White House Meeting Addresses HIV Epidemic Among African American Men

By Garland Jarmon, CRCS and ONE2ONE Coordinator

June was a big month for the GLBT community.  The President declared it National Pride Month and celebrations took place in many cities, including Seattle. We should take pride in everything the GLBT community has accomplished and think about how much more work we have yet to do.  We should also take a moment to acknowledge those who continue to be infected with, and affected by, HIV and AIDS.

There is a segment of our community that is often unrepresented, undereducated about HIV/AIDS, and invisible; African American men. They currently make up more than half of all new and current HIV cases in the US. Because of this, The Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) held a meeting at the White House on June 2, 2010 to discuss the reasons for this catastrophe and what can be done. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that about 1 in 16 African American men will contract HIV in their lifetime. The three-and-a-half-hour meeting was a step to address ways to improve national HIV prevention programs, and some of the key issues within the African American community that hinder effective HIV prevention.

As a counselor, I have noticed that these challenges can include education and spirituality, class and race, machismo and the connotation of the word “gay.” Some issues, like education, can be faced head on but many are not as easy to navigate in the interest of curbing HIV in the African American community. At Lifelong AIDS Alliance, we offer counseling services through our Comprehensive Risk Counseling Services (CRCS). One of these counseling services, the ONE2ONE program, is specifically designed for African American men and the challenges they face.  If you or someone you know is having difficulty with issues related to their sexual health, please contact us at 206.957.1602 and speak with one of our counselors.

National HIV Testing Day is June 27th

By Megan White, CRCS Coordinator

June is coming to an end and that means National HIV Testing Day is here!  On June 27^th health departments, AIDS service organizations and community activists across the country will remind people of the importance of regular HIV testing. At Lifelong, we believe that knowing your HIV status is vital to making informed decisions about your health and sex life.  If you are sexually active, particularly if you are having unprotected sex with one or more partners, doctors recommend getting tested every 3-6 months.

Getting an HIV test can be scary.  For many people, the fear of receiving a positive diagnosis keeps them away from the doctor. Concerns about privacy and stigma are understandable, but there are many reasons to do it.  If you are HIV+ studies suggest that the earlier you know, the more likely you are to live a long and healthy life.  Seattle has many resources offering financial, social and emotional support to people living with HIV or AIDS.  Finding a place to get tested all year round is easy with online sites like www.hivtest.org. Or, send a text message with your zip code to KNOWIT (566948).

If you are HIV negative and want to talk more about testing or your sexual health, join our Intersexions/One2One counseling program by calling 206-957-1602.  If you are HIV- positive and want to talk, join the Positive Choices program by calling the same number.

An HIV test is a great way to take control of your life and health.  And, regardless of the result, Lifelong can support you.  Get tested today!

The MPowerment Project

Lifelong’s MPowerment Project is a peer-to-peer outreach and education program empowering queer youth to make positive and healthier choices about sex and drug use.  Located next to the Lifelong Thrift store, MPowerment is a queer-friendly youth space open to its Core Team of peer-educators.  Each week LGBTQ youth ages 16-22 meet to discuss upcoming prevention outreach on the streets and in the clubs, peer-led workshops, youth empowerment, and events. Outreach activities take place during the week, particularly targeting homeless LGBTQ and other young people.

Last week, more than 200 people attended MPowerment’s annual Youthopolis event at the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park.  The event honored leadership in Seattle’s Young Queer Community and was attended by State Senator Ed Murray and local transgender rights advocate Marsha Botzer, co-chair of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.  There were musical performances by Sketch Echo, Team Gina, and others.  The Seattle University Spectator’s blog covered the event in more detail. 

Learn more about MPowerment or find out how you can get involved by visiting The MPowerment Project’s website or emailing mpowerment@llaa.org.

Lifelong & Social Media

If you’re reading this, you probably know that Lifelong is on Facebook and Twitter. We also set up a YouTube channel for your viewing pleasure and are slowly pulling together years of videos scattered around the web. And hey, thanks for reading our new(ish) blog!

