Shanti staff member Derrick Mapp wins The 2013 Bridget Murtagh Award



Derrick Mapp

The AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) held its bi-annual Full Group Meeting in DC this summer. HIV researchers and HIV community advocates and advisors from around the world met and discussed the state of HIV and AIDS research that is being done and planned. At this meeting several awards are given to Network members among the Investigators, Research Staff and Community Advisors are recognized for their outstanding contributions.

The 2013 recipient of The Bridget Murtagh Award is Shanti L.I.F.E. Program’s Derrick Mapp. This award is given to the Community Advocate who demonstrates the goals and achievements of volunteerism and advocacy for clinical research and the HIV community. 

The ACTG is one of five networks currently funded by Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to do clinical trials to combat the Global AIDS pandemic.

Volunteer Profile: Jason Bennett

Jason Bennett

Jason would like people to know that he was born with a mild form of Cerebral Palsy and is passionate about raising awareness around issues concerning adults with disabilities who are also living with HIV.

How did you hear about Shanti and what prompted you to become a Shanti peer facilitator for the L.I.F.E Program? How long have you been a volunteer?

Right after I moved from Georgia in 2010, I was diagnosed with AIDS and I started searching for HIV/AIDS support groups. When I first found out about Shanti, I started coming to the Shanti L.I.F.E Experience potluck, and then I found out about the Shanti L.I.F.E 12-week Workshop and so I thought, "Hey! I can learn a lot more about HIV and about self-care." The Workshop really taught me so much about myself and about HIV/AIDS, and not only that, but about how my peers in my L.I.F.E. Experience class gained a lot from the beginning to the end. Each time I attended a L.I.F.E Workshop cycle, I learned so much about myself and it’s been a great experience. When I moved out to San Francisco, I did not know one soul in the city. My family is deceased, so Shanti was really my first extended family – the family that I adopted into my heart.

In your time as a peer facilitator, what is one of your most memorable moments?

One thing that really inspired me is to see long-term survivors and newly-diagnosed people connect together and see how each of them learned from and support each other. I became very close to the people in the workshop with me. We kept meeting for a few months after the workshop was over. Little bits and pieces of the relationship with each person I met added up to a monument, and that would never have happened without Shanti.

Are there any valuable lessons you have learned from the community?

There is hardly a day in the week in San Francisco without seeing someone that I met through Shanti. It really makes me feel like I am making a lot of friends and extending my family. In all the workshops and groups there are familiar faces and fresh faces – it’s always a balance. I’m very surprised about how much my peers can tell me about different HIV access to care throughout the city, facts about what’s available for all the different aspects of HIV care. If I hear someone needs some information and I know something, I share. You can only learn so much from the computer: word of mouth and face-to-face contact cannot be underestimated.

What would you say to someone who was considering becoming a Shanti volunteer?

I would tell them how Shanti had changed my life and would invite them to come to Shanti L.I.F.E Experience potluck to learn more about the benefits at Shanti. Several months ago I graduated from SF State RAMS Peer Mental Health Specialist Certificate Program, and so often in that program I talked about my volunteering at Shanti. The instructor was looking for places that RAMS graduates could volunteer, so I told her about Shanti.

What are some fun facts you can tell us about yourself? What might someone be surprised to know about you?

I grew up in a very, very small town called Pine Log, Georgia. It’s not on many maps, but it is on Facebook. Pine Log does not have any stoplights, but we do have a school and a fire station. But the post office is in another town a mile away, across the railroad tracks. I’m a small-town country boy. People might be surprised that in 1994 I graduated from University of Georgia, and I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. A lot of people don’t know about that. And my tattoos: let me tell you about them. In college I would go with my fraternity brothers to tattoo parlors when they would get tattoos, and every time I would chicken out. But since I’ve been in San Francisco, I had thought about it a lot. I met someone at RAMS who introduced me to a tattoo artist he trusted, so I went for it! I decided to go with SF-themed tattoos, so I have the Ferry Building, the Cliff House, and Lombard Street on my arms, and a Golden Gate Bridge across my chest. Tony Bennett sang "I left my heart in San Francisco." I took the liberty of changing the words to "I found my heart in San Francisco." All of my family is deceased. My parents passed away, and my sister died when she was a baby. I’m so glad that Shanti accepted me. Now I have a really good excuse to stay in San Francisco.

