Nevada HIV/AIDS Advocacy Organization To Launch Public Fundraising Campaign

Nevada's largest HIV/AIDS advocacy group, Aid for AIDS of Nevada, plans to launch a statewide campaign to raise funds for its efforts to support people living with the disease, the Las Vegas Sun reports. The Campaign of Courage is the 22-year-old not-for-profit's first fundraising campaign aimed at seeking financial support from public and private donors. The campaign has a fundraising goal of $75,000 and will involve mailing informational pamphlets to long-time supporters of the group, as well as to local residents who might not have donated previously to HIV/AIDS programs, the group said. AFAN programs include medical assistance, housing and transportation aid, emergency financial help, referrals for substance abuse, legal services, food vouchers, groceries and counseling. "The campaign will allow us to tell the story about this disease to more people and continue to educate the public, which is one of our goals," AFAN Executive Director Caroline Ciocca said. She added that the organization eventually aims to raise more than $1 million and to increase the size of its mailing list to include the names of tens of thousands of supporters. The campaign "could not have happened at a better time," as more resources are needed to compensate for reductions in federal funding for HIV/AIDS programs, the Sun reports. AFAN currently receives about $450,000 annually in Ryan White CARE Act funds, which must be spent on health care programs specifically, Ciocca said (Koch, Las Vegas Sun, 1/8).