AIDS Foundation Of Western Mass, Inc.
Mission
The mission of the AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Inc. is to create positive community impact through innovative and empowering education and support in Hampden and Hampshire counties. The ultimate aim is to end the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Philosophy
• We exist to provide dignity, compassion, and understanding to individuals affected by and infected with HIV and AIDS, and to eliminate the stigma associated with the epidemic.
• We offer support through financial assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as help in finding appropriate services.
• We offer education through speaking engagements, peer education, and community events. The purpose of education is to teach prevention to empower individuals to end the spread of the virus.
• We support the improvement of the lives of people infected and affected by the virus without discrimination on any basis, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, age, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, disability, immigrant status, national origin, drug use, and criminal background.
Description:
The spirit of the AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts can be found in a single word: dignity.
The AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c) (3) public organization. Since it’s inception in 1993, the Foundation has been distributing grants to our neighbors struggling with HIV/AIDS, right here in Hampden and Hampshire counties.
Half of all individuals who file bankruptcy do so due
to high medical bills. Half of those people have health insurance.
Life can be extremely difficult for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Many complications can arise, including health and financial problems. It is very easy to get buried in insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles, pharmacy costs and doctor visit bills. Plus they are faced with the rapidly increasing electricity bills, the effects of the mortgage crisis, and the dreaded gas prices that touch everyone in America today.
Grants
These factors are why it is so vital that the AIDS Foundation is here for people living with HIV/AIDS. The support that the Foundation has provided pays for medical expenses, overdue rent, utility bills, emergency needs, appliances such as a stove so that a family can eat a hot meal, and items as simple as a bed in order to avoid the alternative reality of sleeping on the floor, night after night. Money is distributed on a financial need basis. In most cases, the grant recipients do not have enough money to cover even their basic necessities. They have nowhere else to turn for help.
The AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts is proud to say they have provided individual grants totaling over HALF A MILLION DOLLARS of support. Half of all their grants have been awarded to families with young children affected by HIV/AIDS.
Camperships For Kids
We have to remember that this disease affects the entire family. Children, both infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, deserve the normal childhood experience of going to summer camp. Through the campership program, the Foundation can ensure these kids have that enriching experience. The Foundation will pay for children to attend local summer camps, when their family cannot afford the registration fees. The other option is to help send the children to camps that were created specifically for children living with HIV/AIDS. These camps change the lives of these children and teach them how to grow into successful young adults, despite the challenges of HIV/AIDS.
When the future of a child looks grim,
it is up to the community to change that.
Free HIV Testing
We are now providing free confidential testing at our office in Downtown Springfield.
The Future
Unfortunately, the spread of HIV/AIDS isn’t slowing down in Western Massachusetts. The AIDS Foundation is rising to the challenge to put an end to that trend. The core mission to help those individuals living with HIV/AIDS remains the same. However, the Foundation now also recognizes the necessity of rallying the community to stop any further spread of this virus. The Foundation will do this with support, compassion and most importantly, education. A portion of the proceeds from this year’s walk will go towards the creation of programs to put an end to this trend.
The Foundation is also currently looking at new ways to support our community. The statistics don’t lie. HIV/AIDS is completely, 100%, preventable. There is no reason anyone should be contracting this virus…yet they are, overwhelmingly. In setting its plan for the future, the Foundation is looking at what can be done as a community to help eradicate HIV/AIDS.
Educational Outreach Program
The AIDS Foundation is developing an educational outreach program that our community needs to keep people thinking positive, but staying negative. The Foundation has an important mission. Everyone involved with this amazing organization is ready to take this mission on; they are only limited by their budget. Fundraising efforts, like The AIDS Walk, are crucial to the success of the Foundation.
Going Public
An educational outreach program will have a double effect. The Foundation recognizes that there is still an awful stigma surrounding individuals with HIV/AIDS. The stigma indicates the lack of education within our community. More than 25 years into the AIDS epidemic, individuals are still frightened to death to disclose their status, at times even to their best friends and immediate family members. What other illness is riddled with such guilt and shame? Imagine a child being diagnosed with cancer and dreading the thought of anyone finding out, in fear of being ousted by his/her own community. The more the Foundation is in the public eye, HIV/AIDS will be present in society’s conscience and the stigma will slowly start to dissipate.
Hope
The AIDS Foundation is committed to remain a beacon of hope. The Foundation continues to support our HIV positive neighbors live their lives in dignity, while reaching out to support and educate the rest of our community to ensure people remain HIV negative. Not only is life worth living, life is worth saving. The AIDS Foundation is here. Help is here.
History:
The AIDS Foundation was created by a local banker who was ousted by our community after being diagnosed with AIDS in the 1980's. Prior to his passing, he allocated the money he had to fund the creation of this organization. Since our creation in 1993, we have provided over half a million dollars in financial grants to individuals living with HIV/AIDS here in Hampshire and Hampden Counties.
We continue to walk with our positive neighbors in their time of need. Over the past few years, the Foundation has made great strides to provide additional needed services here at home.
Contact person: Mark Zatyrka, Special Projects Manager, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (413) 301-0956
Address:
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1168 Main StreetSpringfield, MA 01103(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.aidsfoundationwm.org
Directions:
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A couple blocks down from the Mass Mutual Center. |
Miscellaneous Information
| What is the type of the agency? |
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501(c)(3)
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| Does the agency conduct CORI checks? |
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No
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| Last updated on July 17, 2009 |
