Dear Friends,
On December 1, 2016, in a touching and moving ceremony, our community was honored with the “Thom Weyand Unsung Hero Award” from the National AIDS Grove Memorial in Golden Gate Park, California. This award paid tribute to the losses borne by our community to HIV/AIDS and the tireless advocacy efforts from our community. Many were on hand to witness this loving tribute accepted by Jeanne White-Ginder, mother of AIDS activist Ryan White.
In the years since HIV/AIDS devastated our community, we worked together to achieve goals that seemed insurmountable, including safer blood products and compensation for individuals and families who were affected by HIV. But what we did not have was permanent, national recognition of the lives lost to AIDS – a place where our story would be preserved for future generations.
I am proud to announce that at last, we do. NHF, Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA), The Committee of Ten Thousand (COTT) and the National AIDS Grove have collaborated to create a permanent memorial for the members of the hemophilia community who were affected by HIV/AIDS, which will be built in the Grove in 2017. We hope this memorial crescent will serve as a place of healing for our community today, and a place where visitors to the Grove can learn of this important, long-overlooked story in the future.
NHF has committed $125,000 to support the construction of this permanent memorial. We will also continue to work with HFA and COTT as the building of the memorial progresses, to ensure that many perspectives and voices are heard. I know that as a community – and as an organization – we are strongest when we all work together toward a common goal. We hope all families in the bleeding disorder community, regardless of how they were affected by the HIV/AIDS tragedy, will be inspired by the power of love, collaboration and strength in our community.
We will continue to keep you updated on the memorial’s progress and welcome your feedback. In fact, we will need more than your feedback; this memorial will need your support. The money donated by NHF and HFA will only cover the creation of the memorial; we will need to raise additional funds to cover its upkeep in perpetuity. We know that many of you would like to contribute to the memorial in honor of your loved ones. We will have more information on how you can contribute to the memorial in early 2017.
During discussions with HFA and COTT, I learned that they want to erect a second memorial in recognition of AIDS and hepatitis C. NHF fully supports this initiative and is committed to working with HFA and COTT to realize that goal. I would like to further suggest a joint campaign to unite our organizational efforts: one campaign, one voice, one community. I hope we can all join together in this unified effort.
I look forward to working together. Watch this discussion captured in a special Powering Through hosted by Patrick James Lynch and Believe, in support of this event.
Sincerely,
Val D. Bias
Chief Executive Officer
National Hemophilia Foundation
