AIDSMedicineandMiracles_1995.pdf

AIDSMedicineandMiracles_1995.pdf
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AIDSMedicineandMiracles_1995.pdf
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MEDICINE
&MIRACLES
Our Newsletter To Family & Friends
P.O. Box 9130 • Maxwell Building• 311 Mapleton• Boulder, Colorado 80301-9130 • 303 447-8777 • FAX 303 447-3902 • Toll Free 1-800-875-8770

Someone to Talk
About
by Sam Gallegos

Steven Abbott, Board Member

When Abbott facilitates a Stop AIDS
Project session, he gets agreement on
basic ground rules, clarifies expectations, and encourages participants to
talk about what's important to them
and to listen to what is important to
others. At the end of the meeting
Abbott offers participants an opportunity to make a commitment about
their "future" action, to offer their
word about stopping AIDS.
Historically, communities gather in
circles when making commitments.
Each person's commitment, or word,
was relied upon and trusted by the
community. The same important ritual of commitment to action is a foundation of the Stop AIDS Project.
In 1979, at the age of 29, Abbott and
his then-partner Bob Hoffman flew
from their home in Boston to the City
by the Bay as a vacation celebration of
Abbott completing a Masters Program
in Library Science. Within three
months they had established a home

In this issue ...
Letter from the Executive Director ... 2
Steinberg/Wakefield Fund ................ 2
Scholarship Fund ................................. 2
Houston Conference ........................... 3
1996 Conference Schedule ................. 3
CFC Funding ....................................... .4

in San Francisco where Abbott settled
into the Computer Services
Department of Chevron Corporation.
In 1984, in the face of the AIDS epidemic, Abbott made a commitment to
create community forums about this
strange and frightening disease.
Abbott was one of the founders of
the Stop AIDS Project in 1985. He took
one year leave of absence from
Chevron in 1986 and became the
Volunteer Coordinator for the Stop
AIDS Project, managing over 200 volunteers. He elected not to return to
Chevron. Thereafter, Abbott devel- •
oped AIDS education training seminars for Stop AIDS, which were presented to local corporate and national
community-based organizations.
Stop AIDS was considered successful and unique within this city. "In
December of 1985, Bill Day traveled to
his former home in Washington, DC
to the Whitman Walker Clinic and I
went home to Boston to meet with
Larry Kessler, the Director of the AIDS
Action Committee. Thus began the
Stop AIDS Resource Center where we
returned to our home towns and
offered AIDS-prevention and community organizing expertise."
Steven remained involved with the
San Francisco Project and in 1990 was
elected as an at-large Director for Stop
AIDS Board and for the last two years
has served as their Treasurer.
Though he can never know for sure
how many infections he may have
prevented or the quality of life he
enhanced for people dealing with
AIDS issues, Abbott's work helps him
deal with his own HIV and the HIV
that affects both his blood family and
his extended family. "I have two gay
brothers and one is HIV-positive. My
entire family (especially my parents
and sibling) are really supportive. My
partner Jim Stephens is amazing. Jim
is HIV-negative and loves me unconditionally. We will celebrate our second anniversaE.Y in Fel;,ruary. My

extended family is fantastic and I am
in awe of their courage. Since 1991 my
extended family began to include
AIDS, Medicine and Miracles. Having
just returned from the November 1995
AM&M conference in Houston I feel
both humbled and inspired by the
dignity of people and the relationships
nurtured at our conferences. As a
board member my goal is to expand
the role of AM&M in bringing families
and loved ones together."
Abbott recently went on disability
but has no plans to stop doing the
work he loves so much. "I am visioning my fiftieth birthday in November,
2000."~

One With Her
Environment
by Sam Gallegos

Sharon Lund, Board Member

It's not by accident that Sharon
Lund is living in Ivins-Kayenta, a
very small town outside St. George in
southwest Utah.
"My life was so out of balance,"
Lund says of her life in Los Angeles
for the 12 years that preceded her
move to the red rocks of Utah. "I had
dedicated my whole life to the AIDS
community [but had forgotten that] I
needed a balance and I needed a healing for me."

