For my 52nd, seeking donations for 2 causes

This picture is me at last year’s Hill Country Ride for AIDS, with Thor. I’ve done this ride every year it has existed. I love it beyond anything. It is one day of the way you wish the world was. And the cause is very important, there are people I love who are HIV+ and I want them — and people I don’t know, actually especially people I don’t know, taken care of. I want people who don’t have anyone, people who don’t have means — I most especially want those people to have organizations that take care of them. I usually write a post for my birthday asking for donations — and I am, I’d love to get donations of $52 for my 52nd birthday.

I’ve also been training to walk the half of the Austin Marathon, raising money for the Austin Children’s Shelter. That is a month away, and I’m $300 away from my goal, so again I’d love $52 donations for this cause, also. For the Children’s Shelter, here’s what your donations do:

• $1500 – one week of emergency care
• $500 – ten backpacks full of school supplies
• $250 – enrichment outings for ten children
• $150 – diaper bag full of baby needs for teen moms
• $100 – one week of school clothes for one child
• $75 – child development classes for teens
• $25 – one day of nourishing meals & snacks for one child

Also, if you donate $25 or more, my team has drawings for some really neat prizes. Click on the donation link & see — and a $50 donation gets you 3 entries. Also if you click on the link, there’s a tab at the top, “the children” — if you really need your heart broken, you can read stories of kids who’ve ended up at the shelter, and how they’ve gotten help & learned how to do better for themselves & the next generation (a lot of them are teen parents). I always include music in these, and the words in this song are words the kids at the shelter were never told, at least until they get into the Shelter, in a homelike setting (the kids live in cottages, not dorms):

Now back to the AIDS Ride — here is what your donations do for them:

$35 covers one rapid HIV rest – we know that 40% of HIV+ people don’t know it yet. Through testing, we can get them into life saving care, and further reduce the spread of the virus.

or it could pay for one hot breakfast to feed 35 residents in a housing program

Another thing it could do is buy a food voucher for emergency needs – many of those living with HIV are also living in poverty, and can’t afford their medication and nutritious food.  This makes sure they get the food they need.

$60 pays for a one month supply of medical prescriptions. Medications can reduce the virus so much that it keeps someone healthy and also reduces the risk of passing it along.

Or it buys one testing & counseling session. And buys someone nutritious food and for one month – A month of nutritious food allows someone living with HIV to focus on staying healthy without worrying about the basic need of having enough to eat.

$120 provides education for 440 people. Education is one of the most important tools in reducing new infections.

$250 provides 3 family counseling sessions. It can be devastating for a family when a member is diagnosed, and we know that an intact family unit promotes health and provides a built in support.

It also provides 7 hours of outreach to find people and get them into care – If you are homeless or unemployed, your HIV may not be at the top of list of your priorities.  By finding people and making sure they get the care they need, lives are saved.

$500 provides a month of rent for one family in supportive housing. Assistance with food, daily chores, trips to medical appointments and social support create a foundation for continued health and a step toward independence.

$1,000 will cover the costs of 2 memberships for Association of Nurses in AIDS care, specifically for HIV updates. Or it could pay for an outpatient procedure for an uninsured client – many with HIV/AIDS do not have insurance.  You can cover the expenses related to a needed procedure.
Or it can pay for four months of medication – Medications can reduce the virus so much that it keeps someone healthy and also reduces the risk of passing it along.

Or it could give 450 home cooked meals for hospice patients. When in hospice, there are often unique food needs. You can make sure that final days are spent with delicious food that doesn’t upset someone’s stomach.

I always use U2 music in my training & in my diaries, here’s a video from their recent tour — performing People Have The Power, with Patti Smith. If this doesn’t get you, check your pulse.

If you can, please donate. If you can’t, please pass along to people who might be able to. Any help at all is appreciated! Here’s the links again: My team’s page for the Austin Children’s Shelter. and my Hill Country Ride Page