Feb 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

February 7th is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

How Will You Help Raise Awareness?

By race/ethnicity, African Americans face the most severe burden of HIV in the United States. While making up only 13% of the U.S. population, they account for more than 49% of AIDS cases and 46% of people living with a diagnosis of an HIV infection. 

  

AIDS is now the leading cause of death for Black women ages 25 – 34

and the second leading cause of death for Black men ages 35 – 44

Despite extensive research, there still is no vaccine for HIV/AIDS. We encourage all Americans, especially communities of color, to recognize the impact of HIV/AIDS on their communities, to practice prevention, and to learn more about HIV vaccine research in order to make it a reality and to bring us closer to ending the epidemic.

Take Action 

There are many ways you can take action in the fight against HIV/AIDS:

• Get tested for HIV
• Practice safe methods to prevent HIV
• Decide not to engage in high risk behaviors
• Talk about HIV prevention with family, friends and colleagues
• Provide support to people living with HIV/AIDS
• Wear a Red Ribbon to restart the conversation and raise awareness for HIV/AIDS

Visit UNTIL.org to purchase a Red Beaded Ribbon Pin ($10)today so that you can wear it proudly on February 7 in honor of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Increase compassion, understanding and responsibility …

Until There’s A Cure

High-Schoolers Volunteering . . . Until There’s A Cure

Hello, my name is Austin. I am a junior in high school, and I, as well as my classmate, Kaylynn, have been volunteering at the Until There’s A Cure foundation (UNTIL) for half a year. UNTIL is a program dedicated to raising money for relief to help AIDS victims as well as raising awareness about AIDS itself. I feel this has given me a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the world; however, what I feel has been the most rewarding and enjoyable part of UNTIL is the experience I have gained by organizing fundraisers and actually putting my mind and effort towards raising money for UNTIL’s cause.
Myself and Kaylynn originally found UNTIL as a volunteering opportunity through one of our school’s clubs: the Octagon Club. The Octagon Club allows students to find community service events with ease so that they can still volunteer despite their busy schedules. I have found that with the Octagon club, volunteering tends to be short and on a one time basis. This is not true with UNTIL. Although UNTIL was originally just another short event where students would package bracelets, Kaylynn and I have been given the chance to actually contribute intellectually to UNTIL’s progress. We have been doing this by planning fundraisers and actually getting to test our ideas for what kinds of fundraisers could be the most effective. I think that our contribution to UNTIL has not only allowed us to help victims of AIDS, but also gain experience and skills that will help us the rest of our lives.

Visit Until There’s A Cure’s website www.until.org to find out more about the organization and what you can do to help!

Steve Buscemi Represents Until There’s A Cure at the 2012 Golden Globes

The Golden Globes are inevitably fun to watch every year – beautiful dresses to be in awe of, a hilarious host to keep us entertained at the expense of the attending celebrities – but this year was especially exciting for Until There’s A Cure supporters nation-wide, as we impatiently waited to see our Red Beaded Ribbon Pin grace our screens thanks to Steve Buscemi and the lapel of his handsome tux.

Such a little pin, but it makes a colossal statement.

Year after year, we invite countless celebrities to wear our beautiful items in order to help raise awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic.   And each time someone joins the team and decides they want to speak up for the cause, we are honored to have another voice fight alongside us in this cause.

Having Steve Buscemi wear one of our pins was a wonderful compliment to UNTIL and much needed recognition for HIV/AIDS awareness.

Thank you so much, Steve!!!

A Reflection on World AIDS Day 2011

December 1, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Today is World AIDS Day and a time for us to reflect on the past thirty years and how the HIV/AIDS pandemic changed our lives and our world. Many of you may remember the early years.  It took several years to identify this new disease and how it was transmitted and several more years before we had any effective treatment.  Since those early days we have made steady progress in research, treatment and care.  We have also developed significant funding resources both in our society and globally which allows us to provide needed treatment and care.  Through research and clinical trials we have expanded the list of effective medication regimens.   Recently, a new regimen of several drugs for positive people prevented transmission of HIV by 96% (exciting news).  Treatment as prevention is becoming the new way to control HIV.

