The issues facing our clients can be overwhelming. As you’ve seen over the past five days, housing, transportation, substance abuse, and mental health issues can all be barriers to facing life with HIV/AIDS. Add to this the unexpected things that life can throw at you – the loss of a job, the death of a spouse or partner, an unexpected major expense – and it becomes clear that an emergency situation can be another barrier to adhering to one’s treatment for HIV/AIDS.

You might not know it, but the AIDS Council has a Client Services Emergency Fund, which provides support for clients during these unexpected emergency situations. This fund allows the AIDS Council to provide:

21. Emergency housing rental and utility assistance to people with specific needs and eligibility.

22. Connections to resources for emergency food vouchers and food pantry access.

23. On-site food pantry at some AIDS Council locations, as well as food vouchers.

24. Emergency transportation assistance to assist clients in getting to essential appointments.

25. All programs based on eligibility criteria; Case Management by the AIDS Council is not required for housing assistance but the individual must have a case manager at a another community agency.

It’s difficult to break down all the services the AIDS Council provides to clients in just 25 things. For more information, you can log on to our website: www.aidscouncil.org. You can help make life a little better for a person living with HIV/AIDS by clicking here and supporting our 25 for Life Campaign.

Tomorrow, the AIDS Council’s Director of Prevention Services, Nancy Fisher, will share some things you might not know about our efforts to stop the spread of HIV.

Sherry Piscitella is the AIDS Council’s Director of Client Services, and is responsible for ensuring that more than 1,000 people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the 15 counties of Northeastern New York receive compassionate care. Ms. Piscitella oversees a management team responsible for the oversight of 20 case managers at four AIDS Council offices, helping them ensure quality case management and supportive services are provided to HIV-positive individuals and their families. She oversees all aspects of the AIDS Council’s client services, including case management, substance abuse services, mental health counseling and referral services, housing case management, emergency housing and utility assistance and transportation for clients. Ms. Piscitella currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Care Coordination committee of the Ryan White Care Network, which works towards improving comprehensive care and treatments for people living with HIV/AIDS throughout New York State. She also serves as a steering committee member for the Ryan White Care Network. In 2001, Sherry received the U.S. Department of Justice’s Public Service Award from the U.S. Attorney’s Office (Northern District, New York) and was a member of the Rensselaer County Region Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Institute, Class of 2006.

Does living with HIV/AIDS cause strain on one’s mental health, or does having a mental health issue lead to high-risk behaviors that can expose one to HIV? The answer is yes to both. Many people who test positive for HIV face significant and challenging mental health issues, often brought on by the fact that there is still a stigma around HIV/AIDS. At the same time, some mental illnesses and conditions can deplete a person’s ability to avoid high-risk sexual behavior or lead to substance abuse.

The AIDS Council provides services for clients facing mental health issues and works with them to ensure they have access to additional resources:

16. We provide Mental Health Support Groups offered at various locations

17. Our Mental Health Support Groups cover multiple issues. HIV disclosure, bereavement, and treatment adherence are all significant mental health issues facing our clients. Our trained facilitators help clients work through these issues in a supportive group setting.

18. Our Case Managers provide clients with referrals and assistance with enrollment into mental health counseling services. As with substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation, navigating the mental health system can be confusing and involve overwhelming paperwork. Our Case Managers can assist clients in completing necessary forms and paperwork.

19. Once in mental health care, our clients aren’t out there alone. Our Case Managers follow-up and monitor our clients to ensure that they are adhering to their mental health treatment.

20. Our clients may also receive limited individual mental health counseling.

Tomorrow, I’ll finish up my blog with some final services we can provide out clients.

Sherry Piscitella is the AIDS Council’s Director of Client Services, and is responsible for ensuring that more than 1,000 people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the 15 counties of Northeastern New York receive compassionate care. Ms. Piscitella oversees a management team responsible for the oversight of 20 case managers at four AIDS Council offices, helping them ensure quality case management and supportive services are provided to HIV-positive individuals and their families. She oversees all aspects of the AIDS Council’s client services, including case management, substance abuse services, mental health counseling and referral services, housing case management, emergency housing and utility assistance and transportation for clients. Ms. Piscitella currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Care Coordination committee of the Ryan White Care Network, which works towards improving comprehensive care and treatments for people living with HIV/AIDS throughout New York State. She also serves as a steering committee member for the Ryan White Care Network. In 2001, Sherry received the U.S. Department of Justice’s Public Service Award from the U.S. Attorney’s Office (Northern District, New York) and was a member of the Rensselaer County Region Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Institute, Class of 2006.