Community outreach is very important to what we do. Our education department uses these and other online tools like http://homohealth.org/ to help prevent the spread of HIV. Public Policy uses Facebook, Twitter, and a separate online network to encourage people to speak up about important legislation. The MPowerment Project, Lifelong's program for GLBTQ youth ages 16-22, has its own website and (sporadically updated) MySpace page. The Events department uses them to promote - you guessed it - events, and our fundraising department relies on them to bring in the money that keeps our doors open. There's even a Facebook page for Lifelong’s Thrift store.

So we’re feeling pretty social. Is it working?

Lifelong adds 40-50 new Facebook fans every week (which is fantastic) and we want to use that and other social media tools to help us provide food, housing, case management, and other services for people who need them. We also want to find new ways to encourage people to keep themselves, and each other, safe from HIV.

Please tell us how we’re doing, and suggest ways for Lifelong to use social media to further our work!

Did You Know....?

....that Lifelong AIDS Alliance is the creator and producer of the original Gay Bingo?  Seriously.  Back in 1993, Chicken Soup Brigade’s then-Development Director Judy Werle was brainstorming creative fundraising ideas.

And then BOOM.

Or should I say BINGO?

The first Gay Bingo was born. Even then, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were on hand to hostess, and the rest is fundraising history.

People can’t stop talking about this amazing event, and sometimes even we can’t believe how Gay Bingo has spread over the past 16 years. Now taking place in cities all over the world including LA, New York, London, Melbourne, and Amsterdam, this event has become bigger than we ever could have imagined!

Gay Bingo is everywhere, raising money and awareness in the fight against AIDS.

Now that’s really something to talk about.

To find out more about Gay Bingo's origins, check out this online article from Time magazine.   

Don't miss Racy & Lacy Gay Bingo on Saturday, February 20! 

Thank You To Our Volunteers!

Take a look at the Lifelong staff and what they have to say about our incredible volunteers!

I always trust that the front desk workers will take good care of my clients and keep me informed of things I need to know. They are always friendly, courteous and responsible. I love them!
~Megan, CRCS Coordinator

This organization was started by volunteers and they continue to serve as inspiration for all of us.

~David, Executive Director

Volunteers are essential to the kitchen!
~Jim, Executive Chef

The warehouse volunteers are the strongest, most generous group of people I have ever met. We could not do this without you and thank you for everything you do. You are my saviors!

~Spanky, Grocery Delivery Assistant

The volunteers could not rule more! They are truly the life blood of the organization. I can’t imagine what Lifelong would look like without them and am so appreciative of their time, energy and commitment.
~Katie, Bilingual STEP Coordinator

Each volunteer brings great energy to the work we do here at Lifelong. Be it a welcoming face at our front desks, a team packaging meals in the kitchen, a crew distributing meals and groceries on Fridays, or a That Thursday Thing group packaging condoms, each and every day is made brighter, easier and more unique because of our volunteers.

~Reno, Facilities Manager

Boot Camp Gay Bingo - Gay Bingo Loves A Man In Uniform

Check out the action at the kick-off of 2010's season of Gay Bingo!

If you missed out on Boot Camp Gay Bingo, never fear! There are still 5 more Gay Bingos left this season.
Next up – Racy & Lacy Gay Bingo on Saturday, February 20 at Fremont Studios!

Special thanks to all of our 2010 Gay Bingo Sponsors: MOMS Pharmacy, Sazerac, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Pyramid Breweries, Whole Foods Market, MOViN 92.5, Seattle Weekly, and Seattle Gay News.

Care To Shop for Chicken Soup Brigade

On Saturday, February 6th from 10am to 3pm, Care To Shop will take place at ALL of the PCC Markets in the greater Seattle area!

Care To Shop is one of Chicken Soup Brigade’s most important programs for collecting food and raising awareness in our community. Every Saturday, you will find CSB volunteers outside of local grocery stores handing out lists of shelf-stable items needed by the CSB kitchen. As shoppers exit the stores, they can hand their donations of food and money to one of the volunteers, and the donation will go straight into the grocery bag of a hungry person in our community.

