variety of issues, Cathy saw
that HIV education and support for those living with HIV were
common themes. Joining the TIHAN Board was a natural way for
Cathy to continue working towards providing the services that
she knows make a difference for people such as our
CarePartners, who are at risk of becoming disenfranchised from
the greater community.
Cathy has been a member of the TIHAN
Board for over a year and a half. Cathy, who is Jewish, serves
as the Secretary of the Board. She stated it is an honor to
work on a Board with members who are supportive and generous
with their time and expertise. The most rewarding part of
volunteering with TIHAN is the knowledge that she is
supporting a grassroots organization that demonstrates
compassion and integrity, and remains focused on supporting
our CarePartners.
Cathy, thanks for offering your time,
talents, and treasures to TIHAN!
—written by Phyllis Leon and
Katelyn McDonald
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8. Join
Us for a Mailing Party! All are welcome
It's
almost time to send out TIHAN's fall newsletter. We will be
hosting a mailing party, and we need volunteers to help us
stuff, fold, and address the newsletters. Come hang out with
fellow TIHAN volunteers in a festive environment. Light snacks
will be provided. Stay for an hour, or longer.
WHEN:
Tuesday, November 10 @ 5:30pm-8pm
WHERE: TIHAN Conference Room (1011 North Craycroft, #301)
WHO: Hopefully you!
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9.
Checking What You Know about HIV/AIDS - Test Question of the
Month - True or False: An AIDS Vaccine Has Been Found?
True or False: An AIDS Vaccine Has
Been Found? Unfortunately, it is false…
Despite the recent exciting news
about promising results from a vaccine experiment, there is
still no vaccine that prevents HIV infection. However, as
recently noted in news reports, a new study shows that the
development of a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine is
possible. So there is no vaccine as of yet, but scientists are
making progress…
From The Washington Post,
September 25, 2009:
"An experiment in Thailand
involving more than 16,000 men and women has demonstrated for
the first time a small but measurable protective effect of an
AIDS vaccine. The vaccine, a complicated mixture of six
"prime" and "booster" shots, reduced a
person's risk of becoming infected by about one-third compared
with people getting placebo injections.
"The results were barely
significant on statistical grounds, perplexing for scientific
reasons and unanticipated by most researchers. Nevertheless,
the first positive result for an AIDS vaccine after two
decades of experimentation is being called a milestone…"
Click
here for the rest of the article.
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10. Free
Continuing Education: This Month's Topic - "HIV and
Communities of Color"
Our next Continuing Education
workshop will be held on November 5, 6pm-8pm. The topic will
be HIV and communities of color, presented by Jeff Lewis of El
Rio Special Immunology Associates and Rafael Vega of Luz
Social Services. The free workshop will held at the TIHAN
office, 1011 North Craycroft, #301. Call 299-6647 to sign up
to attend!
TIHAN—in collaboration with SAAF—continues
to offer FREE Continuing
Education workshops to volunteers and interested members
of the community. Registration is appreciated but not
required. We ask all volunteers to attend at least three
workshops each year to stay up-to-date.
Also, save the date of December 3
for: "HIV and Refugees," to be held at SAAF.
Back
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Randy with Bonkers
11.
We're Bonkers about Randy Decker
Randy
Decker is a dedicated and generous TIHAN volunteer who is
involved in many facets of TIHAN. After hearing about TIHAN
through his church, Rincon Congregational United Church of
Christ, Randy decided to get involved with TIHAN. In addition
to devoting his time as a front desk receptionist,
presenter/facilitator for our Volunteer Orientation, and a
member of TIHAN's AIDS Education Committee, Randy volunteers
to speak to groups and share his story of living with
HIV/AIDS. He is an advocate for AIDS ministry and other social
justice and witness programs at his church, is very active in
local politics, and he is also helping organize a grassroots
self-empowerment group for people living with HIV in Southern
Arizona. Randy, thank you for your generous contributions—we
are BONKERS about you!
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