The AIDS Council believes in empowering its clients to make informed decisions and positive choices in facing HIV/AIDS. By taking steps towards healthy living, a person living with HIV/AIDS can prolong his or her life and reduce the risk of passing the virus on to others. Substance abuse can be doubly harmful to someone living with HIV/AIDS; in addition to the negative effects substance use has on the body, the use/abuse of drugs and alcohol can also lead to high-risk behaviors that increase the infected person’s viral load or expose others to the disease.

Here are some ways that the AIDS Council serves clients dealing with substance abuse issues:

11. Our Case Managers help clients to identify and discuss available substance use treatment and support options.

12. The AIDS Council offers individual or group substance abuse counseling and support.

13. Our Case Managers help clients navigate confusing systems. Going into rehabilitation for substance abuse requires significant paperwork and planning. Our Case Managers work with clients to reduce this barrier by assisting with DSS and Medicaid paperwork. Staff will also assist the client with entering substance abuse treatment facilities.

14. The AIDS Council provides recovery support and relapse prevention.

15. In limited and emergency situations, transportation to detox or rehab may be available.

In tomorrow’s blog, I’ll review some ways that the AIDS Council helps people with mental health issues.

Sherry Piscitella is the AIDS Council’s Director of Client Services, and is responsible for ensuring that more than 1,000 people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the 15 counties of Northeastern New York receive compassionate care. Ms. Piscitella oversees a management team responsible for the oversight of 20 case managers at four AIDS Council offices, helping them ensure quality case management and supportive services are provided to HIV-positive individuals and their families. She oversees all aspects of the AIDS Council’s client services, including case management, substance abuse services, mental health counseling and referral services, housing case management, emergency housing and utility assistance and transportation for clients. Ms. Piscitella currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Care Coordination committee of the Ryan White Care Network, which works towards improving comprehensive care and treatments for people living with HIV/AIDS throughout New York State. She also serves as a steering committee member for the Ryan White Care Network. In 2001, Sherry received the U.S. Department of Justice’s Public Service Award from the U.S. Attorney’s Office (Northern District, New York) and was a member of the Rensselaer County Region Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Institute, Class of 2006.

Living with HIV/AIDS is not easy. Living with HIV/AIDS and homelessness is even more challenging. It’s safe to say that if you are living with HIV/AIDS and you don’t have a roof over your head, it’s going to be almost impossible for you to stay on your course of treatment. At the same time, if you don’t have a way to get to your medical provider (or the pharmacy) you’re going to have trouble adhering to your treatment.

The AIDS Council can help its clients face both these challenges. Here are some things you might not know about our services to people living with HIV/AIDS and how we can help them with housing and transportation:

6. We have a specialized Housing Case Manager. Our Housing Case Manager works one-on-one with a client to find housing or to maintain his/her current housing.

7. Our Housing Case Manager can help a client with many related issues: development of independent living skills, budget counseling , landlord negotiation, identification and acquisition of available housing and financial resources (Section 8, Social Security, Emergency Assistance, etc.), and referrals to additional community resources.

8. Our Housing Case Management and follow-up services last for one year.

9. Our Case Managers can provide assistance to clients who need transportation. Case Managers can connect clients with transportation services for applicable medical, substance abuse treatment, and mental health appointments. Clients work with Case Managers to identify transportation options. For some clients, transportation assistance comes in the form of bus tokens; for others, it’s gas cards or securing a cab ride.

10. Case Management by the AIDS Council is not required for transportation assistance. That’s right – the AIDS Council can help people living with HIV/AIDS with transportation assistance, even if that person is not currently in the AIDS council’s Case Management program.

Housing and transportation are not the only issues facing people living with HIV/AIDS. Check out my blog tomorrow for information on the services we provide for people who face substance abuse issues on top of living with HIV/AIDS.

Sherry Piscitella is the AIDS Council’s Director of Client Services, and is responsible for ensuring that more than 1,000 people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the 15 counties of Northeastern New York receive compassionate care. Ms. Piscitella oversees a management team responsible for the oversight of 20 case managers at four AIDS Council offices, helping them ensure quality case management and supportive services are provided to HIV-positive individuals and their families. She oversees all aspects of the AIDS Council’s client services, including case management, substance abuse services, mental health counseling and referral services, housing case management, emergency housing and utility assistance and transportation for clients. Ms. Piscitella currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Care Coordination committee of the Ryan White Care Network, which works towards improving comprehensive care and treatments for people living with HIV/AIDS throughout New York State. She also serves as a steering committee member for the Ryan White Care Network. In 2001, Sherry received the U.S. Department of Justice’s Public Service Award from the U.S. Attorney’s Office (Northern District, New York) and was a member of the Rensselaer County Region Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Institute, Class of 2006.

