Report card day can be a source of anxiety for some, but for Chicago’s AIDS housing sector, it was a time to smile.
“It’s really just extraordinary to gather and celebrate,” said David Ernesto Munar, President/CEO of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC), speaking at an annual gathering on April 25.
“Over the past five years, AIDS housing stock increased...
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Cheryl Davies-Booth was one of nearly 40.
On April 10, she traveled with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and a band of advocates to Springfield for Lobby Days.
Most of the activists aboard the southbound bus were eager to encourage funding for lifesaving HIV services and to support other bills that were gaining steam in the General Assembly, but Cheryl, a case manager...
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Rev. Doris Green understands the research: Nearly two-thirds of state inmates, she claims, return to prison within three years of their release. Though the recidivism rate in Illinois is high, Rev. Green is working to reverse this trend, and she’s doing it with award-winning care.
“Two thirds of the population always go back to prison,” said Rev. Green, director of correctional...
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Nobody was out of reach from comedian Paula Poundstone’s sarcastic jabs at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s Spring Dinner, as she poked fun of Dean Richards, MC for the April 18 event; Chicago’s weather; and even the foundation’s corporate sponsors.
“I thought we were safe,” quipped Bill Gerardi, chief medical officer at Aetna Better Health, after the event...
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Evany Turk believes in change. As a warm, respected ambassador in many of Chicago’s underserved neighborhoods, she doesn’t just talk about making a difference; she lives it.
The Illinois House of Representatives recently passed a comprehensive, sexual health education bill, and Evany, an advocate for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC), stood behind the measure and continues...
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Cynthia Tucker is a woman of excellence.
For decades, she has been a relentless champion of the HIV/AIDS movement, serving currently as director of prevention and community partnerships at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC).
On April 25, she will receive an honor that’s as fitting as the virtues she embodies: The Chicago Defender will present her with the 2013 Women...
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Michelle wants you to know her name.
She’s proud of it, empowered by it, and she identifies with its deep history.
We can’t publish her last name for confidentiality purposes; however, her enthusiasm is sincere. In fact, she recently spoke at a 100,000 Homes Campaign celebration, sharing her name, her past, and her goals with a large audience over lunch. Michelle...
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John Peller is a perfect 10 for 10.
As the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) celebrates its tenth year of fighting HIV/AIDS with endurance sports, Peller is doing the same.
He joined the National AIDS Marathon Training Program in 2003 to prepare for his first marathon. Athletics had never been his forte in high school or college, but the urge to run 26.2 miles constantly...
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Individuals with HIV/AIDS, as well as other vulnerable people, will have an easier time accessing health care in the coming months as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the national health reform law.
But linking them with coverage will be a challenge.
“Essentially, people just don’t know the Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace is here,” quipped...
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A recent arrest under an antiquated Illinois HIV criminalization law challenges how media handle sensitive information when stigma and livelihood are at stake.
The facts of this case are limited:
The individual who filed the complaint was “a 24-year-old man,” according to a press release from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
The alleged aggressor,...
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