In Memory on World AIDS Day

[rbnyc]

Today is World AIDS Day. As many of you know, traditionally I take a moment to share with you one of the reasons this day has special significance to me.

Though I remember her always, on this day especially, I remember a very dear friend, Michele. Michele did not have AIDS and she did not die from AIDS, but AIDS was the biggest part of Michele's life. She always said, she'd rather be back home in North Carolina picking peaches than in New York City. But New York City is where she made her home, because it was her brother's home and she needed to be near him. She loved her brother more than anything, and in the early to mid nineties he was very sick with AIDS.

Michele moved to the city to be near him and to care for him. But she didn't just care for him. She worked hard to donate her time and her money to many AIDS organizations in the city. She worked in the kitchen at God's Love We Deliver. She donated items to Housing Works, and gave her hard-earned money to GMHC. And she was always there for her brother, long nights in the hospital or seeing to his needs at home.

It wasn't AIDS that took her life. It was a hit-and-run driver. Michele, who had worked so hard to enhance the lives of others, was left to die alone on the street by someone who could have saved her if he or she had only stopped to call 911.

At her memorial service, her brother said, "If you want to honor Michele's memory, put yourself into service. Give something back to the community."

That very week, I quit bartending and began my career in the non-profit sector.

Even now, Michele is still changing lives.

Thanks you for letting me share her memory with you. Each December 1st, I share Michele’s story with friends and family and give a gift in her memory to one of the following:

Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) ( http://www.gmhc.org )
NY's oldest, largest AIDS service organization. Peer counseling; support groups, financial advocacy, legal, recreation, services and workshops, seminars, speakers, print & video material.

119 West 24th Street
The Tisch Building
New York, NY 10011
[phone]

Housing Works, Inc. ( http://www.housingworks.org )
Intake, assessment, housing, health care, support services, case management, job training, advocacy for homeless or at-risk people with HIV/AIDS.

594 Broadway, Suite 70
New York, NY 10012
[phone]

God's Love We Deliver ( http://www.godslovewedeliver.org )
Free, hot, nutritious meals delivered to people who are unable to shop and cook for themselves, living with HIV/AIDS (and other diseases) in NYC and Hudson County, NJ. Nutrition and food education and counseling for people with AIDS and caregivers.

166 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10013-1207
[phone]

[miss_american_pie]

1. Thank you for this post

:hug:

[rbnyc]

2. Thank you.

:hi:

I'll be back at lunch to check in, but I better start getting some work done.

:)

[terrya]

3. Thank you for a very good post. K and R

We all have our very dear friends, family members we've lost due to this horrible epidemic. Just a few years (1986) into AIDS, one of my closest friends, Scott, passed away from AIDS complications. Scott was gay, like me. In fact, Scott was the very first person I came out to. Of course he was wonderful about it. We were both living in Decatur, Illinois at the time. I felt so utterly alone...this was the late 70's. I really thought, living there at that time, that I was the only gay person around. But Scott helped me feel better about myself. He ultimately moved to Dallas, Tx and I ultimately moved down there, also. I got into a very bad time and our friendship was damaged. But I came to realize what a beautiful man he was. And my selfishness in ruining our friendship is something I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. Scott died way, way too soon and I miss him so much. Still.

Thank you for this thread. I've donated today and I hope everyone else does.

[rbnyc]

4. Decatur!

Yikes! I grew up in Illinois too.

Thanks for sharing your story. :(

[La Lioness Priyanka]

5. i remember reading about michelle before.

i am sorry the world lost her.

[rbnyc]

6. Thanks.

I post about her every year. This will be the 5th year I've posted here about her. Wow.

:hi:

[Haole Girl]

7. Thank you for the reminder. Somewhere on this photo....

... of the AIDS Quilt, is a little square with my
Uncle Doug's name: :cry:

[rbnyc]

10. RIP Uncle Doug.

Thanks for sharing that picture.

[Haole Girl]

18. Thank you

:hug:

[Maddy McCall]

15. Hi, KC2.

On the AIDS Memorial Quilt website, you can search for your uncle's quilt square.

Here's the link:

http://www.archive.aidsquilt.org/searchquilt.htm

I lost my cousin to AIDS. I have found his square--it's not very difficult to do the search.

:hug:

[Haole Girl]

19. Thank you for sharing this

My sister told me she'd found his square...I guess this is how.

I will look later, when the site is not so busy...

probably a lot of people remembering their loved-ones today.

Thanks again.. :hug:

[Phillycat]

8. Fantastic post, thank you.

And thanks for the links. Prayers for Michele.

[rbnyc]

11. Thank you. (nt)

[JackBeck]

9. Thank You for the post.

Do you think you could add the non-profit I work for to your list?

I'm an HIV Health Educator at ACRIA (AIDS Community Research Initiate of America) www.acria.org

My department does Health Education workshops within communities of need. We do workshops at Housing Works, GMHC, etc...

And guess what happened? We were written out of our Ryan White contract which supplied the majority of funds for our department.

[rbnyc]

12. I will definately give to ACRIA.

That sucks about Ryan White. Do you work in Development?

[JackBeck]

14. No, I work as an educator.

We don't do prevention. We do treatment education. We give workshops on topics like how the immune system works, HIV life cycle, sides effects from meds, etc...We, for lack of a better term, empower our clients with HIV health knowledge so that they can better understand what's going on inside them, as well as have a better conversation with their health provider about HIV/AIDS. We take that really difficult language and make it more accessible to everyone.

[rbnyc]

20. I may have had some experience with your org.

I trained as a mediator for Project Resolve which offered mediation services free of charge to people with HIV/AIDS or people affected by HIV/AIDS. Because a lot of the cases had to do with AIDS issues, an educator from a local organization came and did a massive training with us on everything you described above. I wonder if that was your organization.

Project Resolve doesn't exost anymore. Funding was was not renewed.

[JackBeck]

21. It's very likely it was us.

I think we're one of the only organizations that does what we do. The AIDS Institute does something similar, but not as in depth as we offer.

Small world, but then again, so is NYC.

[KitchenWitch]

13. Great post - thank you!

:yourock:

[NC_Nurse]

16. Thank you for this post.

It's a great reminder that there are so many good people out there who deserve accolades. I'm so sorry
that Michele was killed in such a horrific manner. RIP, Michele. :hug:

[ThomCat]

17. Great post, and great organizations.

Volunteers really do change the world. Everyone who can, should.

[ashling]

22. Thanks for this post

My little brother Glenn died of AIDS in the late 90s in upstate New York. I miss him. Your post made me feel better. :)

[rbnyc]

24. I'm sorry to hear that...but glad my post brightened...

...your day a little.

So sad to lose your little brother. :cry:

[SeattleGirl]

23. Thank you for sharing Michele's story, rbnyc.

I wanted to share something with you and anyone else reading this. Bristol-Myers has a website up called Light to Unite. Every time someone lights a candle on the site, they donate a dollar to AIDS research. I know that being a drug company, they could probably donate more, but it's something.

https://www.lighttounite.org/

[rbnyc]

25. Every little bit helps...

...it may be only a dollar, but at least it's a dollar in the right direction.

[rbnyc]

26. Thanks for the replies...

...and the recs.

Going home to my sweet baby now.

Love ya.

:hi:

[av8rdave]

27. What a great post..thanks

And thanks for the things you do by working in nonprofit