Even though we may think there is a potential for an end of the HIV/AIDS pandemic (a light at the end of the tunnel) there is still much that needs to be accomplished.  Globally there are 2.7 million people that became infected each year for the past 5 years.  Millions of people (6.6 million) worldwide are on treatment, but 14.2 million are sick enough to need treatment, and it is estimated that many people are infected but do not know it.  In the United States, currently there are approximately 1.5 million living with HIV/AIDS, but approximately 20% of these infected people are unaware of their positive status.  Many are on treatment, but also thousands of people needing medications are on waiting lists for drugs funded through the Ryan White Care Program; and, unfortunately, approximately 56,000 people become infected each year.

Many of you know that I have been a longtime supporter and serve on the Board of Directors of Until There’s A Cure (UTAC).  UTAC is the AIDS Bracelet organization.  We sell the bracelet and other items in order to grant funds to other HIV/AIDS organizations.  Many of our grants have funded AIDS vaccine research, vaccine advocacy, care, and prevention.  We also have provided small grants to several international partner organizations (Africa) that produce products that we purchase to sell returning a share of the revenue to these organizations.  Please help us continue our mission by not only purchasing bracelets, but also donating directly to UTAC.   Eighty five percent (85%) of all revenues go directly into our outreach programs.  And on this World AIDS Day, let’s all re-commit to ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

 

I wish you all a joyous, blessed Holiday Season.

Much love and gratitude,

Helen

December 1st: World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is celebrated on December 1 each year around the world.  It has become one of the most recognized international health days and a key opportunity to raise awareness, honor those who have passed on, help increase consciousness, compassion, understanding, and responsibility as we continue to fight HIV/AIDS. World AIDS Day provides an opportunity for all of us – individuals, communities and political leaders – to take action and ensure that human rights are protected and global targets for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care are met.

As you know when a disaster happens, everybody wants to help, but too often after six months, six years, we are on to a new story.  We are hoping that this will not happen to our cause. I am here to ask for help. Nearly thirty years into the epidemic, there is still no simple solution to breaking the cycle of HIV.

Worldwide, HIV remains a human tragedy — infecting more than 2.7 million each year. In the United States, more than 56,000 Americans are infected every year. That is one person every 9 ½ minutes.  The epidemic has claimed the lives of nearly 600,000 Americans and affects many more. Currently, there are more than a million Americans living with HIV. Almost half of all Americans know someone living with HIV.  We need to mobilize the country to support fighting HIV!

Why take a stand against HIV/AIDS now?

Because this year’s college graduates have never known a world without AIDS – let’s work to make sure that their children never have to know a world with it.  Because, for nearly 30 years, AIDS has been a matter of life and death in the United States and around the world; enough is enough.

Our dream is that no one else will become infected with HIV. For those who are HIV positive, we are dedicated, on their behalf, to educating all people about the virus and the overwhelming need for love and compassion in fighting this pandemic.

Please help us continue our fight by making a donation today www.until.org

With respect and gratitude

Nora Hanna

Executive Director

An update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Dear Colleagues:

December 1 is World AIDS Day—a time to reflect on the impact of HIV, the lessons learned, the lives saved, and lives lost. This day is a call to action to continue to build upon our efforts to prevent HIV. Today, in observance of World AIDS Day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an HIV-themed Vital Signs report and launched a new, national HIV awareness campaign, Testing Makes Us Stronger.

Vital Signs Report

CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention is pleased to share with you the newest edition of CDC Vital Signs. This month’s report includes a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, HIV Prevention Through Care and Treatment, and an accompanying fact sheet, New Hope for Stopping HIV—Testing and Medical Care Save Lives. These materials highlight the reality that HIV testing, linking people with HIV to care and treatment, appropriate use of medications to reduce the amount of virus in the body, viral suppression, and prevention counseling can, and does lead to better outcomes in HIV prevention.

