Scott Blades
Executive Director
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June is an Important Month for Us
Friends,
June is an important month for us.
1. June 1981 is when the first alert was made about what would become known as AIDS when a mention was published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report about the first cases of a mysterious disease in five young gay men in Los Angeles
2. June marks Pride Month, on the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in NYC in 1969
3. June 1994 is when the first organizing meeting of local faith communities took place, which would soon become TIHAN.
And now we have three more reasons that June is important to us: Tucson Mayor Regina Romero proclaiming June 2024 as TIHAN appreciation month, HIV Testing Day this Thursday – June 27, and a fantastic record-breaking Treasures for TIHAN!
Tuscon Mayer Regina Romero Proclaims June To Be “TIHAN Appreciation Month”
TIHAN was honored to be at the Mayor and Council meeting to be presented with a proclamation of thanks and support from Mayor Regina Romero in conjunction with our 30th anniversary of serving the community.
Sixteen TIHAN members were there for the presentation—representatives from our Board of Directors and committees, volunteers, donors, nonprofit and community partners, faith communities, local businesses, staff, and people living with HIV.
“WHEREAS, for the past 30 years, TIHAN’s caring faith communities, businesses, and nonprofit groups, joining together with volunteers and donors, have offered awareness and education to prevent the spread of HIV, decreased the level of fear and stigma, provided care and support for all of us infected and affected by HIV, and catalyzed our community towards a compassionate response to HIV/AIDS; and
WHEREAS, TIHAN is part of a network of Tucson’s outstanding collaborative partners including the Pima County Health Department, El Rio Special Immunology Associates, University of Arizona’s Peterson Clinics, and the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation; and
WHEREAS, there is still no cure for HIV, but education, prevention, and loving support from community members can decrease HIV stigma and improve the quality of life of people living with and affected by HIV; and
WHEREAS, our city is stronger when Tucsonans, faith communities, and local businesses join together in partnership, working collaboratively with healthcare providers and community-based organizations in support of a common cause,
Now, therefore, I, Regina Romero, Mayor of the City of Tucson, Arizona, do hereby proclaim June 2024 to be TIHAN Appreciation Month!”
Thursday, June 27: National HIV Testing Day
Thursday, June 27, is National HIV Testing Day, a day to encourage people to get tested for HIV, know their status, and get linked to care and treatment.
Tucson’s HIV service providers are joining forces to promote the day and encourage testing. There are several locations around town where you can get a confidential rapid HIV test. Knowledge is power, and today if you test positive for HIV, you can get immediately connected to medical care and life-saving anti-retroviral medications, regardless of whether or not you have health insurance. Know your status and take positive steps for your health and well-being!
An Astounding Success! Treasures For TIHAN 2024
June 8 capped off an important milestone for us as we held our signature fundraising event “Treasures for TIHAN 2024: 30 Years of Love,” which raised an amazing $106,000 to support the programs and services of TIHAN!
After a lively 10 days of bidding on generously-donated auction items, 225 people gathered on Saturday afternoon at the festive ballroom at Desert Diamond Casino near the Tucson airport for our in-person event. Great music and entertainment, more silent auction bidding, fabulous spreads of food, an exciting live auction and paddle raise, beautiful decorations, poster with the HIV timeline from 1981 to present, and posterboards telling the stories of TIHAN with milestones from our 30 years of love and service. With a community of generous sponsors and donors, you stepped forward as we commemorated the past, celebrated the future, and began creating the future. This year’s event set a record for net income, and we are so grateful.
It was an incredible mixture of people who gathered for our milestone event—philanthropists, people with HIV, clergy, PFLAG moms (and dads). elected officials, business owners, nonprofit CEOs and EDs, faith community representatives, a handful of TIHAN’s founding board members (some approaching their 90s), people from all over the gender spectrum, long-term HIV survivors, community activists, mixed in with volunteers newly engaged in the fight for care and justice. Whether you donated items, bid on items, sponsored our event, volunteered, attended in-person, bid online, performed, helped decorate, raised your paddle to donate, partnered with us to care and serve, promoted the event, bought raffle tickets, hosted us, served on staff to coordinate the details, just came out to commemorate our 30 years of service, or just sent some love our way, you contributed to our success.
Thank you! The event is just the beginning, to educate and activate and engage and connect people, and to gather resources for programs and services that change lives. Let’s keep moving forward!
“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” — Helen Keller
If you have not yet supported our Treasures for TIHAN event, there’s still time to join in the celebration! You can contribute your gift of any amount at https://tihan.ejoinme/give and note that your donation is for Treasures for TIHAN. Thank you!
