Team Indy/MLK Day of Service 2010

Each year the IUPUI (Indiana University, Purdue University, Indianapolis) Center for Service Learning puts on a day of service on Martin Luther King Day. Students, Faculty, Community Members, and Alumni gather for breakfast and a program honoring Dr. King. Participants are prepared for a productive day of service throughout the city of Indianapolis. After meeting in groups lead by a Service Leader from IUPUI, the groups disperse to work on projects off campus.

Year after year, Indianapolis tends to fall short in opportunities which are available to the community who want to volunteer. IUPUI Center for Service and Learning has been nationally recognized for their work in the community and always has a great role in creating opportunities for those interested in service.
The morning began at IUPUI where we gathered for breakfast with people who were to participate in the day with us. Shortly thereafter, we were presented the “I Have a Dream Speech” by a local high school student. The members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Phi Chapter presented a short step-show in honor of their fraternity brother, King. We were given a brief synopsis of King’s work and life, encouraged to speak to the people at our table about why service was important, and mentally prepare for impact in the community. We were soon dismissed, with our yellow 2010 MLK t-shirts to nearby sites to serve.
This year our team was placed at the Indianapolis Senior Center. Located downtown, not too far from many of our offices, it was nice to get to know a little bit more about the fantastic perks hidden away in Downtown Indianapolis. It offers everything from exercise classes to computer classes. We helped to organize, clean, dust, and tour the center.
During the day of service, we got to work with other community members, IUPUI student leaders, and staff at the Senior Center. After service there was an opportunity to reflect by each person sharing what they got out of the day. It gave the opportunity to discuss service from several different perspectives.

One thing we discussed as a group was that next year members could attempt to coordinate volunteer opportunities for volunteers in our agencies etc. We all seemed to hear about somebody who wanted to serve but had no where to go because most places ran out of slots to have people participate in whatever opportunities were available. The obstacle here is finding things that can be done on a national holiday when offices are usually closed. Of course that is something for next year’s team to discuss. MLK Day 2010 was a success. Although many people were wondering how dusting and wiping down furniture can make any difference, small things add up to a lot and as a team and as a community we made a big difference. Team Indy is always eager to make the biggest impact possible, and this year it was nice to be able to do so collectively with other groups. We work as a collaborative group of six, group of the Indianapolis community, National AIDS Fund Caring Counts AmeriCorps group nationally, and hopefully as group globally to make real impact in the world. It starts with one person organizing one group who can change the world in one city at a time. And of course it doesn't hurt to have a little fun while you're at it!

30 seconds of your time will Change someones life!

Hey everyone!
I hope your year is going well! I would love if you could take a few minutes of your time and VOTE for Think Impact, a non-profit organization that I am currently a Fellow with, and when we all first met had just spent the summer in Kenya with. Think Impact (formerly Student Movement for Real Change) has a chance at winning a MILLION DOLLARS! If you are a Facebook user please take 30 seconds to go to http://www.thinkimpact.org/chase and vote for us! You need to become a fan of Chase Giving Challenge, then just simply click on Student Movement for Real Change and you will have become a part of a huge movement to help thousands of people living in poverty in Africa. Voting ends Friday the 22nd! So Please vote and help your fellow AmeriCorps member out! I really appreciate it! Thank you for your help and support!

<3 Alex Team NC

*For more info on my project that this challenge will help fund please visit: www.thinkimpact.org/alex

World AIDS Day in the Southwest

One day for AIDS work and recognition was not enough for us here in New Mexico, so we tested and partied all week long. Starting on WAD-eve, we headed over to the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque for a full day of testing from 10am-4pm, followed by a half hour presentation by the Department of Health on HIV/AIDS prevention. We ended up testing about 25 people. Thank you to Arika, the NM DOH, and Alpha Phi Alpha for setting it all up!

The following day we switched it up and instead of testing students in Albuquerque we went over to Santa Fe Community College and held an event there (thanks to the awesome help from their Student Nursing Club). Being that SFCC is a smaller school, we did not test as many people, but we still managed to inform nine individuals of their status. We also were able to hand out some free condoms and literature, so there are a couple more people out there practicing safe sex because of us!

