7 Favorite Charities: The Shanti Project Works With AIDS and Breast Cancer Patientsby Laura Mason

Shanti Project extends a hand to the most vulnerable people in our society. Started by Dr. Charlie Garfield in 1974, Shanti was the first organization in the country to work directly with AIDS patients, and has become an international model for similar work in 600 organizations. They facilitated the first-ever international training on how to work with people with AIDS at the request of the French, British and Belgian governments in 1982. We talked with Executive Director Kaushik Roy about the trailblazing ways Shanti's staff and 250 volunteers help those in need every day.
How did you get involved?
When I was in college at Cal in the late 90s, I heard a public service announcement on late night radio about this place called the Shanti Project. It was talking about volunteering and working one on one with a person who had AIDS and giving them emotional and practical support because there may not have been anyone else in their life who could do that for them. I was just so struck by that message. The first thing I did was call up Shanti to volunteer. I showed up and was just totally blown away by the experience. I saw that Shanti had some of the most dedicated, passionate people. They were doing such incredible work, and doing work for people who not only had medical challenges, but they really were all alone.

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