November 2005

Take a Virtual Walk for NO/AIDS

The New Orleans AIDS Task Force is now faced with not only the devastation of its offices and services but also with the loss of its largest fundraiser, the AIDS Walk, which had to be cancelled, for obvious reasons, as was the second largest, the Art Auction and Holiday Gala scheduled for Dec. 2. Losses are expected to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

To replace it, NO/AIDS is holding a Virtual Walk, “all the fun of fundraising without the sweat and blisters.” NO/AIDS is asking individuals and teams to register and start collecting pledges for the virtual walk to aid NO/AIDS “on its very real journey to restore operations for our clients as they return to New Orleans and the surrounding areas.” The Virtual Walk is running from October 12 to Friday, December 16. You can register at www.noaidstaskforce.com.

New Orleans has been hard-hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, ranking 11th in AIDS cases in the U.S. Now there is no infrastructure in place in New Orleans for clients to access. Food for Friends, the NO/AIDS meal delivery and food pantry program, has been badly flooded. In addition to the food losses, it is likely that most, if not all, the equipment in the commercial grade kitchen has been lost, and the building may have to be condemned.

Although NO/AIDS offices are on the fifth floor of the main building, staff have not been able to access the building and do not know if they will ever be able to. Nor is there any way to ascertain the effects on computers and records of sitting in “a dank, fetid building” for several months. All event supplies and equipment are definitely lost because they were on the first floor.

NO/AIDS is now operating from its office in Houma, about 45 minutes west of New Orleans; other staff are working out of Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Memphis, Atlanta, and Houston. More than 100 clients have used a check-in form on the web site to connect with agency case managers.

Currently the most pressing goal for NO/AIDS is to set up a satellite office in New Orleans where it can resume basic operations.

Further information: www.noaidstaskforce.com; NO/AIDS Task Force – CASS Office, 813 Belanger Street, Houma, LA 70360. phone 504.821.2601. NO/AIDS is a 501(c)(3) organization; contributions are tax-deductible.