The testing event went from 9am-4pm, and afterwards we grabbed some dinner at Bumblebee’s and then headed to Railway Park for a candlelight vigil for those who have died of AIDS. The vigil was hosted by Trey’s agency, Southwest Care Center, which is a high tech HIV/AIDS clinic, and was a sad but good experience. They lined the park with “farolitos”, a local decoration that is simply a brown paper lunch bag with a candle inside. There was a bunch lining the pathways and in the shape of a big AIDS ribbon in the middle of the park. It was simple but scenic, gently lighting up the park. After a brief speech by the Medical Director of SWCC, Trevor Hawkins, and a few melodies sung by SWCC staff, anyone who wanted to could tell their and their loved ones story. It was a good way to hear how people other than those who are positive are affected by the disease.

Unfortunately, we had to go back to our agencies and work after Tuesday, but that did not stop us from finishing off the week with a party! That Friday our city supervisor, Robert Sturm, and the agency he works at, New Mexico Community AIDS Partnership, held a get together for WAD and the various HIV/AIDS agencies and projects they help fund. There was a whole bunch of interesting people there, as well as free soda and food, so obviously us Americorps members flocked to the event. It was a fun and relaxing way to finish up a busy week.

World AIDS Day with Team Detroit

Team Detroit worked tirelessly all day to do its part for a very significant cause. The Team decided to spread itself around in hopes of contributing to the success of several different programs. Team Detroit aimed to get things done.

Team D was split into 4 overlapping groups. The first group was extremely excited to be a part of the Detroit Health Department's WAD Testing Event. Two team members offered their services to the community via the Detroit Health Departments Mobile Testing Unit.

The second group participated in the University of Detroit Mercy's all-day WAD event. A few team members helped with testing, while the others participated in a HIV/AIDS Panel Discussion. A good and rewarding time was had by all.

The third group helped set-up and take down the Detroit Red Ribbon Collaborative's Health Fair. Additionally, one team member provided rapid testing to persons attending the fair, while the others participated in HIV/AIDS outreach, engaging community members in important discussions.

Finally, the last group staffed the Detroit Red Ribbon Collaborative's Detroit Red Fundraiser. The event proved to be an awesome success. For Team Detroit, WAD represented an exciting opportunity to collaborate with different organizations in hopes of providing as much assistance, direct or indirect, to the community.

We hope all teams did everything in their power to help the communities they serve on WAD. We wish all teams a successful and rewarding remainder of the service year.

Team Indy celebrated the winter holidays by decorating cookies, which we then delivered to a local domestic violence shelter.


Happy New Year, from your friendly neighborhood reindeer impersonators!

Holidays

Merry Holidays everybody, from Team Indianapolis!

Amanda, Chloe, Ebony, Katie, Kyle, and Oliver

midwest swing.

Dearest comrades,
Let me tell you about Team Chicago's November. A time filled with first snows and Guy Fawkes' masks. With Bears' and Bulls' losses. Oh, and Blackhawk wins. They play hockey. Or something.

Our first Fifth day was on November the sixth. We met in the morning and put together safe sex kits. Then we broke up into three teams, covering the north, south, and west sides of the city. There, we handed out our 'awesome night in a bag' kits. According to Kevin's estimate, as a team we reached out to 2,000 individuals and handed out approximately 500 safe sex kits. After this, we went to the Humboldt Park Soup Kitchen where we thought we'd just be serving the meal and chatting with the people there, but it turned out that the cooks weren't going to be coming that evening, so we made and served the entire meal for about 60 people. It was a great day for the team as we reached a huge population in Chicago.

The next week, Mallory and I planned the fifth day. We spent a few hours unloading supplies for a food pantry. In all, we unloaded about 3,000 pounds of food! Later on, we went to my agency, TPAN, and painted the entire staff area (which now looks phenomenal). We did however, sadly, lose one AmeriCorps sweatshirt to paint that day. RIP Katrece's sweatshirt.

(Katrece, happy, before the destruction of her sweatshirt)


(Davina, getting stuff done)

Next, we volunteered and attended the Chicago Youth Against AIDS conference. It was a forum that discussed HIV in the context of young adults. We discussed how kids can be comfortable in their skin, how to reach out to youth, and why we think young people are so complacent towards the disease.

The next week we ate a lot of turkey.

And then finally, for World AIDS Day, we had the honor of attending and volunteering at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago's 'World of Chocolate' fundraiser. Taking place in the Hilton Chicago, this testament to AFC's prowess in the community redefined my concept of class. The Governor of Illinois, along with hundreds of others, enjoyed a huge variety of chocolate vendors as the AFC raised over $200,000 that evening.

And then Team Chicago, all dressed up, cleaned up the Hilton.

