positive focusServing Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga & Tompkins Counties

Winter 2011 www.stapinc.org

ADMINISTRATION

John Barry Executive Director Jackie Centerwall Director of Operations Mary Kaminsky Director of Development Julie Kerr Director of Finance Joseph Caminiti Director of Information Systems Candace Phelan Volunteer Coordinator Kim Conrad Special Events Coordinator Anne Baron Fiscal Assistant Ginny Miller Program Assistant Glenda Oliver Receptionist Katrina Roehrig Human Resources | Administrative Assistant

CLIENT SERVICES

Gayle Pado Director of Client Services Stacy Nickerson Assistant Director of Client Services Wendy Hitchcock Assistant Director of Client Services Teresa Wage-Harrington Housing Coordinator Andrea Pinney Housing Specialist Michael Leahey Housing Specialist Wixie Skellett Medical Advocate Autumn Cook Medical Advocate Kristina Hagen Client Services Data Specialist Gry Bente-Johansen Case Manager Chemung Jean Wilson Case Manager Chemung Terri Shields Case Manager Broome Jennifer McKenzie Case Manager Broome Elizabeth McDonald Case Manager Broome Cassandra Aikman Case Manager Tompkins Juan Rios Case Manager Tech Elke Meyer Case Manager Tech Beth Pittman Case Manager Tech Jeffrey Pryor Prison Reentry Coordinator

PREVENTION SERVICES

Michelle McElroy Director of Prevention Services Lawrence Parham Assistant Director of Prevention Services Amy Henry Assistant Director of Prevention Services Alisa Reynolds Substance Use Outreach Coordinator Joe Barnett Assistant Director of Prevention Services Cathy Sostre Womens’ Outreach Coordinator Saleem Diaz Substance Use Outreach Educator Emily Cowan Substance Use Outreach Educator Chalanda Graham COC Educator Renee Whitaker COC Educator Kernalia Andrews Womens’ Prevention Educator Jeff Dunlap LGBT Youth Educator Lillian Fan Harm Reduction Educator Thomas Womelsdorf Syringe Exchange Technician Jesse Naitshak Syringe Exchange Technician Hanna Weiss Syringe Exchange Technician Bryan Cook Criminal Justice Services Specialist Noah Cooper Mpowerment Assistant

especially among the

ranks of our volunteers. Within our volunteer corp, there is a

small group of 18 individuals who quietly assure that STAP

continues to be solvent, well managed and visionary. This is

our Board of Directors. Members of the Board of Directors are

responsible for fiscal and programmatic oversight for STAP,

assist with agency fundraising and act as ambassadors in the

community promoting STAP and its good work. People chosen

to serve on STAP’s Board of Directors share their expertise in

areas like living with HIV, politics, law, spirituality, fundraising,

nonprofit administration, insurance, healthcare, media and

many other areas. They bring to STAP community connections

that benefit the agency’s development and growth.

THERE ARE MANY UNSUNG HEROES HERE AT STAP

Most of the directors are people with very busy lives and yet,

they generously find just those few more hours to share their

passion & talents to make sure that STAP continues to grow

and provide high quality service. They are a divergent group

in terms of age, gender, race, HIV status, sexual orientation,

religion, profession and political outlook who work together

to place the needs of STAP and those we serve first on their

collective agenda.

Many people are under the impression that serving on a Board of

Directors is glamorous and I suppose there are those moments,

but make no mistake the majority of the time it is real work.

Directors spend a lot of time completing important, but

somewhat tedious tasks such as reviewing financial statements

& the annual financial audit, reviewing policy & procedure

and evaluating the Executive Director. Their toil is rewarded

by those times they provide crucial input into STAP’s strategic

planning and future directions that yield new programs. Here

at STAP we ask Directors to make a minimum commitment of

3 years and we encourage them to stay with us for 6 years if

they can, so while it is a volunteer job, the commitment is

significant. Serving on the Board makes Directors fair game for

questioning in their area of expertise by staff on a regular basis,

which they gladly offer without complaint. They align their own

professional reputations with the reputation of STAP and bring

the issue of HIV/AIDS into their own circles to raise awareness

(and often money). STAP’s Board of Directors has raised over

$40,000 in the last 2 years through their AIDS Walk team. This

is a stunning accomplishment.

I have many friends and associates who work in nonprofit

organizations and tell me on a fairly regular basis how lucky STAP

is to have the cooperative and productive board we do and all I

can do is agree wholeheartedly. It is true that great leadership

produces great outcomes and at STAP that great leadership

begins with the Board of Directors. Their example sets the tone

for the work that is done throughout the organization. Their

commitment informs our own and we strive every day to live

up to the standard they set for us. They are a group that I am

genuinely proud to work with.

