2010 Participating Agencies

The agencies listed below are the 2010 Aunt Rita's Foundation member agencies. Each member agency provides volunteers throughout the year at our signature events, and helps to raise money on behalf of Aunt Rita's Foundation. Funds are raised for Aunt Rita's Foundation through donations and our two signature events, SAVORlife, and AIDS Walk Phoenix & 5K Run. Each member agency benefits equally.

1n10 1n10 provides a safe environment for GLBTQ youth to develop positive self-acceptance through life enhancing programs. We believe in empowering LGBTQ youth by providing social, cultural and educational programming that promotes making positive life decisions.

AGAPE Networks mission is to meet the nutritional needs of individuals and families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. AGAPE works with other Valley Metro organizations to provide direct and/or referral services in an effort to meet the nutritional, physical, emotional, social and educational needs of those infected and affected by HIV & AIDS. AGAPE Network provides bi-monthly and emergency food boxes. Our continuing effort is to provide the needed and/or emergency food as soon as possible after the receipt of a referral. We currently have approximately 300 client families and our need is growing every week. Our clients are on limited incomes and many do not have cars for grocery shopping.

The Bill Holt Clinic at Phoenix Children's Hospital is the only comprehensive pediatric HIV clinic in the state of Arizona, providing comprehensive care for children and adolescents exposed to or infected with HIV. The clinic, founded in 1994, is a multidisciplinary program providing family-centered care. A team of specialists works together at the visits to provide specialized medical care, nutritional support, child life services, and psychosocial support. The team works together with families to maximize the health of children/adolescents affected by or infected with HIV. The clinic provides testing of exposed infants, children, and adolescents.

Chicanos Por La Causa L.U.C.E.S program provides HIV supportive services to hundreds of people living with HIV/AIDS. It also provides HIV education/resources to thousands of at-risk Latinos in Maricopa and Pinal Counties. The services offered include; Case Management, Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Psychological Support, and Outreach. HIV Counseling/Testing is provided in collaboration with Ebony House. OraQuick, an effective and reliable testing is offered weekly.

Compassion in Action has been committed to equipping and mobilizing local churches and Christ followers to reach out with the love and compassion of Jesus to care for the needs of people touched by HIV/AIDS since 1993. We have been doing this through three primary programs. First, we offer food boxes each month to support a healthy immune system through good nutritional food. We also offer a monthly dinner and meeting to provide people touched by HIV a safe place to connect and discover how to live a fuller life. Last, we have our Care Program that provides compassionate participant-focused visitation, encouragement, and non-medical support for those affected by HIV. The Care Program links the participant with a trained volunteer who is committed to support and encourage the participant. Activities with the participant may consist of driving to doctor appointments, taking participant to a food bank, visiting with participant in their home, going to movies, dinner or activities together, etc.

Concilio Latino de Salud performs the following activities: Distribution of HIV/AIDS prevention materials at health fairs. Targeted outreach for the GLBTQ Latino/Hispanic community at selected bars. Participation as a demonstration Project site for the Cuídate! Curriculum and the Cuídalos! Project. Participation in NLAAD (National Latino AIDS Awareness Day).

Ebony House HIV Services Our advanced street outreach teams focus their efforts on low-income African-American communities across Maricopa and parts of Pinal County. We provide supportive case management services and outreach through the Ryan White Part A program where we provide a continuum of supportive care to PLWHA. In addition, we offer free rapid HIV testing, one-on-one behavioral case management, support groups, and group level interventions. We provide services both in-house and at a variety of community venues including but not limited to churches, parks, schools and colleges, and community centers.

HEAL International is a youth organization dedicated to improving health and health care in underserved communities. In Arizona, HEAL International provides health literacy education and outreach, including HIV/AIDS prevention, train-the-trainer courses for outreach educators, and HIV curricula to non-profit organizations.

HIV/AIDS Law Project The HIV/AIDS Law Project assists individuals living with HIV and AIDS to lead lives of greater independence and self-determination by providing the highest quality civil legal assistance through our staff and volunteers to the HIV-infected communities of Maricopa and Pinal Counties. Services provided include, but not limited to, Social Security, AHCCCS, Housing, Discrimination, Confidentiality, Insurance, Debt Collection, Estate Planning and free Notary service to clients. The Project provides homebound and hospital visits to persons unable to travel to the office.

HIV Care Directions Case management which provides comprehensive assessment, care planning, advocacy, supportive counseling, and links HIV positive clients to a wide array of services, including (not limited to): primary medical care, medications, dental care, behavioral health services, transportation, financial assistance, and housing. Case Managers follow-up with clients on a regular basis to ensure that the care plan and interventions are meeting their needs.