November was an exciting time for us. It seemed all of our fifth days took shape quickly and had a very real effect on the Chicago community. Our fifth days are a chance to reach out to communities we don't see Monday-Thursday. A chance to see Chicago from a new perspective and tackle problems you didn't know existed. A chance to help a larger community than you see at your agency and a time to see where your friends work everyday. Also, sometimes, you get free food.


I'll post again in January! From Team Chicago, Enjoy the holidays. And here's a holiday food tip:
Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

World AIDS Day Team Tulsa

on world aids day, lauren and i went to the university of tulsa (my alma mater) and provided testing for the students for five hours during the day. the event was well advertised and we had a great response. we did about thirty tests and even more individual counseling and risk assessment sessions. i love working at TU because i got my start in social justice work while i was attending school there. i'm so glad lauren got to share the day with me as well. i know the students appreciate the time we spend there. the night before world aids day, haley and i also did an education session to a group of TU students before they watched "and the band played on."

here's a little description of what sara and haley did:

Haley and I attended the Tulsa C.A.R.E.S. World Aids Day Symposium. It was a fantastic day; we had about 80 people show up for the event. We had pieces of the quilt and made our own poster with messages about people that we have lost to AIDS. We had vendors and speakers. Vendors from places like: HOPE testing, Red Cross, Tulsa Public Library, and Mac Cosmetics. The speakers spoke on topics such as women and sexuality, men and sexuality, legal issues, work force and job corps, and Hep C. It was a great turn out and will only grow larger each year. I was very proud to be a part of such a great event!!!

after spending the day split up, the team came together for our city's world aids day service at all souls unitarian church. the americorps team help to provide and set up refreshments for after the service. there were speakers, candle lighting, and a collection for the tulsa community aids project. it was a beautiful, touching ceremony.

Update from the District!

Hello fellow Awesomes,

It's finally time for team D.C. to update y'all on what we've been up to. We've been having so much fun at national days of service that we forgot to update the blog!

In honor of make a difference day, team D.C. booked it to the Martin Luther King Jr. Library in downtown Washington. We collaborated with a former NAF Team DC AmeriCorps member to help update library collections and facilitate the upcoming move that many DC library branches are undergoing.

The team was assigned to go down to "the cage". The cage is exactly that -- a dusty, dingy metal cage in the basement of the library that houses thousands of not-quite-shelf-ready articles. We spent hours in the cage re-labeling books and chatting it up with each other and some library employees. While the work was a tad mundane, it was awesome to be able to help the library out while conversing and bonding with team members!


We thought our Make A Difference Day Service was fun... but we had no idea how much fun was in store for us on World AIDS Day! The team traveled to Fairfax, VA -- the home of George Mason University -- to assist NOVAM (Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry) with their HIV testing event.

Some of us planted signs across campus, some of us heckled embarrassed college students into grabbing a few condoms, and some of us got to test and counsel George Mason University students. It was awesome! We helped NOVAM test a record number of people in one day.

Many panels of the AIDS quilt were on display. It was hard to see the memories that victims of AIDS have left behind; especially when I noticed on one panel, the person had been born the same year as me, but her life had been cut short in 1998. Even after one full year of service, acknowledging the full impact of this virus is very difficult.

Until next time,

xx

Team DC

WADIndy

Team Indianapolis came together on World AIDS Day 2009 to take part and assist with events that were already organized around the community. A choice was made to take part in these events and help with whatever was needed instead of putting together our own event or plan something separate on our own. The team's first task of the day was to help the Indiana State Department of Health publicly launch their new HIV testing campaign entitled, "One Test, Two Lives." The statewide campaign, put together by the ISDH and other local health organizations, was launched on December 1st, in order to curb the transmission of perinatal HIV transmission. The One Test, Two Lives campaign goals are to encourage all pregnant mothers in Indiana to be tested for HIV, no matter what, in order to prevent any more children in the state from catching HIV from their mothers during pregnancy and/or childbirth.

We spent out morning assisting One Test, Two Lives campaign staff, from the ISDH, set up their presentation forum, in the North Atrium of the Indiana State House. This venue placed The One Test, Two Lives campaign, as well as World AIDS Day literally right in the center of the state's arena for policy, law, and government. We were surrounded by the offices of state house and senate representations, state supreme court judges, and the governor and lieutenant governor.

The ceremony went without a hitch. Various doctors in the pediatric HIV field spoke, as well as the presentation of awards to supporters, and the reading of a piece written by an HIV-positive mother of two HIV-negative children. Press was invited to attend the event, to further assist with getting the message out that all mothers should be tested.