The AIDS Council of Northeastern New York provides compassionate care for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS… but what does “compassionate care” mean and what does it include? Over the next five weekdays, I’ll be blogging about 25 things you might not know about the AIDS Council’s Client Services – the services that provide help for people living with HIV.

1. The AIDS Council takes a comprehensive approach to serving the community. Comprehensive means the agency serves people infected with HIV (“living with”), affected by HIV (such as the child or partner of someone infected with HIV), and at-risk of infection. The services we provide to these three groups vary based on the need of each individual.

2. The AIDS Council serves an enormous geographic territory. Northeastern New York is a vast space, covering 15 counties (from Columbia County to the south up to the Canadian Boarder) – more than 12,800 square miles. In fact, our service area makes up more than 25% of New York State’s geography – and our territory is larger than the States of New Hampshire, Delaware and Rhode Island combined. Geography is important to our services because…

3. Our service “footprint” includes a great diversity of populations. Our territory includes urban, suburban, exurban (an area outside of the suburbs) and rural communities, each with varying needs and access to medical care. The AIDS Council works with medical and social service systems to provide clients with access to the services they need – regardless of geography.

4. Our clients are people who are infected with, affected by, or at-risk of becoming infected with HIV.

5. The heart of our Client Services is our Case Management. Our Case Managers work together with the client to provide support, assist in the development of goals, coordinate services and problem-solve to address his or her individual needs and goals. Case Managers can connect clients through referrals and resources to: Medical care, Entitlements/Benefits, Legal Services, Housing, Mental health, Treatment adherence (this means staying on one’s medicines to treat HIV), Substance abuse, and Transportation Services. Case management is short- or long-term, based on the client’s needs.

Tomorrow, I’ll talk a bit about the Housing and Transportation Services we provide.

Sherry Piscitella is the AIDS Council’s Director of Client Services, and is responsible for ensuring that more than 1,000 people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the 15 counties of Northeastern New York receive compassionate care. Ms. Piscitella oversees a management team responsible for the oversight of 20 case managers at four AIDS Council offices, helping them ensure quality case management and supportive services are provided to HIV-positive individuals and their families. She oversees all aspects of the AIDS Council’s client services, including case management, substance abuse services, mental health counseling and referral services, housing case management, emergency housing and utility assistance and transportation for clients. Ms. Piscitella currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Care Coordination committee of the Ryan White Care Network, which works towards improving comprehensive care and treatments for people living with HIV/AIDS throughout New York State. She also serves as a steering committee member for the Ryan White Care Network. In 2001, Sherry received the U.S. Department of Justice’s Public Service Award from the U.S. Attorney’s Office (Northern District, New York) and was a member of the Rensselaer County Region Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Institute, Class of 2006.

I’m going to finish up my blogging this week with some more ways you can help keep the HIV/AIDS epidemic at the forefront of public perception.

21. Patronize the AIDS Council’s sponsors. When the AIDS crisis first hit, there were many corporations and businesses that would not openly sponsor an AIDS fundraising event. The AIDS Council has been fortunate to receive the support of businesses of all sizes. If you patronize any of these businesses, you might want to consider sending an e-mail or make a quick “thank you” call – or make a special visit to shop, dine or make a purchase:

925-929 Broadway, LLC
All Over Albany
Ambition
American Hotel
Athos Classic Greek Cuisine
Baba Louie’s Restaurant
Bayou Cafe Downtown
BFS Restaurant & Catering
BlueShield of NENY
BP America, Inc.
Brindisi’s
Cafe’ 217
Capital Affairs, LLC
Capital Bauer Insurance Agency, Inc.
Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Council, Inc.
Capital Wine and Liquor
CapitalCare Medical Group
Casswood Insurance Agency, LTD.
CDPHP, Inc.
Circus Restaurant Group, LLC
CMC-KUHNKE, Inc.
El Loco Mexican Cafe
Flavour Cafe and Lounge
FLY 92.3
GoodSearch
Hair By Alan
Hattie’s Restaurant
Jaeger & Flynn Associates, Inc.
Katz Kafe
KeyBank N.A.
KPMG
L&P Media
La Serre
Liberty Mutual
Live Sound, Inc.
Livingood’s Restaurant
Longfellows Restaurant, Hotel and Conference Center
M&T Bank
Magnolia’s on the Park
Metroland
Mexican Connection Restaurant & Cantina
Mexican Radio
Nicole’s Restaurant
Nothing But Noodles
NYSUT
Oh Bar
Olde Bryan Inn
Prime Care Physicians, PLLC
Red Dot Bar & Restaurant
Ristorante Paradiso
Rueckert Advertising & Public Relations LLC
Salsa Latina Spanish & Mexican Grill
Savannah’s
Scratch Bakery Cafe
SEFCU
Stewart’s Shops
The Century House, Inc.
The Hollywood Brown Derby Restaurant
The Italian Club
The Old Daley Inn Catering Company
Time Warner Cable
Times Union
Tiznow
Tosca Grille
Town Total Pharmacy
Trustco Bank
Unique Catering of Albany, Inc.
Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood
Vico Restaurant
Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP
WNYT - News Channel 13
Wojeski and Company CPAs PC

22. Consider throwing a 25 for Life Party. Do you like to host parties? Help raise awareness and funds for the AIDS Council during its 25th Anniversary Year by hosting a “25 for Life” party in your home. We are hoping to host 25 in-home parties and raise $1,000 or more at each party. For more information, please contact me at 518.434.4686 Ext. 2428 or rnacy@aidscouncil.org.

23. Remember the AIDS Council in your will. Leaving a bequest is not only for the wealthy. Specifying the AIDS Council in your will or living trust is a very easy way of recognizing the trust and confidence you have in our mission. For more information on leaving a lasting legacy to the AIDS Council, please contact our Development Department at 518.434.4686, or speak with your attorney.

24. Make a gift to the Richard W. Joseph Endowment Fund. The AIDS Council’s Richard W. Joseph Memorial Endowment Fund was established in memory of Richard W. Joseph, Executive Director of the AIDS Council from 1994 through 1999. This board-designated endowment continues Mr. Joseph’s legacy of excellence in HIV-related prevention and the belief that outreach serves as a tool for community empowerment. You can make a gift online by clicking here or call 518.434.4686.

25. Work with us to share the message that AIDS is still here, that there is still no cure, and that together we can stop HIV in its tracks. Thank you for your interest. Thank you for your support. Thank you for not giving up. And thank you for helping us help people living with HIV/AIDS. We could not do it without your support.

26. …oh, and in case you forgot, please make a gift to our 25 for Life Campaign! Click here to make a secure online gift today.

Tomorrow, our Director of Client Services, Sherry Piscitella, will begin sharing 25 things you might not know about the AIDS Council’s services.

Richard Nacy is the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York’s Director of Development & Marketing. With more than 13 years’ experience in fundraising, development, community relations and communications, Mr. Nacy has raised millions of dollars for charitable organizations in the Capital Region. He is a 2005 recipient of The Business Review’s 40 Under Forty award and is active in the Capital Region not-for-profit community.

An April 2009 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that Americans’ sense of urgency about HIV/AIDS as a national health problem has fallen dramatically and their concern about HIV as a personal risk has also declined, even among some groups at higher risk. Key findings of the survey include:

• The share of Americans naming HIV/AIDS as the most urgent health problem facing the nation dropped from 44 percent in 1995 to 17 percent in 2006 and to six percent now.

• CDC estimates that HIV rates are seven times higher among African Americans and three times higher among Latinos compared to whites. While these groups are more likely than whites to see HIV/AIDS as an urgent problem, fewer say it is a “more urgent” problem for their community now than in 2006 (declining from 23% to 17% of all adults, 49% to 40% of African Americans, and 46% to 35% of Latinos).

• The share of those ages 18-29 who say they are personally very concerned about becoming infected with HIV declined from 30 percent in 1997 to 17 percent today; personal concern among young African Americans declined from 54 percent to 40 percent over the same time period.

• More than half (53%) of non-elderly adults say they have been tested for HIV, including 19 percent who say they were tested in the past year. Testing is most common among adults under the age of 30, with three in ten young adults and nearly half (47%) of young African Americans reporting having been tested in the past year. However, reported testing rates for all these groups have not changed much in the past decade.

So what can you do to keep your community aware of the HIV/AIDS epidemic? Here’s some suggestions:

16. Do you receive the AIDS Council’s quarterly newsletter, The Connection, in the mail? If so, pass along your copy of The Connection to a co-worker, friend or family member. If you don’t receive our newsletter, sign up to receive a copy by clicking here. More importantly, do you read your copy of The Connection?