Donor Profile: Paul Colfer & Jon Gatto, and Veronica & Gerald Colfer

Paul Colfer and Jon Gatto at Glacier National Park

Paul Colfer and his partner Jon Gatto have been supporters of Shanti for decades. Paul grew up in DC, and came out to his parents in 1977, in the midst of the Anita Bryant anti-gay campaign. He recalls that his parents, Gerald and Veronica Colfer, were strong Catholics who at first had trouble accepting the fact that their son was gay. Shortly thereafter, Paul followed his long time dream of moving to California and came to San Francisco. While Paul’s parents had a difficult time with his coming out at first, he witnessed them go through "a journey of acceptance," eventually becoming tireless advocates for LGBT rights in the U.S. and throughout the world. They were very active with Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and Dignity USA, an organization that works for respect and justice for people of all sexual orientations, genders, and gender identities in the Catholic Church.

Tom Altieri on Sentinel Dome, Yosemite

Paul’s first contact with Shanti came in the 1980s. His partner at the time, Tom Altieri, was a Shanti volunteer in the early 80s and was matched with a client with HIV/AIDS. Tom would help his client with transportation, laundry, errands, whatever he needed. Several years later Tom received an AIDS diagnosis himself and he became a client. Tom was matched with a volunteer who provided practical support for the 2 1/2 years that Tom was fighting the disease. Tom lost his fight to AIDS in 1988. About 6 months later, Paul started going to a Shanti bereavement group, which helped him through the grieving process of losing his partner. Paul recalls that his parents showed a lot of love and affection for Tom, and were very supportive throughout Tom’s illness.

Veronica and Gerald Colfer

 Gerald and Veronica Colfer learned of Shanti through Paul, and when they were planning their estate, decided to include Shanti in their trust. Of this gift, Paul said, "I saw a wonderful change happen in my parents and see their gift to Shanti as a beautiful example of their strong support for the community." Gerald Colfer passed away in 2002 at the age of 90, and Veronica at age 100 in 2012. Shanti is touched by the generosity of these two compassionate individuals and is honored that they chose to include Shanti as part of their legacy. We are also enormously grateful for the unwavering support of Paul and Jon, which has helped us to continue to provide emotional and practical support to our most vulnerable neighbors for nearly 40 years.


Paul lives in San Francisco with his partner Jon and works as a Senior Consultant at Kaiser Permanente. Jon is an artist and retired art framer. Paul loves to hike, and Jon and Paul both enjoy travel, theater, and getting together with friends.

Client Spotlight: Stokes

 

Longtime HIV activist Stokes was aware of Shanti from the time he arrived in San Francisco in 1984, though Stokes’ story with Shanti really begins in 1991, when he started working for the Activities Program. After a year or so, Stokes left his job but continued to support Shanti’s fundraising efforts. Several years later, suffering from declining health, the loss of his grandfather, and lack of familial support on the West Coast, Stokes turned to Shanti for support. Returning from his grandfather’s funeral, Stokes thought it was very important to take advantage of any services available and accessed Shanti at that time. "I turned to Shanti, very desperate for help," he remembers. Since then, Stokes’ involvement with Shanti has included being matched with several volunteers and speaking at City Hall in support of maintaining Shanti’s funding.

Stokes notes that his involvement with Shanti was an instrumental part of his journey to accept and embrace his serostatus. "Coming to Shanti was an acknowledgement that I had HIV and I didn’t know how to deal with it," he said. Stokes’ first volunteer was none other than Planning Council Director Mark Molnar, and Stokes recalls their time together fondly. Mark remarked that Stokes "could handle any situation."

Over the years, the connections that Stokes has made through Shanti have remained in his life. Stokes appreciates the thought put into his peer support matches and reports that "adaptability, patience, compassion, and holistic support" are the attributes of his Shanti volunteers that he finds most valuable. "Having a person dedicated to my needs, accepting me for all that I am has helped me allow people to help me and that has made me feel more a part of the world."

Know Your Rights and Claim Your Money

Know Your Rights and Claim Your Money

SOCIAL SECURITY AND THE LGBT COMMUNITY 

The National Committee to Preserve
Social Security and Medicare

in partnership with Openhouse

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013

San Francisco LGBT Center, Ceremonial Room, 1800 Market St.

5:30–6:00pm: Refreshments and Reception

6:00–7:30pm Panel Discussion

Federal Social Security benefits are now available to married same-sex couples 

Whether you are single, married, or somewhere in between, if you receive Social Security benefits or will be eligible for them anytime soon, don’t miss this community discussion about: 

• What the Windsor decision means for LGBT Social Security recipients.
• Financial benefits that same-sex spouses, widows and their children can now access.
• How to apply for benefits.
• What the Social Security Administration is doing for couples who move to places that don’t honor their marriage.
• What happens to your Social Security disability benefits when you retire.