The evening of World AIDS Day had many events going on around the city, so the team divided the events in order to have a broader reach throughout the community. A local church, The Church Within, in downtown Indianapolis held a ceremony to honor those living with and those affected by HIV. The team helped with parking before the event and then with the event itself, which included performances by the men's and women's choirs, panels of the AIDS Quilt on display, as well as lots of cookies and punch! One local woman played the guitar while singing an original piece. Those wanting to participate in the memorial service were encouraged to light a candle and say the name of the person who they were remembering.

A second World AIDS Day event attended by team members, going on at the same time as The Church Within's event, was hosted by the Indiana Minority AIDS Coalition. This event, titled "The Courage To Live," commemorated World AIDS Day and honored champions in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The event was held at the Skyline club, on the 36th floor of Indianapolis' One America Building, the second-tallest building in the city. The event's keynote speaker was a consumer and client from one of the team's host agencies, the LifeCare Program of Clarian Health. Key players in the HIV community (individuals and organizations) were honored for their continued commitment to the fight against HIV.

Do you know your status?

On World AIDS Day the focus was on awareness and education for all within the Triangle area.

According to the CDC, HIV/AIDS has claimed the lives of over 550,000 Americans. Today about 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV, and 1/5 of those infected are unaware of their infection. North Carolina reported 17,127 AIDS cases to the CDC in 2007. North Carolina ranked 13th among the 50 states in cumulative reported AIDS cases.

World AIDS Day started in December 1988. World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The World AIDS Day theme for 2009 is 'Universal Access and Human Rights'. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.In September 2000, at the United Nations Millennium Summit, world leaders agreed to a set of measurable goals for combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental, degradation and discrimination against women. These are the Millennium Development Goals. One of these goals is to stop the spread of AIDS around the world by 2015. Our leaders made this promise. It is now up to them and us to keep it.

Team North Carolina spent this WAD on Decemeber 1st, at the Durham Hyati Heritage Center where 100+ Durham community members, local CBOs, friends, and family came together to remember those lost, those living and those preventing HIV/AIDS. Many of our team's agency's helped to sponsor the event. Before the event officially started there was testing offered upstairs at the Center where many locals were tested. Our team assisted with the ushering of people to their seats, anwsering of questions and passing out ribbons, information and light up AIDS ribbons for the remembrance ceremony. There were many different community groups that participated in the entertainment for the night highlights included a mime, youth chorus, solo vocalist and a dance troop. It was a memorable event for all.


New Years Resolution for Team NC: blog on time and all the time! :) Hope you all enjoyed your holidays!

Gay Rodeo - Team NM

The New Mexico team was split up between two agencies, South West Cares (Trey's host site) and Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless (my host site) to do HIV testing, so Trey and I decided to both write a portion of the blog.

The day started out kind of slow for the first few hours, but somewhat entertaining what with the transexual women (many of whom had sashes indicating awards formally won), the many gay men who were working for other agencies, Alex the nurse who often works with Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless there doing Hepatitis vaccines, and last but not least my wonderful co-worker David and AmeriCorps team member Arika. There was also a very nice woman from Whole Foods there who was providing free organic fruit and health bars to people.

The day started to pick up about an hour and a half in, and I'm happy to say out of the 16 test we were trying to get done, we got twelve and spoke to many people about Health Care for the Homeless and general healthy sexual preferences.

Once our time was over, I had to take off and sadly didn't get to explore Gay Rodeo to much, but I had a wonderful time while there and left feeling quite accomplished, hough a little disappointed we didn't get to do any condom demonstrations despite our brand new wood dildos (I don't even know where the jokes begin and end with that) and my frequent offerings to show them off.

Making a Difference in the South!

During our Make a Difference Weekend, of October 23, 2009, Team North Carolina started off the weekend with a lovely day at a park in Durham, NC partnered with the Vista AmeriCorps Literacy Program members. We helped to dig, fill and repair a disc golf course with park rangers from Durham Nature and Park Preservation. This disc golf course is used to help teach local youth a new game, build self esteem and have a great time while enjoying Mother Nature!


There were many dead and diseased trees which were removed from the park's forest system to keep the other trees healthy. The park rangers turned the deceased trees into mulch, which was then used by the AmeriCorps power team to move up the hill both ways to fill in the tees of the course. We made trips up and down, up and down the hill, shoveling and spreading mulch to help keep the erosion of the tees to a minimum. Since the course is built into the slope of a hill, during the rains the soil gets washed out not only ruining some of the holes, but complicating the wildlife's survival. The course needs to be ready for the ultimate disc golf tournament happening in mid-November.