17. Forward E-Connection updates on to friends, family and co-workers. When you receive e-updates from the AIDS Council, send them on to everyone you know.

18. Visit our website frequently for information and updates. If for no other reason than to read our informative and always-entertaining blog!

19. Check out www.rubbaboyz.net and www.hivoutreach2teens.org. The AIDS Council also maintains two additional websites. Our Project HOPE website, www.rubbaboyz.net, is an HIV/STD awareness and prevention site for the GLBT community. Our brand-new site for teens, www.hivoutreach2teens.org, is about to go live any day now. We’re really excited about this site, because the site’s content, artwork, games and music was all developed by teens for teens. If you’re over age 25, you might not get the language… and that’s ok by us! We’ll have an official notice when the site goes live, so keep your eyes peeled.

20. Tell one person today that you support the AIDS Council. If each and every day you told one person that you support the AIDS Council and its mission to reduce the risk, fear and incidence of HIV infection, and each and every day that person told one person… and so on… and so on… in less three weeks, more than 1,000,000 people would have heard the message. Word of mouth is still a powerful resource in fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS… we just have to empower ourselves to deliver a strong and unified message. Together, we can stop the spread of HIV in its tracks.

I’ll be back again tomorrow for a final list of ways you can help keep the fight against HIV/AIDS front and center in our community’s consciousness.

Richard Nacy is the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York’s Director of Development & Marketing. With more than 13 years’ experience in fundraising, development, community relations and communications, Mr. Nacy has raised millions of dollars for charitable organizations in the Capital Region. He is a 2005 recipient of The Business Review’s 40 Under Forty award and is active in the Capital Region not-for-profit community.

Continued from yesterday’s blog by the Director of Development and Marketing, Richard Nacy: In addition to the AIDS Council’s signature event – the Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Celebration – the agency hosts a number of other events and volunteer opportunities throughout the year. If you’re a social butterfly and like to interact with people, we have just the right opportunities for you:

11. Be an Ambassador or Table Captain during the 7th Annual Dining Out For Life® event on April 29, 2010. Dining Out For Life® is a wonderful community event – participating restaurants agree to donate 25% or more of their breakfast, lunch and/or dinner proceeds to the AIDS Council (sometimes they even include cocktails!) and in return the AIDS Council fills the participating restaurants with diners. To achieve this, the AIDS Council recruits Ambassadors who become their chosen restaurant’s sales and marketing team. Ambassadors recruit Table Captains – people who will bring friends, family and co-workers to the restaurant on the day of Dining Out For Life®. Want to know more? Contact the AIDS Council’s Special Events Coordinator by clicking here or call 518.434.4686 Ext. 2415. We are already accepting applications for Ambassadors for our 7th Annual Dining Out For Life®, so contact us today!

12. If you’re too shy to be an Ambassador or Table Captain, then simply dine out at a participating restaurant on Thursday, April 29, 2010. Our participating restaurants will be announced in early 2010, so keeping checking back on our Dining Out For Life page for updates!

13. Volunteer for the Help Fight AIDS Through Books & Music program. The Help Fight AIDS Through Books & Music Program was started by volunteer Steve Kozlowski 17 years ago. Since then, Steve and his team of volunteers have raised more than $500,000 (!!!) in NET proceeds to help the AIDS Council provide services for people living with HIV/AIDS. That’s right. Half a million dollars. The amazing Steve and his equally-amazing team raise funds through sales of new and gently-used books, CDs and VHS/DVD movies at venues throughout the Capital Region and on the web. Volunteers are especially needed during the holiday season, so check out Steve’s website to learn how you can make a difference. Three hours of your time can go a long way in helping someone living with HIV.

14. Are you short on time… but have a lot of books you’d like to donate to a worthy cause? Steve Kozlowski is always accepting donations of new and gently used (very gently used, that is!) books, CDs, VHS tapes and DVDs. Contact Steve at steve@helpfightaids.com to coordinate your donation.

15. Help a family affected by HIV have a brighter holiday. The AIDS Council’s Holiday Sponsor Program provides holiday cheer to people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. Volunteers provide much-needed gifts of clothing, bedding, household supplies/appliances as well as books, toys and other holiday treats to people served by the AIDS Council and their families. Our Holiday Sponsor Program begins at the end of the summer. To find out more or to volunteer to help with our Holiday Sponsor Program, please e-mail me at rnacy@aidscouncil.org.

