Official Media Sponsor of APLA

From the Executive Director

What's New

More than 30 women clients joined APLA staff on March 11 to recognize National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day with a first-ever luncheon and social networking event at The David Geffen Center.

The luncheon, hosted by the APLA Women's Committee, offered an opportunity for clients to talk with female staff and share experiences with their peers. Make-up artists from a local M·A·C Cosmetics store offered mini-makeovers, make-up tips and complimentary cosmetics during the event. Clients also enjoyed a food demonstration, hosted by Nutrition staff, which used groceries available through our Necessities of Life Program (NOLP) food pantries. Staff will host another luncheon in May to mark Mother's Day.

Profile

Elton Naswood (at center, in photo) runs the Red Circle Project, the only HIV prevention program in Los Angeles County that specifically targets Native American populations. Through support group sessions, social marketing campaigns, and training and certification of peer health educators, the project mobilizes Native American/Alaska Natives to develop educational materials about their lives; to counter social isolation; and to facilitate outreach to the community.

HIV/AIDS continues to grow among Native Americans and Alaska Natives, who now rank third behind blacks and Latinos (with rates 40 percent higher than among whites) in rates of HIV/AIDS diagnosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), coupled with the highest rates of substance abuse of all ethnicities and poverty rates at twice the national average, make the challenges associated with risk for HIV infection a daily reality for many Natives.

On March 20, APLA's Red Circle Project organized an event to mark the second annual National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Elton is shown here with Mark Parra (left), a Navajo living with HIV who spoke about his struggles and Steven David Simon (right), the City of Los Angeles AIDS Coordinator.

Giving

Ron Valdez still remembers the moment he realized the urgent need for HIV/AIDS education in his community.

"I was volunteering at the Latin LGBT Pride Festival, and we were offering free HIV testing," Ron recalls. "Plenty of people took the test but only about fifteen percent actually returned for their results. There was a tremendous lack of awareness."

That's when Ron decided to get involved.

"I had heard about APLA's HIV/AIDS prevention work from a member of the agency's Ambassador Council, and I was fortunate to be in a position to support APLA's activities, so I became a donor," he explains.

Ron, a partner in Hamilton-Selway, a West Hollywood fine art gallery, also began to give his time.

"It's important to give financially, but I also wanted to lend my experience as a person of color and as a successful businessman," he explains. "That's why I ultimately decided to join APLA's board of directors."

And on May 8, Valdez will open his gallery for a recognition event for APLA Leadership Council members, a committed group of supporters who make a generous annual contribution to the agency.

"By giving, I'm able to raise awareness in my community and beyond. To me, that's so important."

Take Action

APLA's Government Affairs Division has launched a postcard campaign to combat proposed cuts to state HIV/AIDS programs. The postcards, available throughout APLA locations, urge Governor Schwarzenegger to withdraw his proposed $11 million in cuts to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, the Therapeutic Monitoring Program, and housing, HIV counseling and testing, and HIV prevention and education programs.

APLA is also working on a similar Spanish-language campaign with Bienestar and the Southern California HIV Advocacy Coalition (SCHAC). At the same time, Government Affairs staff is recruiting and preparing community members for upcoming advocacy work, including legislative visits, public hearings and other activities. You can keep track of this and other important activities by joining APLA's activist network "In the Loop" today.

Photo of the Month

Danny Gurwin and Marilu Henner perform "A Fact Can Be a Beautiful Thing" from Burt Bacharach's Promises, Promises during the Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (S.T.A.G.E.) at the Wilshire Theatre Beverly Hills. The event also honored Doris Roberts and Brenda Freiberg for their work on behalf of people living with HIV/AIDS.

The Last Word

"A marathon, to me, is insane. My own mother said, 'You'll die; don't do it.' But I faced my fear and started training."

-- National AIDS marathoner Lisa Yaremchuk
interviewed by the Los Angeles Daily News
the day before completing
the 2008 Los Angeles Marathon