While Kim and Erik were not able to be with us this day, they were with us in spirit, muscle, and sweat! We were able to get through 2 of the 18 holes before rain started to sprinkle down, and the next shift of Literacy AmeriCorps Members reported for duty! Our blood from blisters, sweat and tears of joy were left within that park, making our mark for the day!

Staci, Krupa and I spread the good word for AmeriCorps by rocking our amazing tees at the North Carolina State Fair! We were asked by several people about our exemplary work, and how to become a part of the team! Staci and Krupa indulged in true fair food by trying Fried Pickles. Other options included fried pie, fried chocolate bacon, fried cookies, oreos, fried ice cream, fried EVERYTHING! We watched the death defying carnival rides from a safe distance, sampled ice cream, and watched as kids with Superman balloons terrorized their siblings! All in good fair fun!

Saturday, October 24, 2009 Team North Carolina headed to Durant Nature Park to help with crafts during their annual fall festival. Batty Bats, and Friendly Bugs were crafted by children in costume. Princesses, Superman, Power Rangers, Witches, Storm Troopers, Yoda, Darth Vadar, Dinosaurs, Flowers, Kittens, and other characters crafted with the AmeriCorp team, as well as the Jesuit Volunteers from the Raleigh Area. The Jesuit Volunteers are a group of 6 gals who do similar work to AmeriCorp but their program also has a faith componenet to it. They all live simply and together in a house in Raleigh. Each one of them is vibrant and has a unique story. Earlier this year we had a mixer barbecue with them, and they will be joining us on other events throughout the year! The locals in search of fun and festivities entered the park starting around dusk, and were carried to the pumpkin patch where crafts took place by hay ride. Young and old enjoyed the fun!

After enjoying crafts and games, the next part of the fun was a nature trail. The trail was lite by carved friendly pumpkins and candles creating a scenic atmosphere. To the left of the trail was a man made lake surrounded by the yellow, orange and red leaves of fall. Throughout the trail were stations about local animals, a spider, a butterfly, a wolf. Very appropriate for the Halloween weekend looming just ahead in the future. At the end of the trail was a magician and CANDY!!! A rewarding part of this event was watching how the kids really enjoyed themselves, and were very respectful and eager to learn about nature.

Our Make a Difference Weekend was full of joint efforts with other volunteer groups from the Raleigh, and greater Triangle area. New friends were made. Laughs were had, as well as candy, fried food, and good times. It was really great to work specifically with issues that affect youth within the triangle area. While this event wasn't about health specifically, it had a focus on environmental health and how the world really belongs to all of us, especially our future leaders, our youth. It was a break from the health field, and from the norm. Working with youth is a fantastically rewarding experience. The comments that come out of their mouths are so silly and random that you just can't help but smile, and SMILE we did!!

More pictures and fun from Team NC to come! - Alexandra C.

A World of Difference: Team Detroit MADD Reporting

Picking up trash is a relaxing activity...

Okay, maybe not, but it does give you time to think. Below are some of the thoughts that passed through my head on Make A Difference Day.

Setting: It was 9am on a rainy Saturday and Team Detroit had made its way to a local park ready to make a difference by cleaning up the area.

…Make a difference, huh, what does that really mean? -Difference

…Out of the mandatory service days this one has the broadest title-"Make a Difference".

…Is it suppose to be a positive change?, and if so why isn't it called Make a Positive Impact Day, aside from the fact that MAPID is not as good of an abbreviation as MADD.

…Difference? I mean a lot of people have made a difference in our world, but not all of it good.

…Today on the 38th parallel where North and South Korea are divided, the 2 mile-wide Demilitarized Zone is one of Asia's premiere preserves for rare birds and other species. Does that mean that Kim Jong Il has made a difference for his role in creating a habitat for endangered animals? Never mind the millions of starving North Koreans, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, or the wanton human rights violations"

...no I'm sure that's not what NAF had in mind for AmeriCorps’ Make a Difference Day.

Aside from the wide array of thoughts that come to mind while picking up trash, often you make observations about your surroundings. In a way you become a forensic detective combing the grass, the play structures, and the basketball court for the next clue; like piecing together a puzzle..."why is there a lighter next to this New England Patriots football bib?...I must continue to investigate".

The real prizes of course are the condoms. Picking up discarded condoms also drew me back into thought. The overarching moral quandary I had regarding these condoms was this; should I be mad that someone didn't properly dispose of their condom (see HIV 101 training ala Santa Fe), or should I be happy that they were at least practicing safer sex? After thinking about this issue some more I realized that the same type of question could be applied to our entire clean up effort: should I be mad at people for disposing of trash and lude items so cavalierly, or should I appreciate that someone had been here utilizing this space?

