Dear Friends,
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we hope you know how much we appreciate you! TIHAN is blessed with wonderful volunteers, donors, CarePartners, staff, and colleagues, and we are grateful to work together with you to build a healthier and more compassionate community…
Thank you for joining us, sharing your blessings, and helping us support each other to live well, especially during these challenging times. As Lucky reminds us, there is hope, and you have a part to play.
Here are a few announcements to help keep you connected and informed about TIHAN and all our happenings. Plus, one announcement that could make you much richer!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Scott Blades
Executive Director
Quick Links to This Month’s Articles
- Our Spirit of Philanthropy Honorees: Join Us to Celebrate The Stonewall Foundation and SíCharro in a Free and Virtual Event this Friday!
- Lucky, Living with HIV, Shares His Message: Look for a Silver Lining
- $25 Gets You A Chance to Win 3 Great Prizes – Deadline December 4!
- Making the Season Merrier
- We Have Some Volunteer Opportunities, Socially-Distancing, Of Course!
- We’re Running Low on Paper Products to Include in Our CarePackages – Can You Help?
- Support People Living with HIV and Get a Tax Credit from the State of Arizona!
- PrEP and PEP: Two Important Ways You Can Help Prevent Contracting HIV
- TIHAN Office Schedule During November and December
Our Spirit of Philanthropy Honorees: Join Us to Celebrate The Stonewall Foundation and SíCharro in a Free and Virtual Event this Friday!
Every year as part of National Philanthropy Day, TIHAN celebrates one of our donors for their support of TIHAN as part of the Southern Arizona community’s commemoration of generosity. This year, we’re celebrating TWO legendary local groups, and since this year’s event is virtual, you can tune in and help us celebrate their philanthropy! This Friday, November 13, the free event takes place from 3:30-4:30pm (pre-party at 3:00pm), from the comfort of your home or office.
To register to receive the event link, click here
The Stonewall Foundation has been a godsend to TIHAN and people living with HIV. Since the inception of the foundation in 1977, they have donated over $20 million support to a variety of nonprofits and TIHAN is honored to be among The Stonewall Foundation’s family of 23 arts, health, and education nonprofits that they support each year. The Stonewall Foundation support our Poz Cafe lunch and social program, as well as our Living Well with HIV series of classes, and this year made a major gift to help us through the challenges wrought by COVID-19.
The Flores family, and their SíCharro! family of restaurants has been feeding Tucson with great food for almost 100 years. This year, as TIHAN sought to keep our CarePartners safe from COVID-19, SíCharro! stepped forward and provided hundreds of delicious meals to people living with HIV, which TIHAN and our volunteers delivered to grateful people. We appreciate being included in the long list of schools, groups, and nonprofits that receive great food and loving philanthropy from the SíCharro!/Flores Concepts family.
Our two honorees are among 30 Spirit of Philanthropy Award winners nominated by 28 nonprofits in our community. This year’s event will also honor these major award winners: Adaline Klemmedson, The Connie J. Hillman Family Foundation, Janos Wilder*, Lana Baldwin, Julia Wieland, Creatista Film and Photography*, and the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona*.
* indicates they, too, are TIHAN supporters
Lucky, Living with HIV, Shares His Message: Look for a Silver Lining
One thing you realize when talking to Lucky is that there are some recurring themes, and they all relate to his nickname. Lucky. Blessed. Positive thinking. Looking on the bright side. Finding the silver lining.
Five years ago is when Lucky got his nickname. He was involved in a terrible motorcycle accident that changed his life. For his birthday, he’d decided to go camping in Northern Arizona and finally visit the Grand Canyon. He was hit by a van, and his next memory was of being on a helicopter and being taken to a hospital in Flagstaff. He’s been in pain and on disability since then, but Lucky talks about finding “the silver lining beyond those grey skies.” It’s a theme that carries over to him finding out he has HIV, too.
Lucky moved to Tucson 10 years ago from Chicago. “Moving here was the smartest decision I ever made in my life,” he says. “Thanks to family and to TIHAN too, I have created a life that I don’t need a vacation from.” HIV, chronic pain, disability, financial challenges, but Lucky considers himself fortunate.
“I’ve survived when so many of my friends who have experienced motorcycle accidents didn’t,” he shares. That accident also led him to Bikers for Christ, which has become an important part of his support system.
Lucky’s years before arriving in Tucson included family challenges, prison time, and a painful separation from his ex-wife and kids. He spent time in prison for doing what he felt was protecting his children, but he knows now it wasn’t the best way to do so. He was locked up for taking his kids without having legal custody. Prison was made worse by losing his mother and two of his grandparents while he was serving time. But, Lucky says, he was able to study and obtain his associate degree while incarcerated. By volunteering to work waxing floors every night, he was released early for “good behavior.” His positive outlook shines through.