continued on page 3

~

Staff
Charles Robbins

Executive Director
Jo Ann Elliott

Program Director
Michael Zucker

Intern
1

Board of Directors
Steven Abbott, San Francisco, CA
Mary Blanton, Denver, CO
A. Cornelius Baker, Washington, DC
Richard Elion, MD, Washington, DC
Larry Hoyt, Esq., Boulder, CO
Sharon Lund, Ivins-Kayenta, UT
Augustus Nasmith, Jr., Washington, DC
Rev. Ken South, Washington, DC
Charles Steinberg, MD, Boulder, CO
Torkin Wakefield, MPH, Boulder, CO

Honorary Board
Scott Allen
Ram Dass
Martin Delaney
Larry Dossey, MD
Sally Fisher
Robert Gass, Ed.D
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, MD
Stephen Levine
George Melton
Sallie Perryman
Adan Rios, MD
Robert Schooley, MD
Bernie Siegel, MD
Rep. David Skaggs
Paul Volberding, MD
Marianne Williamson
Tim Wirth

Newsletter
Sam Gallegos, Contributing Writer
Char Campbell, Graphics and Design
AIDS, Medicine and Miracles is
a 501(c)3 non-profit organization
based in Boulder, Colorado, which strives
to educate, nurture and empower all people confronting AIDS. In a supportive
retreat setting, our national conferences
explore medical and complementary therapies, as well as psychosocial and spiritual
opportunities. We serve individuals living
with HIV/ AIDS, their loved ones and caregivers, creating dialogue promoting
health, growth and social action.

I

Ne-w Director has Vision of
Making AM&M More
Accessible
It is a pleasure to introduce myself to the family and friends of AIDS, Medicine and Miracles.
My name is Charles Robbins. Subsequent to
arriving to AM&M, I was the founder and executive director of Project Angel Heart, an AIDS
service organization located in Denver,
Colorado. I have also had the privilege of networking with various AIDS service organizations across the country including home-delivered meal programs and various case management agencies.
AIDS, Medicine and Miracles has, for the past
eight years, provided a meaningful and enriching experience for those living and working
with HIV and AIDS. I am honored to be associated with such a fine tradition of promoting health, healing and surviving HIV/ AIDS.
In order to better serve our community, I have two specific goals in
mind: 1) subsidizing the cost of conference tuition so more individuals
can attend, and 2) providing more programming in locations that are
currently underserved. In order to accomplish this, I need your help.
Please consider making a holiday contribution to either the Scholarship
or Community Development Fund described in the following articles.
Your contribution will enable us to reach out to many more individuals
who might otherwise not be able to attend our life-enhancing programs.

Wishing you a joyful Holiday Season,

WW
Charles Robbins

Scholarship Fund Helps
HIV+ Individuals Attend
Conferences
Contributions to the Scholarship Fund are designated to provide
partial tuition assistance to HIV+ individuals who are currently on
disability. Generally, one third of our conference participants receive
scholarship assistance. ~

Announcing the
Steinberg/\1\,'akefield Community
Development Fund
In honor of our founders Dr. Charles Steinberg and Torkin
Wakefield, contributions to the Community Development Fund will
provide partial travel and accommodation assistance to HIV+ individuals who live in rural or impoverished areas. A major goal of the fund
is to increase the participation of women and of people of color at our
national programs. ~

One Day Institute
Attracts Caregivers

Over 225 Attend Houston
Conference

In the battle against AIDS, the soldiers who are often forgotten are the ones who don't necessarily have HIV.
To address the needs of these very important people,
AM&M last year designed a one-day institute that focuses
on the care givers and service providers who put in the long
hours and countless emotions that have become part of the
AIDS epidemic.
"Caregivers don't take time out for themselves" says
Jo Ann Elliott, AM&M Program Director." At this workshop, we encourage people to get out of their heads and
into their hearts."
The one-day workshop was held in Los Angeles last
month as part of the National Skills Building conference which Elliott describes as a "nuts and bolts management
conference for AIDS service organizations." The annual
conference is sponsored by the National Minority AIDS
Council, the National Association of People With AIDS and
the AIDS National Interfaith Network.
The AM&M institute was comprised of five different sessions, including medical treatment information, nutrition, a
talk on hope and healing, and group experiential sessions.
This is the second time AM&M has offered the one-day program, and looks forward to being a part of the NSBC next
year in Washington, DC.
Elliott said that overall the day was quite a success with
98% of the participant questionnaires rating the institute as
"very good or excellent." Ill

Nestled among the museums and fountains of the
Montrose Area in Houston, the Wyndham Warwick Hotel
was the site of our eighth annual fall conference, "What
Holds Promise." The four day confe,rence included three
full-day institutes, plenary sessions and numerous workshops. Over 25 exhibitors were also on hand to promote
holistic products and services. We would like to extend our
heartfelt thanks to our local community partners AIDS
Foundation Houston and Body Positive / Houston for their
pre-conference support. Ill

Eat, Drink, Fight AIDS!