The second part of our day gave me another perspective on my internal struggle. Team Detroit dedicated the afternoon to working at Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Most of the items from chairs to brick pavers were items that had been discarded by their previous owners, but here these supplies would be reused to hopefully improve someone else's life...giving credence to the adage "one man’s trash, is someone else's treasure".

If picking trash up gives you time to reflect, then lifting pallets of bricks and pieces of lumber instills the value of teamwork. Throughout the day shouts of "come on guys, make a difference" could be heard from team members buoying the spirits of the group as we lifted, shifted, and hauled everything from soggy drywall to a swing set. One unintended benefit to all this human debris was the opportunity for seven people to come together as a team to improve their community. Actually, this is an important pivot on which service rests; working together for the purpose of renewing the "commons".

This idea of the "commons" got back to my original question about those condoms and the bigger question of how we view our society; and here are some more thoughts (sorry):

Too often has the theory that individuals act in their own self interest when utilizing shared resources, been used to justify the individualization of previously held common resources -Thanks Garrett Hardin! Doing service, however, we must recognize that this concept of poisoning the well is not an explanation of how we interact with society, but merely a negative view of reality. I deny that we ever saw the tragedy of the commons play out to its maximum, but that the conception of what should be held "common" has shifted with time and place; from land in the middle ages, to a commons of consciousness, seen in the democratization of countries, to today and the new push for greater social responsibility.

This burgeoning idea of increasing our responsibility to one another will be tested on issues such as the impending health care legislation. When a public health option is presented to us we have to ask ourselves the same question I faced while staring at that mangled piece of latex. Are we as a society going to be angry that other people get sick, or will we be proud that it is because of the collective that everyone has access to affordable treatment?

It is how we answer this question that truly makes a difference. To be sure, Team Detroit made its difference by beatifying a park, but the measurement of Difference is whether or not we captured the spirit of giving back to our "commons". I’m not advocating that we tolerate people dumping garbage into our parks, but what I’m insisting is that we look for the good in the things that connect our society. And when its time to put in the work necessary to maintain or improve what we hold collectively that we do so, not with contempt for others, but with an enthusiasm that captures the positive essence of community service.

It was October. This is Chicago.

Dear Friends,
This is Team Chicago's first post! Very exciting. In fact, almost as exciting as the hugely fun and helpful events we have planned and been a part of.

First off though, let me start with my agency and tell you how much better we are than your agency. Test Positive Aware Network, or TPAN, is based on the northside of Chicago. Our staff and volunteers form the most diverse team I have ever been a part of. Most are HIV positive and identify as sexual or ethnic minorities. Though this is unsurprising, the amount of effort and genuine passion each and every member of the team have for our client base is inspiring. Every day I come into work is another day I discover new lengths that they will go for our clients, new problems that they will overcome, and new venues that we can use. Not to mention that hilarity ensues everyday from coworkers who enjoy working together. TPAN is like Voltron. Together, we make a huge difference. If you have never watched Voltron, reassess your priorities.

On to Team Chicago's October.

1. Team Chicago got a new city supervisor in addition to Cynthia! Melissa has come into her job and become a part of our team in no time at all. She is our go to lady and we all appreciate her very much.

2. Our October started with AIDS Walk Chicago on the 3rd.
The race is a 5k held every year by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and is a major fundraiser for the city. Our team woke up bright and early to help out with the race which has raised over $2 million since 2001.

3. For Make a Difference Day, Team Chicago headed over to Regina's host agency, the Southside Help Center, where we spent the day making thousands of safe sex kits, which the Help Center uses for outreach and prevention. The Help Center was very grateful and we were happy because nothing builds strong teams like stuffing condoms into plastic baggies as demonstrated by the pictures below.

4. Proving that we are indeed the best Team, Maggie paid us a visit this past weekend, and our fifth day was spent with her. We spent time talking about our Team and what the NAF can do to support all of their AmeriCorps members. As always, she was helpful and we had an awesome time. She got to have a site visit and meet with our city supervisors. Moreover, she guided us with early planning of our long term project. Melissa, our new city supervisor, is also in the picture below. And Maggie's hot new hair.

Overall, our October went very well. As a team we have definitely gotten closer and more effective. Our Fifth Days are becoming more helpful as well. This Friday will consist of street outreach and education. I think I can speak for my team when I say that so far, my AmeriCorps experience has consisted of physically exhausting hours and emotionally taxing situations, and I don't care because it is awesome.