From both the staff and myself a heartfelt thanks to the Board

of Directors. Your efforts are noticed and appreciated. We truly

could not do it without you.

SOUTHERN TIER AIDS PROGRAM 122 Baldwin Street Johnson City, New York 13790 Hotline: (800) 333-0892 Phone: (607) 798-1706

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from the director

members: Anne Baron, Carrie Juraska, Hope Woodcock (the

Raffle Table Queen), Jackie Centerwall, Juan Rios, Paula

Collier, Terri Shields, Sharon Arney, Rebecca Medina, and

Mary Hubschmitt. All teams need a leader and we have the

best Volunteer Coordinator in town. Thank you to Candace

Phelan for all of her hard work and dedication.

On October 1st, the annual Doggone Fun on the Run took place

at Otsiningo Park. We weren’t sure what to expect as the

weatherman was predicting a rather wet day and it was just a

couple weeks after Hurricane Irene devastated our area.

You can imagine our surprise when 67 of our 4-legged friends

showed up and registered for the event. What an incredible

day.

The rain came as expected, but it did not dampen our spirits.

The Rev. David A. Drebert performed a Blessing of the Animals,

and then he offered each participant the opportunity for a

These were just a few of the many comments we heard after

the Miss Richfield 1981 performance. The crowd was delighted

with her antics and we wished the show didn’t have to end. She

was fabulous and we can’t wait to have her back again! Thank

you to the UPS store in Vestal for sponsoring the event and to

Remlik’s for hosting the show.

SPONSORED BY

Excellus BCBS

United Health Services

Visions Federal Credit Union

UPS—Vestal Store

Dogs on the Run, LLC

SPEAK, Inc.

The Magic Paintbrush Project

Star 105.7

3i Graphics & Signs

NYC DEP

Bing Spot

Remlik’s

2011 Top Dog, Gemma,

is a family member

of Stephanie &

Angela Giovannone

Miss Richfield 1981

So Much Fun! I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard.

What a blast, I love her!

personal blessing. The walk/run went on without a hitch.

Participants raced around the 2-mile walk, searching for the

hidden bones in hopes of winning one of the three spa packages

available.

After the walk/run participants enjoyed the contest

and games. Participants enjoyed delicious food and beverages

provide by our hospitality sponsors:

Outback Steakhouse, Frito-Lay, Starbucks and Price Chopper.

This event is made possible by the numerous volunteers who

sign up to help us. Special thanks to our Doggone Fun committee

Doggone Fun on the Run 2011

The 2011 Doggone Fun on the Run raised

$10,838.97

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recent events

We had a fabulous day for the

13th Annual AIDS Ride for Life

on September 10th! Our riders

rode 100 miles, the weather was

phenomenal and our volunteers,

staff and supporters were on

hand to make the day even

more beautiful. We had 350

riders on the road that day

and over 800 people showed

up for our celebration

dinner in Stewart Park.

If you’d like to see some

pictures, please check out

Facebook and look at the

Southern Tier AIDS Program

page! You raised over

$215,000 dollars for people

living with HIV—Thank you!

One of our dedicated riders was

Angela Baldo. She shares her

story here with some wonderful

comments on her experience.

Her blog can also be found at:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_summary.

asp?id=4A-HEALTHY-BMI

There were rest stops every 15-20 miles. 17.6 miles 87.8 miles

75.7 miles. At this rest stop they had free 5-minute massages and whatever she did made the calf cramps go away. My left knee still hurt and sometimes went numb on and off the rest of the ride.

At 59.3 miles. I missed the stop at 45.9 miles. Never saw it! My legs started cramping up pretty bad around 57 miles so I wolfed down a granola bar I was carrying and some gatorade. I didn’t stop.

Then to the finish, where the organizers provided a wall of

cheering people on either side.

We all survived, more or less. I feel pretty good. My knees are on ice, though. I have to lead a beginning kayak trip tomorrow. Hope I’m up for it!33.3 miles

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Give the Gift of Family

Why not adopt an entire family in their name by making a

donation to STAP’s Adopt-A-Family program?

Adopt-A-Family provides HIV+ families living in poverty with

an opportunity to spend quality time together, giving them a

chance to rebuild the family bond the virus has torn apart by the

continuous worry of finances, medications and medical bills. It

also provides empowering financial assistance for parents that

may be struggling to provide simple pleasures for their children

due to the constant struggles of surviving with HIV/AIDS.