I’ll be back again on Monday with more ways to help raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in our community. I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Continued from Tuesday’s blog by the Director of Development and Marketing, Richard Nacy: Support comes in many different forms. Here are just a few ways you can help the AIDS Council provide services to people living with HIV/AIDS.

6. Save the date for AIDSWalk 2009: Sunday, September 27, 2009. AIDSWalk is a visible reminder to our community that HIV is still here. Join the AIDS Council as we walk in remembrance of those we have lost – and those we will lose too soon – to this devastating disease.

7. You can also join the AIDS Council’s team and raise funds for AIDSWalk. If you would like to go even further to show your support, you can raise funds for the AIDS Council’s team! To find out about how you can raise funds for the AIDS Council, drop me an e-mail rnacy@aidscouncil.org.

8. Save the date for the AIDS Council’s 15th Annual Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Celebration: Thursday, November 19, 2009. The party of the year – and on of the Capital Region’s signature fundraising events – is going to be bigger and better than ever. To mark our 25th year, we’ve set a big goal: we are striving to raise more than $100,000 to benefit people in our community living with HIV/AIDS. You can help…

9. …by joining the Beaujolais Nouveau Honorary Committee! For $110, you’ll get access to the exclusive pre-event VIP party including a chance to sample the 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau vintage before everyone else, the first opportunity to bid on our fabulous silent auction (see #10 below) and extra time to mingle with friends and new acquaintances. Plus, you’ll get your name printed in the event invitation – sent out to 6,000 households throughout Northeastern New York – and in the event program book. You can sign up for the Honorary Committee after August 1, 2009 by clicking here.

10. Don’t miss our expanded and exquisite silent and live auctions at this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Celebration! We’ve pulled out all the stops for this year’s auctions… stop back in August for a preview of auction packages, and don’t miss the chance to bid on our most luxurious auction yet!

But wait- there’s more! Check back in with me tomorrow for more ways to help.

Richard Nacy is the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York’s Director of Development & Marketing. With more than 13 years’ experience in fundraising, development, community relations and communications, Mr. Nacy has raised millions of dollars for charitable organizations in the Capital Region. He is a 2005 recipient of The Business Review’s 40 Under Forty award and is active in the Capital Region not-for-profit community.

When the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York was formed by a group of committed and concerned volunteers 25 years ago, I don’t think they imagined that AIDS would still be a major public health epidemic in 2009. It is.

There are many things you can do to help the AIDS Council help people living with HIV/AIDS. Over the next five days, I’ll share with you 25 ways you can make a difference in the fight against AIDS in your community.

1. Make a gift of $25 to the AIDS Council’s 25 for Life Campaign today. The AIDS Council’s 25 for Life Campaign will provide funding for emergency services for people living with HIV/AIDS, from assistance with food and shelter to transportation to essential appointments. Your gift of $25 to the 25 for Life Campaign will also provide free, confidential HIV testing to communities most at risk. You can make a secure online donations by visiting our 25 For Life page, or call 518.434.4686 Ext. 2428 to make a gift by phone.

2. Ask your friends, family, co-workers to match your gift of $25 to the AIDS Council’s 25 for Life Campaign today. The best way to inspire a good deed is to perform a good deed of one’s own.

3. Find out if your employer has a matching gift program. If they do, ask if they will match your gift to the 25 for Life Campaign. Many companies will match their employees’ charitable donations – sometimes they will match a gift 2-to-1! Ask your human resources department if your company has a matching gift program, and if so, submit your 25 for Life Campaign gift. Your gift of $25 will then leverage another $25 (or more) from your company, increasing its impact and helping more people living with HIV/AIDS in your community.

4. Join our 25 for Life Cause on Facebook, and get the word out to your online friends, fans and followers that you support the AIDS Council. Facebook will send an announcement to all your friends, fans, and followers that you support our cause. You can make a secure online gift to the 25 for Life Campaign through our 25 for Life Cause on Facebook, too.

5. In fact, follow us on Facebook and Twitter and join our LinkedIn network. By following us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, you will receive daily updates on how the AIDS Council is using your gift to help people living with HIV/AIDS and stop the spread of the disease.

Join me tomorrow for more ways to help.

Richard Nacy is the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York’s Director of Development & Marketing. With more than 13 years’ experience in fundraising, development, community relations and communications, Mr. Nacy has raised millions of dollars for charitable organizations in the Capital Region. He is a 2005 recipient of The Business Review’s 40 Under Forty award and is active in the Capital Region not-for-profit community.