When he was released from prison in 1999, Lucky worked on the roof crew of a union, building houses. He met a woman and started dating. She was a heroin addict and an alcoholic. “We had some things in common, but looking back, she was in bad shape. I guess I thought I was helping her out.” Eventually, after they split, he heard that she had HIV. “She never told me, but her friends told me. I think that’s how I got HIV. After I heard those rumors, I went and got tested and found out I was positive. Hit me hard. Back then it was even more serious. Everyone thought it was a death sentence. I had to be very ‘hush-hush’ about it. I felt very shameful, and I had to be very secretive about my HIV. That is, until I came to Tucson and got connected with you guys (TIHAN). I was very lucky.”
He moved to Tucson to be with his aunt and uncle. Their support has been transformative for Lucky. “It was great being together with family again, and re-establishing a good relationship with my ex-wife, my son, and my two grandchildren. Even after my uncle passed away, there have been so many blessings,” he says. I really believe in the power of prayer, and there was a time my aunt and I were in serious financial straits, and then some miracles happened, and our prayers were answered. I really feel like my life now is so good.”
In addition to the support of his aunt, TIHAN has been an important component of making him happy, especially our Poz Café lunch and social event. He loves the food and also the raffle prizes and bingo prizes that TIHAN donors contribute. “We’ve won a microwave, a cordless vacuum, so many things over the years. It’s amazing. And I love meeting new friends there. I’ve met a couple who are also positive, and we have become very good friends. Good food, good people of faith helping out, great volunteers. I end up feeling good about living with HIV, instead of feeling ashamed of it.”
With his disability income at $704/month, Lucky shares that the CarePackages from TIHAN really make a difference, and the holiday support in past years has been very helpful. This year, during COVID, the extra meals and the gift cards to assist with food expenses have been especially useful to him. “I’ve received a $50 gift card for food from TIHAN two months in a row. I love you guys for that! It really helps a lot.”
Lucky got connected to TIHAN because he saw a flyer when he was at SAAF one day for an appointment with his case manager. That was nine years ago. As someone who identifies as heterosexual, it took Lucky some time to get adjusted to being around gay people in the HIV community. “I wasn’t used to that. It was new for me. Now, it’s no big deal and I feel comfortable around everyone.”
Lucky’s HIV is now suppressed – at the level considered “undetectable.” He remembers the early days of his diagnosis, when the medications were limited and not always very effective. He’s grateful for the advancements and the medical care he gets from El Rio. Because of the importance of oral hygiene in keeping the immune system healthy, dental care is a priority for people living with HIV. Lucky was amazed that he was able to qualify for dental work that he would otherwise never been able to take care of. “Another silver lining,” he says.
Lucky is grateful that he’s re-establishing a relationship with his ex-wife, son, and grandkids, even though due to COVID he hasn’t been able to see them recently.
What would he tell someone who has been newly diagnosed with HIV and is sitting in that place he remembers of feeling isolated and ashamed? ”I’d tell them about the surprise of seeing doctors really caring about you and being on top of your health and helping you to get healthier. You can get on these meds and have stable health and be undetectable.
He continues, “I’d tell them that, believe it or not, some people really do care. I’d tell them you don’t have to tell anyone about your HIV if you don’t want to, but there are people who will support you. I’d tell them that there can a bright side to this, which I never knew. And I’d tell them that, because of my HIV, I take better care of myself than I did before. It can be a challenge, but stay positive and with time you can live a happy life. Maybe there could be a silver lining. Maybe you can be like me. I just turned 56 in July. Today, I can live, laugh, love, and that’s a blessing.”
Lucky gives credit to TIHAN for helping him, and shares his gratitude with our volunteers and donors and staff who make the support possible. “You all have helped me so much,” he says. “You’ve given me the green light to live again.”
$25 Gets You A Chance to Win 3 Great Prizes – Deadline December 4!
Time is running out to enter — the drawing is almost here! Purchase your Jim Click Millions for Tucson Raffle tickets to have a chance to win the Grand Prize: a 2020 Ford F-150 truck, plus two more great prizes. Second Prize is two first-class roundtrip airline tickets to anywhere in the world, and Third Prize is $5,000 cash! Tickets are only $25 each, or 5 tickets for $100. For every ticket TIHAN sells, we get to keep the money to support our programs, and you get a chance at these three awesome prizes.
Tickets are available at the TIHAN office or online at https://tihan.ejoinme.org/win
The drawing will be held on December 11, 2020, but the deadline for purchasing tickets is December 4. With a limited number of tickets distributed, your odds of winning are much better than the lottery and many other raffles! You do NOT have to be present to win, but you must be 21 years of age or older to win. Get your tickets from us now and get your chance to win! Good luck!