Care To Shop grocery partners include:

• Ballard Market
• Central Market

• Greenwood Market
• PCC Markets
• QFC 15th Ave E
• QFC Broadway Market
• QFC Inglewood
• QFC Totem Lake
• Thriftway Vashon Island
• Whole Foods Market Roosevelt

Check out our website for upcoming Care To Shop dates and locations!

Special thanks to our Care To Shop sponsors, Wells Fargo and Alfred & Tillie Shemanski Testamentary Trust and Foundation.

Spread the word about this huge food drive, and help us feed people in our community!

David Richart's Interview on Comcast Newsmakers!

Check out David Richart, Lifelong’s Executive Director, on Comcast Newsmakers!

David talks about Lifelong’s nutrition-based food program, Chicken Soup Brigade (CSB), and how the economic recession has affected this program.  For 26 years, CSB fed anyone who walked through our doors and asked for help.  Now the program is at maximum capacity. We currently have over 400 people on our waiting list – and those are 400 people who are qualified to receive help from CSB.

Check out the interview for more information and to find out how you can help!

We Need Your Help With The State Budget!

The 2010 Legislative Session is a “short” one that began the second week of January, with the final gavel expected to come down on March 11th. The supplemental budget will be the focus this session as the Legislature returns to Olympia under the dark cloud of a $2.6 budget shortfall. In early December the Governor released a proposed budget that addressed the financial crisis by reducing or eliminating vital services and programs. The “all cuts” budget was not well received by the Legislature, the public, or even the Governor herself. During the first week of session the Governor submitted a “Book Two” budget that included a short list of program restorations equaling about $778.9 million. The Governor outlined a little over $101 million in revenue options (loopholes) and is expecting to receive additional resources through the Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage (FMAP). HIV/AIDS funding is partially restored by the Governor by $4.85 million.

Our goal for the Session is that as decisions are being made HIV/AIDS funding continues to be a priority of leadership. We have a variety of things in the works to keep the voices of HIV/AIDS loud and strong down in Olympia.

We have two fact sheets that you can download from GoogleDocs– one about Care services and funding and the other about Prevention. We will be passing these on to all the electeds down in Olympia, and ask that you forward them to your lists.

Usually, we only do an AIDS Action & Awareness Day every two years, but because of the severe nature of the potential cuts, we are activating a Virtual A3D this year on February 10th. In preparation for that, you can download the A3D Letter template that we have created. We are hoping to get folks from around the state to fill in their own comments and info and return the letters to us. We need your help to do this – please pass the blank letter along to every one you know - we’d like to have as many legislative districts in the state represented as possible!
Letters can be emailed back to advocate@llaa.org or mailed to Lifelong, 1002 E Seneca, Seattle WA 98122. We will collate them and distribute them in person to the appropriate Legislator on February 10th. Also on that day we will be conducting a variety of online activities instead of gathering everyone in Olympia. Look for more information in the next week or so.

If you haven’t signed up for the Communities in Action Network, please do so at http://www.cannetwork.net/. You can also follow our twitter at www.twitter.com/aidsactionday.

Do let me know if you have any questions. It is our collective voices being raised that will help protect the funding for the critical services we provide.

Yours in solidarity,

Erick Seelbach
Director of Prevention, Education, and Public Policy
Lifelong AIDS Alliance

New Year, New Blog

Lifelong AIDS Alliance is excited to announce the launch of our brand new agency blog!

We’ll be using our blog to regularly update you about the work we’re doing in our shared community as well as share information and knowledge regarding the worldwide HIV/AIDS crisis.

You can expect to see:
• HIV/AIDS breaking news
• Client stories
• Program updates and info
• Urgent calls-to-action
• Life-changing volunteer opportunities
• Tons of photos
• Delicious and nutritious Chicken Soup Brigade recipes
• Behind-the-scenes at Gay Bingo and other events
• And so much more!

We look forward to sharing our stories with you.

Sustaining Lives...Offering Hope