Free of charge but seating is limited. Please RSVP by October 26 by calling (415) 296-8995, ext. 301 or visit http://openhouse-sf.org/ssforum/ 

MODERATOR: 

Kate Kendell, Executive Director
National Center for Lesbian Rights

REMARKS BY: 

Dan Bernal, Chief of Staff
Office of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi

PANELISTS: 

Grace Kim, Regional Commissioner Social Security Administration 

Max Richtman, President & CEO 

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare 

Web Phillips, Senior Legislative Representative 

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare 

Deb Kinney, Esq. 

Johnston, Kinney & Zulaica, LLP 

Andy Chu, Managing Legal Director of Benefits Counseling, Positive Resource Center 

Seth Kilbourn, Executive Director, Openhouse 

COMMUNITY CO-SPONSORS: 

AIDS Legal Referral Panel
Alice B Toklas Democratic Club
API Wellness Center
Black Coalition on AIDS
Community Living Campaign
Institute on Aging
LGBT Community Partnership
Lyon-Martin Health Services
Project Open Hand
San Francisco AIDS Foundation
Shanti
UCSF LGBT Resource Center

Latino MSM Needs Assessment Releases Results

        The HIV Health Services Planning Council recently released the results of its latest needs assessment on Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin counties. This needs assessment focused on how Latino MSM engage with the system of care, and the results revealed that this community encounters significant cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic barriers. This needs assessment is the first of its kind to be produced directly by Planning Council staff, and the number of participants and focus groups far exceeded previous those of needs assessments conducted by outside contractors.

Participants reported encountering barriers on several different levels: severe poverty, homelessness, linguistic challenges, cultural differences, and issues around legal status barriers.  This group reported severe levels of poverty, with 55% bringing in less than $10,000 a year, and 14.3% receiving no income whatsoever. Monolingual Spanish speakers were almost 10% more likely to have been homeless or marginally housed in their lives than other Latino MSM participants.

Despite significant barriers and challenges, participants reported a high level of treatment adherence and viral suppression, well above the national average. This suggests that the SF model of care is working to engage and retain those in care. While the high rates of viral suppression and treatment adherence indicate positive health outcomes, these outcomes exist within a setting of severe poverty, indicating a set of clearly unmet needs.

In light of these results, the Council emphasized several conclusions on how to better serve this population. Providing services in Spanish and bridging language barriers are essential for addressing the needs of this population. It is important to measure non-clinical health indicators to better address socioeconomic barriers to wellness. Support services providers must be equal partners with medical providers in order to ensure quality support in addition to quality medical care.

The HIV positive Latino MSM community faces issues that not only constitute barriers to care, but also barriers to voice and representation. As we move into an era of healthcare reform, it is crucial to ensure that this population does not fall through the cracks.

 

Ali Cone
Program Coordinator
SF HIV Health Services Planning Council

 

Shanti/Healing Waters 2012 Rafting Trip Fun!

Shanti/Healing Waters Rafting Weekend 2012

July 7th and July 8th

"The laughter and community I felt this weekend – its exactly what I needed.”

Living with an illness can be very emotionally and physically draining. Healing Waters Wilderness Adventures exists to help us step outside of our everyday stress for a weekend by offering an incredibly fun weekend of Whitewater Rafting on the South Fork of the American River.

A couple of folks with us were new to camping and a few had not been able to camp for a while before this weekend. Quite a few of the volunteers were there for the first time as volunteers themselves. Yet everything was perfect.

The early morning meet up in front of the Healing Waters Office was easy. You could tell who had coffee and who didn’t but we were in high spirits.

Once at Camp Lotus everyone pitched in to set up tents and help each other out. With the light lunch and safety talk was done we were out on the river for “the longest 45 minutes” in my life – lasting about 4 hours. The water was wonderful and the other river rafting people friendly – even the little girl and father who ambushed us with splashing buckets of waters.

Some of us stopped to look at the old nut pits in the river boulders. These pits were made by the local First Nations women preparing grains for their family meals thousands of years ago.

Off the river and back at the campsite we had dinner and a relaxing evening by a "raging" campfire – once the karaoke family finished celebrating! (It was fun – and we were all invited to join in with glow bracelets).
And no mysterious banjo playing this year!

The next day we had a lovely breakfast, a closing circle and underway home. Blissfully weary!
Oh! How can I forget the lovely stop at Dairy Queen!

All in all - the river was cold and the weather as well as the company was warm.

Thanks to Redge, Jorlan, RIck and Joel for the great pictures! And the Healing Waters staff and volunteers for a great weekend outing. Of course thanks to all of us participants without whom this would have not happened at all!

Here is the photo slideshow! -