It’s hard to believe the season is about to change again! As these last days of summer approach, we are already thinking carefully about what Fall and 2018 will bring. This has been a year of many gifts -new people, new donors, new members and new staff – and of course our amazing and solid base of support. The mission and vision of The Aliveness Project is alive and well and continues to move towards alignment and sustainability.
The Aliveness Project’s mission is to link people living with HIV to resources for leading healthy, self-directed lives. I recently made some changes to our staffing and Holiday Gift Program to position us for a more flexible budget in 2018 and focus our staffing, fundraising efforts, and spending on providing core services to those heavily reliant on Aliveness as a sustainable source of meals, groceries, and other supportive services. These decisions are never easy, and I want to be clear why these choices were made and assure you Aliveness is in a good place.
So what’s changed?
- We reduced spending out of our general operations budget – the dollars that aren’t tied to specific project grants or contracts. Unfortunately, this meant losing two part time and one full time administrative staff.
- We are transitioning back to a fully volunteer corps of acupuncture and massage providers in the Integrative Therapies Program.
- A group of Aliveness members and staff are reworking the Holiday Gift Program to be a celebration event with giveaways rather than a matched adoption program. We will work hard to connect folks to additional holiday gift resources to fill any gaps this change leaves. Unexpectedly, it also has provided an opportunity for a new group of members to think differently about what this wonderful event can be for today’s PLHIV community. There will still be MANY opportunities for our holiday donors and volunteers to be involved, to shop, to wrap, and bake – no worries there. Stay tuned for details about how you can be involved in upcoming newsletters.
I thank you for your continued support, trust, and for sharing your great ideas and inspiration. We will continue to work towards building reserves and sustainable program models – ensuring we can ride the funding waves and always be here for people living with HIV. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to be in touch.
