It’s been a bit since my last blog. The end of the year always brings chaos both good and bad and some much needed time off.
As we enter 2010 things are still the same and things are a changing! WLP will always continue to offer quality care and treatment for all of our clients. March will be one of our busier months. March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV Awareness Day and for the 2nd year we will be hosting an all day event at our offices. March 12 is our annual signature fundraising event Cook Off For A Cause and the 23rd Sisterhood Series will begin. March is also when the US Census will begin and we are excited in helping out with this and making sure our clients understand the meaning of this and why it is so important to participate.
As for me, the fundraising, grant writing and approaching entities for corporate sponsorship are all high on my list of to do’s. The economy struggles will impact non profits the most this year and I am committed to making sure that not one of our clients will go without our services due to this. If you find yourself able to help, $5 goes along way with us!!!, go to our web site and donate now through pay pal.
A new decade, I’m entering my 18th year in living with HIV and the man of my dreams proposed to me on new year’s eve, my energy and momentum is strong here is to a healthy and productive 2010.

We recognize December 1st as World AIDS Day and the month of December as AIDS Awareness Month.

CEDPA, The Centre for Development and Population Activities, wrote about Shannon Behning and WLP in their 12/1/09 news article, World AIDS Day 2009.

Today, more than 33 million women, men and children live with HIV and AIDS. The one bright spot in the statistics, according to the UNAIDS 2009 AIDS epidemic update, is that new HIV infections have been reduced by 17 percent over the past eight years.

This achievement could not have been possible without the tireless work of women like Shannon Behning and Lilly Arach. They are leading efforts against AIDS in Colorado and Uganda, in communities almost across the world from one another. Yet, they share many similarities.

Read more of this article on the CEDPA website.

And in recognition of AIDS Awareness Month, MidChix.com, a 40+ women’s social networking site, published two articles about WLP.

In this article, Shannon Behning–A Beam of Light, MidChix interviews Shannon to discuss the events in her life that led to the creation of The Women’s Lighthouse Project:

In 1992, Colorado resident, Shannon Behning, heard the heart-stopping news that she was HIV-positive. Despite the fear, frustration and loneliness, she jumped in head first and has become one of the country’s leading personalities in HIV advocacy, education and support for women. Here, she answers some questions for MidChix.com. Read more of the interview here…

And in the next article, MidChix highlights the programs offered by WLP and some of the statistics that represent WLP’s successful efforts so far in assisting women to remain healthy and vital in their community:

In June of 1997, Shannon Behning founded The Women’s Lighthouse Project. The WLP is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a safe space for HIV-positive women to get the information and education they need in order to survive the virus, where they have someone on their side immediately to hold their hand and walk them through the trenches, to help them to understand the virus itself and the medications, and to let them know that there is life after diagnosis. Read more here…

– The WLP Webmaster

President Obama signed the Ryan White Care Extension today and announced that Monday he will put the finishing touches on the lifting the travel and immigration ban that has been in effect for 22 years for people living with HIV/AIDS.
It is times like these that I see our country making the strides to be a better community. To treat each other with respect, compassion and dignity.
I remember several years ago I was able to attend the CEDPA workshop in Washington DC with 22 other incredible women from around the world who are working steadfastly and committed to the cries of people living with HIV but most especially women. There were a couple of women who were unable to attend because of this ban. It shouldn’t be that way, I am frightened to travel to Iran or Afghanistan understandably, people should not be afraid to travel to the United States, land of the free and home of the brave!!!!! We cannot continue to not understand why stigma remains if we are ourselves are placing it there.
This is one huge step I believe in taking away the stigma and giving back the dignity and care of all people not just those with HIV. This is about being a human being who deserves to live a life of freedom and the ability to be who they want to be and get the care and treatment we all deserve.

Washington, DC – The AIDS Institute applauds the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate for passing this week the “Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009.” The bill will extend for four years the Ryan White Program, which provides lifesaving and life-extending health care, medications and support services to over 530,000 low-income people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. The bill passed the House floor today on a vote of 408 to 9. On Monday, the Senate passed the same bill by unanimous consent, and it is now ready for signature by President Obama.

“We congratulate House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman (D-CA) and ranking member Joe Barton (R-TX), together with Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) and ranking member Mike Enzi (R-WY) and their colleagues for crafting a bill in a bipartisan and bicameral fashion that quickly passed the Congress and can be signed by the President,” commented Carl Schmid, Deputy Executive Director of The AIDS Institute. This is extremely important since the current program sunset on September 30th; although the FY09 Appropriations Continuing Resolution allows it to operate temporarily until the end of October.

The bill passed by the Congress reflects many of the recommendations advanced by the HIV/AIDS community, who worked cooperatively over the past year in developing improvements to the current law, which was last amended in 2006. The bill, crafted by the House Energy and Commerce and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committees, represents a series of compromises. “While The AIDS Institute strongly supports most aspects of the bill there are some elements that we would have liked to be different in the end,” added Schmid. “We realize the bill was the result of a long negotiation process and numerous interests had to be balanced.”

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program was originally authored in 1990 and reauthorized three times since, always with strong bipartisan support. Hundreds of thousands of people are alive today due to the Ryan White Program.

“The AIDS Institute recognizes that extending the authorization of the Ryan White Program is only the first step in providing the necessary care, treatment and support services for people with HIV/AIDS. We now must work with the Administration and the Congress to properly fund the program,” commented Michael Ruppal, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute. “With state and local budget cuts, people losing their health insurance due to the economic downturn, and expanded testing programs, additional federal resources will be a necessity. For the next fiscal year, the House is proposing an increase of $54 million to the Ryan White Program, or just 2.2 percent, while the Senate is proposing an increase of $35 million, or just 1.6 percent,” Ruppal concluded, “Now is not the time to provide minimal increases to vital programs that save lives, improve health outcomes and decrease long-term costs.”

Join WLP in honoring The Latino AIDS Awareness Week. The week culminates with a community health fiesta on Saturday, October 17th at Mi Casa Resource Center and The Women’s Lighthouse Project in Aurora. Safer sex workshops, FREE!!! HIV Testing (results in 20 minutes), food, music and fun.

October 15th was established as National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) in 2003, to draw attention to the critical role HIV testing and prevention education plays in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS among Latino communities. It is a day during Hispanic heritage month that organizations around the country use to promote and sponsor activities that respond to the state of HIV/AIDS among Latinos in their specific communities.

This year’s theme, “United We Can Stop HIV and Prevent AIDS,” speaks to the importance of working together to educate nuestra gente to prevent the infection from spreading, encourage HIV testing, provide medical treament and care, and to continue to advocate for those living with HIV/AIDS.