Update soon.

Best,
Arun.

Make a Difference Weekend

Make a Difference Day has been observed on the 4th Saturday of October since 1992. It is a national service day, created to encourage people to spend the day volunteering in their communities.

As AmeriCorps members committed to full-time community service, we want every day to be a “make a difference” day! The 4th weekend of October happened to be a weekend when two major events to benefit the HIV+ community of Indianapolis were taking place. So Team Indy decided to celebrate Make a Difference WEEKEND, offering service at both the Grande Masquerade benefit for the Damien Center on Saturday, and the AIDS Quilt Memorial service on Sunday.

The Grande Masquerade is an annual event held by the Damien Center, which is the largest organization serving HIV/AIDS infected and affected persons in Indianapolis and is the service agency where 2 of our members are placed. Over 600 guests were expected, each paying $135-175 for their ticket. A silent auction is held, as well as a costume contest, and of course food, drinks, and dancing. We had our work cut out for us!

The team met up at the downtown Marriott bright and early Saturday morning, where we were joined by an eager group of staff and volunteers all psyched to set up for this event. It’s so exciting how many people are willing to give their time to an event like this just because they CARE so much! We had fun setting up decorations, matching auction items with bidding sheets, and getting everything ready for the big event.


Hard at work!

Around 3pm, we broke to go home and get dressed up. We re-convened at the Marriott a few hours later, having changed out of our AmeriCorps gear and into our finest formal-wear!


All dressed up.

After a wonderful time Saturday night, the team pressed on for another day of service on Sunday. We met up Sunday morning at the Indiana AIDS Fund building to haul out the memorial quilts and transport them to the Crown Hill Cemetary. The weather was beautiful, which we were thrilled about. We set up the quilts for display on the cemetary grounds. We carefully laid each quilt upon a tarp, reflecting as we did this on the lives of those memorialized on the quilts. The rest of the day was spent directing traffic, offering information and support to those attending the event, and cleaning up afterward.The team then took some photos of ourselves enjoying the beautiful fall day.


Setting up the memorial quilts.


The team stands together at Crown Hill Cemetery, atop the highest point in Indianapolis with our city skyline behind us.


Playing in the leaves!




We had a wonderful time making a difference this weekend, and are excited to continue making a difference every day by serving others and inspiring others to serve too.

The Indianapolis AIDS Walk took place on Saturday October 10th.  Team Indy (minus Oliver :( who was sick) was up before the sun setting up tents, blowing up balloons, testing the bounce house, and making sure the park looked spectacular for the Health Fair.  

We had a great day of team bonding and doing whatever we could to make the day a success!  Tons of people came out for the event and participated in the 5k walk.  One of our many roles for the day was to watch over the four panels of the Names Quilt that were on display.  Many of the former Indianapolis Americorps volunteers showed up and almost all of our host agencies participated in the Health Fair!  It was a wonderful day and the walk raised over $150,000 for the Gregory R. Powers Direct Emergency Financial Assistance Fund.  We wrapped up our 12 hour day at the Indianapolis Expo where we played around with giant parade floats and decorations.  Here is a picture of our team in a giant red high heel! 

On October 15, Team Indianapolis celebrated National Latino HIV Testing Day by attending Casa Mateo's Health Fair. We partnered with Planned Parenthood and passed out information in both Spanish and English.  When we had down time, we put together some bilingual safer sex kits and discussed ideas for our long term project.  The event had a nice crowd, and it felt good to be a part of the community! 

Team Indy!

youth outreach in Indianapolis

Hello, world! My name is Oliver Danni Green and I'm a member of Team Indianapolis. My service placement is at the Damien Center, the largest HIV/AIDS service agency in Indiana. My job as Prevention Outreach Coordinator gives me the freedom to partner with allied community organizations and offer prevention services to them. Since I’m always excited about finding creative ways to offer services, this is great for me because each organization has different needs and I get to work with them to figure out how I can serve them best, rather than taking a cookie-cutter approach and trying to do the exact same thing for everybody.

One of the organizations I have begun partnering with is the Indiana Youth Group. This organization has been around since 1987, providing services and a safe space for youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities. IYG has been stepping up their efforts to provide HIV and STD prevention information to the youth they serve, and they are doing an excellent job of it! I’ve been so impressed by how much information the youth at IYG already know, and unfortunately they are not learning it in their schools – when I ask them where they learned about this, they always tell me they learned it at IYG and that nobody is talking to them about it in school.

