Your donation actually saves lives through prevention education and emergency services.
AIDS Walk Long Beach survives fourth year of declines.
Declines have taken their toll on the Foundation. “During the first year of the recession, were it not for our supporters who kept us afloat, we watched a lot of agencies struggle with public support and close their doors; we would have, too.” stated Garry Bowie, Executive Director. “The second year of the recession was the toughest for everyone and saw the folding of many more agencies and program cancellations of others” For many agencies, government funding cuts kicked-in the second year. Still the supporters of the Foundation, while suffering themselves still contributed to the cause even though fundraising was down 30%. Fortunately, the long term relationship with vendors, the cost cutting measures taken back in 2005 and the ability to hold budgeted costs, flat for the seventh year in a row, contributed to the Walk still able to produce some results. Moreover, a strong foresight of the Executive Director and the original founding board members, established a rainy-day investment fund in a Merrill Lynch portfolio during the stronger years.
The 23rd Annual AIDS Walk Long Beach, the seventh year under the parent organization of the Long Beach AIDS Foundation, proved to be the most trying year. There were no corporate sponsors, no large corporate teams and fundraising ended up down for the fourth year in a row. The cumulative effect was that the Foundation ran on an annual budget about 25% of that from four years earlier. The total operating budget for 2011 will have ended nearly around $100,000. After program expenses, walk expenses, operational expenses and grants to individuals and organizations; the fact that the Foundation still has its doors open to serve those in need is amazing. The 2012 Walk will still take place on June 2, 2012...hopefully with an increase. The board finally tapped the rainy day account for 2012...now, let’s hope for an economic turn-around. Projections look better for 2012. We hope corporate sponsors will make a community-giving comeback and that total participation fund raised return to the upside this year.
“The lifetime cost of someone living with HIV/AIDS is $600,000. The cost of prevention...pennies on the dollar. Pay now or pay later.”
The AIDS Life Emergency Fund saves lives...literally. Lisa Taylor-Harris is a vibrant,
loving mother and grandmother living in a small apartment in South Central Los Angeles.
A former executive secretary of the NAACP, she suffered a setback with Stage 4 Breast
Cancer. Lisa also has AIDS.
This once vibrant and energetic woman was sleeping on the cold tile floor, while
going through chemotherapy. Depressed and not well spirited having watched both
her mother and sister also die of the exact same breast cancer, she lost the energy
to fight both AIDS and stage 4 breast cancer in her dingy, dark and cramped room.
The AIDS Life Emergency Fund along with the volunteers of Graytly Inspired did a
room make-over. The fund purchased a new bed so that Lisa didn’t have to lift her
frail chemo-weak body off the floor. She could simply drop her feet from the bed
and stand. Watch this warm, inspiring and transformational video of Lisa’s Bed.
Get some tissues while you’re at it.