Making the Season Merrier
The number of CarePartners coming to the socially-distanced and COVID-safe version of Poz Café this year, to pick up a boxed meal and a CarePackage in a drive-through line in the parking lot, is still 50% higher than the pre-COVID lunch event indoors with socializing. And every year, the attendance at December’s Poz Café overshadows the rest of the months – often doubling the attendance that we see in the summer. So we anticipate an unprecedented turnout for this December, and we need lots of support to make it a success!
This year, while we can’t offer CarePartners our traditional festive holiday dinner and dance party, we do hope to make some impact on the holiday season for our CarePartners living with HIV. For the December Poz Café and SAAF’s (Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation) Family Day, we will be offering both pick-up and home delivery for CarePartners to enjoy a take-home holiday meal, a full CarePackage, and hopefully a gift and a gift card for each of our CarePartners. Can you help us serve what should be a record number of individuals living with HIV seeking holiday support from TIHAN?
We are asking for donations of gifts for adults, with a value of $15-$25 (ideas here), and $25 gift cards to stores like Target, Walmart, and Fry’s. Gifts should be new and unused, and should be delivered to us unwrapped. Gift and gift card donations can be brought to the TIHAN office Monday-Friday between 8:30am and 4:30pm. Thank you for helping us to boost spirits at the end of a difficult year!
Please plan to bring all donations in by the priority deadline of Wednesday, November 25 – or at the very latest, Monday, November 30.
We Have Some Volunteer Opportunities, Socially-Distancing, Of Course!
With an increased demand for support, we need volunteers who are able to help (physically distancing and abiding by COVID-safe guidelines). We have resumed our monthly Volunteer Orientations and they are being held virtually via Zoom. We have a wide range of volunteer opportunities including: administrative support, outreach and education, fundraising, and care and support roles working directly with people living with HIV.
Contact Maggie for information about our current volunteer opportunities, and we’ll get the process started for you, and sign you up for a Volunteer Orientation, perhaps Saturday, November 14 or Tuesday, December 15. Please reach out to Maggie at (520) 299-6647 ext 204 or VolunteerCoordinator@tihan.org.
Current volunteer openings include:
- Link Specialist Volunteers (especially Spanish-speaking)
- Operations Assistants (Front Desk Receptionist)
- CarePartner Program Support Volunteers
- Marketing Committee Member
- Program Committee Member (with program coordination or evaluation experience)
- And more opportunities listed on our website tihan.org
We’re Running Low on Paper Products to Include in Our CarePackages – Can You Help?
TIHAN supporters have been amazing with helping to keep our CarePartners stocked with essential hygiene and household items, even with the tremendous increase in the number of CarePackages that we give out each month. Unfortunately, we do not have enough paper towels or toilet paper to last through November, and we really need your help right now to be able to continue to provide these essentials in our CarePackages moving forward.
Whatever you are able to donate, whether it is one roll or a bulk pack, it is in high demand and will be put to immediate use.
Please bring donations to the TIHAN office and call us when you are putting them on the donation table outside our front door, Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm.
Support People Living with HIV and Get a Tax Credit from the State of Arizona!
If you are a resident of Arizona, you should know about the Arizona State Tax Credit, which allows YOU to tell the state to direct up to $400 (single) or $800 (married) of your tax dollars to TIHAN and/or another qualified organization. You can direct YOUR tax dollars to benefit nonprofit causes and people you care about right here in our community.
Your $400 tax credit will provide support services for six months to someone living with HIV, or your $800 tax credit will provide support services for one year!
Not only will your gift improve someone’s quality of life, it won’t end up costing you anything*. You make a gift to TIHAN (up to $400 or $800), and the state of Arizona will give you the credit and you get it back when you file your taxes.
Our CarePartner Tim (pictured here) knows that there are good people in the world, and he believes there are many of you reading this today who want to direct some of your Arizona tax dollars to support TIHAN’s programs. Make your donation online at https://tihan.ejoinme.org/taxcredit, or visit tihan.org and click on “More Donation Options,” or send your check to TIHAN’s office.
*Of course, if you want to make an additional gift, you can contribute more than the tax credit, and take the remainder as a tax deduction in addition to the tax credit. TIHAN’s Qualifying Charitable Organization (QCO) Code is 20359.
PrEP and PEP: Two Important Ways You Can Help Prevent Contracting HIV
There are two similar-sounding terms that are important for you to know: pre-exposure prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis. Do you know the differences?
Check out this useful chart.
TIHAN Office Schedule During November and December
Please note that the TIHAN office will be closed on the following days:
Wednesday, November 11th in observance of Veterans Day
Thursday, November 26th and Friday November 27th in observance of Thanksgiving Day
Friday, December 25th in observance of Christmas Day
Friday, January 1st, 2021 in observance of New Year’s Day