Recently, IYG held a benefit concert featuring the Athens Boys Choir – a one-transman hip-hop/spoken-word artist named Katz from Athens, GA – and an open mike for the IYG youth. Katz is one of my favorite performers, and he did a wonderful job of making the show about celebrating the youth and the work of IYG. Everyone involved with this event was just incredible – the youth who performed, the staff who put the event together, the folks who donated space for the event, and the community members who came out to support the benefit.

This was exciting for me because it was my first opportunity to do outreach at a community event as a representative of AmeriCorps and the Damien Center! I brought a big rolly-bucket of condom kits, lube, dental dams, female condoms, awareness pendants, and lots of pamphlets. They gave me a table to sit at with all the supplies, and when people came to my table I would offer them free stuff and answer any questions they had. I got to talk with lots of youth that night and, interestingly enough, the most frequent response to my presence was something like “Thank you so much for being here; it’s really great what you’re doing...but, personally, I’ve chosen not to have sex yet, I’m not ready.” These are youth who, because of their involvement at IYG, have learned enough accurate information about sexual activity to make the decision to postpone it without judgment. Of those who did help themselves to the free supplies, the most popular item was the dental dams – and, knowing that oral sex is the activity people are most likely to engage in without protection since it’s perceived as a lower risk, I’m always THRILLED to see people so excited about supplies specifically for the purpose of safer oral sex!

Overall, it was a great experience. I look forward to many more opportunities to serve with the Indiana Youth Group and to work with other organizations to offer this kind of prevention outreach in ways that best support the populations they serve!

On behalf of a fellow member...

"As an AmeriCorps service member who receives a living stipend for the work I do at my agency, I am always blown away by the abundant generosity of the many people who volunteer their time at our agency without being paid a cent. One in particular really touched me today and I wanted to share this experience while preserving the confidentiality of those mentioned, so I have asked Maggie to post this story so that it will not be traceable to the agency I work at.

I had a stressful day at work yesterday, as surely most AmeriCorps members have experienced. I was pretty upset by an interaction I had with someone and I really didn't want to go back in today. But as soon as I walked in the office, I was greeted with a huge smile by one of our regular volunteers. She told me how glad she was to see me today and I could tell that she really meant it. I smiled back and told her I was really glad to see her too, and after talking with her for a few minutes I knew today was going to be MUCH better than yesterday.

People volunteer at our agency for all different reasons. Many of our volunteers are HIV-positive or have family members who are positive.
This particular volunteer has an adult son who is HIV-positive. What makes this person's story so powerful for me is that her son also volunteers at our agency, and he speaks very openly about the risk behaviors he used to engage in (commercial sex work and IV drug use).
Unlike many parents who reject their kids when they contract HIV, or when they find out about the behaviors their child has engaged in regardless of whether those activities led to HIV infection, this woman told her son that she loves him no matter what. He has long since quit working the streets and using drugs, and she has stuck by him all through his recovery. The two of them volunteer several days a week each at our agency, and the work they do is in areas that truly have the greatest impact on the ability of the center to function -- we simply could not run this show without them. Every time I see them I am filled with hope.

You don't have to be a superhero or a saint to make a difference in someone's life. The people in this field who are making a difference are the ones who bring their hearts with them. It's the people who show up and "love no matter what" who are transforming the world we live in. It's the people who take a few minutes out of their day to let someone know how glad they are to see them, even without knowing what a difference those few words have made in the heart of a person who was afraid today would be an awful one. Yesterday I left work feeling like nothing I did would ever really make a difference. Today I knew as soon as I came in that I really AM making a difference, just by showing up...and it felt so good to be able to share that feeling with someone whose service I admire so profoundly!"

--2009-2010 National AIDS Fund AmeriCorps member

Team Detroit AIDS Walk Fundraiser

Greetings from Detroit!

One week ago Team Detroit spent Team Day raising money for AIDS Walk Michigan, which will take place on October 3rd.

Our team set up at a busy Kroger's grocery store. We set up a table with information on the walk as well as pamphlets on HIV/AIDS, STD's and condoms. The night before Team Day we asked the youth at a members agency to help by making posters, which we hung in and around Kroger's. Throughout the day we split up in teams of 2 with one team manning the table and entrance and exits. The other teams walked the mall surrounding Kroger.

In just 7 hours we raised $310! Just as important, we were able to increase awareness and engage in very important conversations with members of our community! We're really excited and proud of our efforts that day. We're looking forward to walking in the AIDS Walk Michigan on Belle Isle October 3rd.