Data in today’s Vital Signs report and fact sheet include:

• Nearly 1 in 5 people with HIV (or 240,000 people) don’t know they are infected.
• People who don’t know are at higher risk of serious medical problems and early death.
• Only 41% of people with HIV get ongoing HIV medical care.
• Only 28% of people with HIV have viral suppression.
• Viral suppression improves health, extends life, and can help to prevent people from transmitting the virus to others.

CDC Vital Signs is specifically designed to bring focus to important data and information concerning a single important health topic each month, and provide a call to address it. This edition of Vital Signs specifically highlights the areas in HIV prevention where we are showing success and where we have opportunities for improvement. It clearly calls us to action. We look forward to working together to share this important information that we believe can make a difference and serve as an important part of our comprehensive approach to HIV prevention.

To help spread the word about the Vital Signs report, please link to CDC’s Vital Signs Web site at: www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns or you can syndicate Vital Signs each month directly into your Web site by using CDC’s content syndication service.

Testing Makes Us Stronger

Also for World AIDS Day, CDC is officially launching Testing Makes Us Stronger™, a campaign under the umbrella campaign Act Against AIDS™, to encourage HIV prevention through testing, care, and treatment. It is designed to encourage HIV testing among black gay and bisexual men—one of the populations most affected by HIV in the United States. Through images of a diverse range of black men, Testing Makes Us Stronger aims to demonstrate that knowing one’s HIV status is important and empowering information. The campaign’s images and messages will be featured in targeted online and print media, as well as local outdoor, transit, and print media in select cities experiencing high levels of HIV infection among black gay and bisexual men. These materials will also be available for use by partners who wish to use them in their own local efforts. To access the materials, go to www.HIVtest.org/stronger.

In closing, on this upcoming World AIDS Day, let us reflect on the accomplishments made in the past year and refocus on the future and how we can work together to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS on the people of the United States.

Sincerely,

/Kevin A. Fenton/
Kevin A. Fenton, MD, PhD, FFPH
Director
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/nchhstp

/Jonathan H. Mermin/
Jonathan H. Mermin, MD, MPH
Director
Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/hiv

Don’t overlook Thanksgiving this year. Be Thankful

Give Thanks This Thanksgiving

It’s a sad thing that so many are in such a rush to celebrate Christmas that Thanksgiving sometimes gets overlooked.  With Black Friday starting on Thanksgiving Day, we need to take a moment to reflect. When most of us think of Thanksgiving, we think of turkey, football, parades, traditions… Thanksgiving is a wonderful occasion to give special thanks to loved ones, your community and for everything you’ve been given throughout the year.  It’s a time to be grateful for one’s health, family, friends, job, home and having food on the table.
Today is the day we say “thanks.

Here are ways to give thanks this Thanksgiving:

Volunteer

Our communities give us so much. A great way to give thanks for a great community is to volunteer. Spend some time working at the local shelters, food kitchens or reading to children in the local library. To volunteer at Until There’s A Cure at (650) 332-3200 or call your local AIDS organization.

 Virtual Volunteer

The Until There’s A Cure Virtual Volunteer Program gives our supporters the opportunity to actively help us reach our goal of eradicating HIV/AIDS by raising funds and awareness for the epidemic. The goal of the Program is mobilize our supporters on the individual level to maximize our collective impact on the global fight against HIV/AIDS. By leveraging social networking platforms and taking action in our individual communities, we can join our efforts as ONE COMMUNITY to end HIV/AIDS.By signing up as a Virtual Volunteer, you are signing up to volunteer the time and efforts that you can afford within your schedule. With this Program, you have no obligation to Until There’s A Cure.

Donate to a Charity

Are you thankful for your job this year, then why not give thanks by giving back? Make a donation to Until There’s A Cure Foundation www.until.org  Giving back is one of the greatest feelings in the world.