Imagine having a life threatening illness and not having

enough money to celebrate your child’s birthday with a cake

and candles, or celebrating Christmas with no apparent visit

from Santa Claus. For many families living with HIV/AIDS, such

simple pleasures are too expensive. While there are various

local programs that provide holiday assistance, Adopt-A-

Family gives priority to families that were not able to access

other community resources to ensure these families are not

forgotten and fill this gap. Depending on the circumstances,

Adopt-A-Family may provide a tangible gift or a gift card to

the family, typically for $15 per household member. Clients

do not apply for the program, but are anonymously referred

by a STAP case manger when circumstances are appropriate

and a need is identified. Adopt-A-Family is not funded by

a grant, or a foundation, but rather is the combined efforts

of STAP employees and generous community members.

The Adopt-A-Family program is an affordable way for almost

anyone to make a huge difference in the lives of families in their

own community. Not only is your contribution tax deductible

(to the extent allowable by law,) but you’ll be glad to know that

100% of your donation will benefit families in your community.

It doesn’t take a lot of money to change the impact of poverty

on a family!

If you are interested in donating to this life-enhancing

program, please call Gayle Pado at 1-800-333-0892, or send

your donation to:

We would like to welcome Amy Henry as the new LGBT Program

Coordinator. She has assumed Erin Gotthardt’s position at

the Identity Youth Center is planning some redecorating

this fall. The center has been open for a few years now

and the youth would love some new gear for their space!

Would you like to donate some items to liven it up? Do you have

Thank you for being there when we needed you. Thank you for answering our telephones. Thank you for transporting our clients. Thank you for getting that mailing ready. Thank you for serving on our committees and Board of Directors. Thank you for riding your bicycles. Thank you for serving food. Thank you for donating to Robbie’s pantry. Thank you for walking your dog. Thank you for setting up and taking down what feels like a million chairs and tables at our events. Thank you for signing in and tracking your hours. Thank you for chaperoning. Thank you for dancing and singing. Thank you for your clapping and encouragement at the pit stops. Thank you for the filing, data entry and clerical work you do. Thank you for walking with your family for our cause. Thank you for being on all the cleanup crews. Thank you for smiling. Thank you for packing up and unpacking trucks and vans at events. Thank you for putting together the safety kits. Thank you for sitting at a table and selling coupons. Thank you for wrapping gifts for tips. Thank you for assisting in outreach. Thank you for being a buddy. Thank you for the massages. Thank you for placing and collecting all the yard signs, posters and post cards. Thank you for making the best ever raffle baskets and auction items.

we could not do it without you.

STAP, C/o Adopt-A-Family

122 Baldwin Street

Johnson City, NY 13790

Due to HIV/AIDS confidentiality laws, it is not possible for donors to meet the families that participate in the Adopt-A-Family program.

PLISOAs (Persons Living In Spite of AIDS) are PERSONS first and

foremost: persons who have families and loved ones, persons who have

dreams and hopes and fears, persons who laugh and cry, persons who deserve the same respect and

love as you and I.

—a fiesty long-term survivor

THANK YOUWhat do you get the person who has everything this holiday season?

Contact Cadance Phelan at cphelan@stapinc.org or call 607.798.1706 ext. 225 Want to be a volunteer?

artwork you no longer display, extra throw pillows, or some

art project supplies? Additionally, Identity is always looking for

new mentors, who help support programming and the youth at

Identity. If you are interested in donating items, or becoming

a mentor, please contact Amy Henry or Jeff Dunlap at the

Identity Youth Center (607) 651-9120.

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giving thanks

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Are you ready for April 22nd? We’re taking HIV and AIDS head on, and we’re not going down without a fight. It’s gonna get rough, tough, and downright dirty—Have you got what it takes?

This ain’t your mama’s walk!

YES, THAT IS CORRECT—DECEMBER 31, 2012. HIT THE BACK OF YOUR CLOSETS, FIND YOUR FINEST DISCO GARB AND SEND IT TO THE CLEANERS. WE WILL SEE YOU IN DECEMBER 2012!!!

STUDIO 65 IS COMING DECEMBER 31, 2012

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upcoming events

122 Baldwin StreetJohnson City, NY 13790

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDAlbany, NY

PERMIT #58

ZIP CODE 12202

Winter 2011

friends who care

STAP is serving more men, women, and children than ever in our 25 years of providing services. Say “I care” by sending your gift today. Your generosity makes a difference!

Yes! I can help the Southern Tier AIDS Program continue to provide services for people living with HIV/AIDS and provide prevention services to help reduce the rate of HIV infection in the Southern Tier. Enclosed is my tax-deductible donation of:

❑ $25 ❑ $50 ❑ $100 ❑ $250 ❑ Other: $_________

Checks should be made payable to:STAP, 122 Baldwin St., Johnson City, NY 13790

Please charge my donation to my: ❑ Visa ❑ Mastercard

Name:___________________________________

Address:________________________ _________

______________________ __________________

CC#: _____________________ _____________

Exp. Date: _____________________ _________

Signature:_____________________ _________