BOULDER

AIDS, Medicine and
Miracles will benefit from a
national fund-raising event
entitled "Dining Out for Life"
to be held in Boulder,
Colorado on Thursday, May
2nd. Several Boulder restaurants will donate a portion of
each patron's dinner bill to
AM&M. For a list of participating restaurants, call us at
(303) 447-8777.

1996 Conference Schedule
AIDS, Medicine & Miracles is pleased to announce an
expansion to six different programs/ cities in 1996. Mark
your calendars and watch for registration materials coming
your way!

March
April 12-14
May 30-June 2
July
October 10
November

Seattle,WA
Denver, CO
Rhinebeck, NY
Vancouver, Canada
Washington, DC
Houston, TX

CALL FOR WORKSHOP
PROPOSALS
Would you like to share your work at an AM&M
Conference in 1996? Proposals are now being solicited
for our upcoming 1996 conference season. In 300 words
or less, please indicate your teaching style/ methods as
well as content. All workshop leaders will be given free
tuition. Submit your proposal and resume to Jo Ann
Elliott, Program Director at our office address by January
5th for Seattle, Washington and February 5th for Denver,
Colorado and for Rhinebeck, New York.
continued from page 1

Sharon Lund

(cont'd)

Indeed, since discovering her own HIV-positive status in
1983, the 45-year-old AIDS educator has rarely been absent
from the front lines in the battle against new HIV infections.
All her activism in the City of Angels, however, would have
eventually undermined her ability to heal herself and to heal
others.
Almost six years ago, she discovered through one of her
many life improvement efforts that if she was to keep going,
she need to be in a healthier space. "I needed to live out in the
red rocks and that's why I chose Kayenta."
As a result, she says she's "healthier now than I've ever
been in my life." That, she adds, allows her to travel all over
the world and share the benefits of her life living positive
with HIV with others who need more than their doctors can
offer.
"When I present seminars, I offer [information] on visualization, meditation, alternatives, stress reduction, how to talk
and to listen to their body-body dialogue ... a majority of my
clients have been referred to me because of the work I do."
Her work, she says, focuses on "empowerment, healing
techniques, spirituality, experiencing inner peace, and discovering ways to improve the quality of life."
"It's very hard to reach someone who is only into [western
therapies]. I think the people in Japan, Russia and Europe are
more receptive to natural therapies and the holistic approach
than we are. They see the connection of the body, mind and
spirit. They understand it more.
"It's real important for anyone faced with a life challenging
illness not to see this as a death sentence but to see it really as
an opportunity to live life to the fullest ... to stop taking life
for granted and to cherish each moment we have."
As for her own experiences living with AIDS, she adds,
"this has been a real blessing because it has given me back
my life." 111

Major Donors -~ • -=January 1 to November 1, 1995
All Nursing Home Health
Boulder Community
Hospital
CareerTrack
Glaxo Wellcome
Mead Johnson Nutritionals

OnCol Medical Associates
Pfizer, Inc.
Southland Corporation/
7-Eleven
Wellspring

Special Thanks
to the following for their
special event contributions:

American Airlines
Hurricane Cove Bungalows
Mid-Hudson Craft Auction

~

Combined Federal Campaign Provides
Impact Funding for AM&M
Federal employees can now select
AM&M as a recipient of workplace
giving contributions. The impact of
receiving monthly pledges has provided the opportunity to expand our programming. We extend our gratitude
to all those who have made contributions to the Combined Federal
Campaign on behalf of AM&M.

Please encourage all federal employees you may know to consider contributing to AM&M. We will gladly
send folks a packet of information
should they desire further materials
on our work. ~
Note: Our CFC designation number is 0821.

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Part of AIDS Medicine and Miracles : v.5:no.1(1995)