Become an Advocate for a Cause

HIV/AIDS is increasing in every region in the world, including the U.S.  It will soon become the third leading cause of death in the world after heart disease and stroke.  Yet it is a preventable disease. Break the silence — Challenge ignorance and prejudice.  Wear a red ribbon.  Speak out or educate others.  Don’t be afraid to talk about AIDS!

Let us help you help others

Buy The Bracelet, a gift that truly gives twice, from Until There’s A Cure Foundation (www.until.org). Bracelet revenues are directed to care and service organizations, prevention education programs, or vaccine development projects in the U.S. and around the world.

Don’t overlook Thanksgiving this year.  Be thankful

What I Have Learned

Time sure flies by… the three months that I’ve been working with UNTIL for the HIV/AIDS cause is now coming to an end. While working with the lovely staff of Until There’s A Cure, I discovered many differences between a Non-profit organization and what I knew from my earlier projects. In my past experience I was used to having to find appropriate solutions to the main problems the job focused on. But what if there is no final solution? At UNTIL I had to learn what it means to have a job where I can’t find the final solution because unfortunately there is not yet a way to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

So I had to learn that the little steps can make the huge difference. The more people that get involved with the cause and help spread the word to raise awareness is a step in the right direction. Just today we shipped buckets of bracelets to 28 Walgreens Stores across the US.

You can make a difference, too. There are many ways to support UNTIL and be involved. You can visit our online shop (www.utac.org/order) to buy one of our bracelets for yourself, your family and your friends. There is the classic silver cuff or maybe you like the new suede cuff, which we just got in this week. You can also sign up for our virtual volunteers program at http://www.utac.org/volunteer.shtml.

Every single step counts!

Until There’s A Cure

Philipp

Learning How Non-Profits Work

Hi there! I´m Bastian another German intern at Until There´s A Cure. Like my friends, Rebecca and Philipp, I study in Munich – sports event and media management. During my internship around Stanford and Silicon Valley I have the chance to work with Until There´s A Cure for four weeks.

During my first two years in university I was taught to make money out of everything – investing a lot in marketing and good strategies. So it was kind of difficult for me to understand the way how a Non-Profit Organization like UNTIL works. After some meetings with the UNTIL team everything was more clear for me. We had a lot to discuss, to make the best out of it and go on – step by step.
Two weeks ago Rebecca, Philipp and I started to work on some guidelines to push the Until There´s A Cure Foundation and create some new designs. Right now I am working with our webmaster on the layout and the design for our new website www.until.org.  You see, there is a lot to do at Until There´s A Cure. So why don´t you join us and have a great time – working in this team is great, you will see and learn a lot.

Hope to see you around the office,

Bastian

A New Experience

My name is Rebecca and I´m a student from Germany. I´m from the same university as Philipp the Intern at Until There´s A Cure. Since the beginning of August, I have been here in California for an Internship around Stanford and the Silicon Valley. We had the chance to travel a lot on the weekends, because of this we learned a lot about the life, landscape and culture.  And I was able to spend the last couple of weeks working at Until There’s A Cure, also.

I never expected that I would work at an HIV/AIDS foundation and I have to say that it´s a great experience. Philipp is working on the Corporate Identity and branding of Until There´s A Cure, so I came in to help him a bit, because it´s always easier to work in a team than alone. At our first meeting with the UNTIL team we had a lot to discuss and now we have a lot of work to complete!

I’m really glad that I’ve had this opportunity to spend time here.  It´s so great to be here, everyone is so helpful and wants that I learn a lot at my experiences at Until There´s A Cure.  And while I am teaching them a bit about branding they are teaching me a lot about HIV/AIDS and, of course, the U.S.A!

Glad to be here,

Rebecca

To find out more about Until There’s A Cure or purchase items to support the fight against HIV/AIDS, please visit www.until.org