Joshua Tree Feeding Program was started in 1988 to provide a safe environment where people living with HIV/AIDS could come together to share experiences, mutual support and enjoy a nourishing lunch. From this humble beginning, Joshua Tree has grown into a well-established, committed organization that serves the nutritional needs of a diverse, supportive and growing membership. Our clients are provided the opportunity to socialize in a compassionate and caring atmosphere, make new friends and get needed health-related and local HIV/AIDS services information. We not only offer our clients a weekly congregate lunch, but provide them with a complementary food box full of nutritional groceries to take home.

Founded 20 years ago, the McDowell Healthcare Center (MHCC), owned and operated by the Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS), provides outpatient medical care, behavioral health services, and oral health care exclusively to people living with HIV/AIDS. One in every 5 people living with HIV/AIDS in Maricopa County choose to receive all or part of their healthcare at MHCC. Services include the only Women’s Clinic in Arizona to address the healthcare needs of HIV-positive women. Behavioral health services include psychiatric services and mental health and substance abuse counseling by specialists in their fields. Oral health services are provided by a staff of dental professionals with decades of combined experience providing dental care to HIV-positive people. All MHCC services are offered on-site to provide for ease in coordinating appointments. Ably led by Medical Director Dr. John Post, the McDowell Healthcare Center continues a 20 year tradition of providing cutting edge comprehensive healthcare in a compassionate and understanding atmosphere. The services offered at MHCC are supported by the Maricopa Health Foundation.

Native Health Through HIV counseling and testing services as well as individual- and community-level interventions for youth, Native Health wages a valley-wide response to the disproportionately high impact of HIV on Native people in the Phoenix area.

Shanti is a Sanskrit word meaning "inner peace" which reflects the Phoenix Shanti Group (PSG) approach to promoting personal empowerment and maintaining independence and dignity. Client services specifically include a 20-bed homeless transitional housing program, 10 bed permanent supportive housing, outpatient substance abuse treatment, counseling/mental health with psychiatric medication and monitoring, HIV case management, vocational re-entry training and consumer HIV education/early intervention. Phoenix Shanti also operates "Second Chances" Furniture Thrift Store as an avenue for the community to support the agency.

Project Hard Hat is a non-profit organization that promotes the practice of safer sex among gay and bisexual men in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area by way of providing educational information, S.T.D. testing information and locations, support group information and by distributing condoms free of charge to dispensers within bars, night clubs and other venues which cater to our target population. We believe that keeping the A.I.D.S. pandemic in the forefront of people's minds will encourage them to make more informed decisions, behave more responsibly and be proactive in preventing the spread of H.I.V. and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Southwest Behavioral Health Services Operates and manages five distinct housing programs within the Phoenix metropolitan area for individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS. Housing for folks with HIV/AIDS has long been viewed as a form of health care. Persons living with HIV/AIDS on the streets, homeless or in places unfit for habitation fair much worse than people who are housed. Improved housing stability relates to reduced HIV risk and improved access to medical care according to the National AIDS Housing Coalition. SBH offers two types of what are referred to as permanent living settings, two settings as well for a transitional housing model and a financial assistance service for individuals and families who may be facing homelessness and can avoid eviction through help with either rent, mortgage or utility bills. There are over 80 units of housing, some of them are apartments, some condos and some are houses with a homelike environment for 4-5 persons. Through the emergency assistance effort 300-400 individuals and families are helped each year to remain housed.

Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS is one of Arizona's oldest and largest nonprofit AIDS service organization, serving 70 percent of Arizona's nearly 13,000 infected residents in addition to the more than 25,000 at-risk individuals affected by HIV and AIDS. Our vision/mission is to lead the fight against HIV/AIDS by preventing the disease, enhancing the quality of life of those impacted by the disease, and by contributing to a worldwide body of knowledge. Prevention, wellness and research are the core areas of the agency's mission and reason for existence. This includes community-based programming to address HIV/AIDS prevention needs, health support services to meet chronic needs, and clinical trial and non-clinical research.

There are several HIV Prevention programs offered at TERROS which include the ANEW program, delivering Say It Straight (SIS) interventions in communities where the targeted populations live at, in community centers, schools, churches etc. Hours are also tailored to meet the need of the participants including weekends and evenings. With a focus on substance abuse, we also have our Safety Counts program which targets active injection drug users (IDU's) and their sex partners. We also have a Morning Program which works with the homeless and near homeless that is treatment engagement and harm reduction. We're also fortunate to be able to provide HIV testing, counseling and education information throughout all of Maricopa County.

ucan Phoenix is creating a speaker bureau to provide HIV/AIDS education with the Phoenix faith based communities to dispel the fear, stigma, and myths about the disease. This includes programs and presentations for youth and adult classes. We provide information, referral, and pastoral support to HIV+ individuals. We network with other congregations for membership and participation in this ministry and we participate in a World AIDS Day worship service.