Guest Post: Tataya Mato offers support for kids with HIV/AIDS

This week we have another wonderful guest post from our friends as Jameson Camp, who dedicate an entire session of summer camp to kids living with HIV and AIDS. How awesome is that? We think they're rockin' it with Tataya Mato, and we're betting you will too. Enjoy!

Did you know that Jameson Camp, located on Indy's West side, offers a special camp session for children affected by HIV/AIDS? This free 8-day/7-night session of camp is called Tataya Mato and serves youth ages 7-17. Children attending this session of camp either have the disease or have a close family member who does. This is the only camp program in Indiana that serves children impacted by HIV/AIDS.

Tataya Mato offers a unique combination of a traditional eight-day overnight summer camping experience combined with a program of personal growth and support of the child’s family and caregiver. Tataya Mato campers partake in traditional camp activities including archery, rock climbing, creek stomping, culinary arts, journalism, and art expressions. Older campers have the opportunity to go on multi-day camping and backpacking trips in Indiana and out of state. While at camp, youth gain in self-confidence and social skills, and learn to respect themselves, others, and the environment. They are also immersed in a supportive and fun environment with children who are facing similar challenges and obstacles related to living with or knowing someone with HIV/AIDS.

The Jameson staff work with various community partners throughout Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio to recruit children for the Tataya Mato session. Free transportation is provided to each child who attends this session of camp and Jameson Camp waives camper fees for children attending Tataya Mato. It costs Jameson Camp roughly $45,000 each year to operate Tataya Mato, so we depend on the generous support of individuals, foundations, and corporations to help cover the costs of this specialized camp. It is our belief that every child should have the opportunity to experience the excitement and culture of summer camp. We provide our campers the opportunity to make lifelong memories while gaining important life skills.

Jameson Camp is grateful for its partnership with Roche Diagnostics and the Indiana AIDS Fund, who have been strong supporters of Tataya Mato over the years. If you are interested in supporting HIV/AIDS programs like Jameson Camp and The Damien Center, we encourage you to participate in the Indiana AIDS Walk on Saturday, September 28th! Join The Damien Center’s team and help raise money to fight HIV and AIDS right here in our community. Can't attend the event? Make a secure online donation or help us spread the word!

Allegra Printing selects Damien Center for FootPRINT Fund

When we learned about Allegra Indy East Printing and their FootPRINT Fund for Nonprofit Friends, we jumped at the chance to apply. This unique grant program is, according to Allegra, "designed to aid nonprofit organizations in their quest to create lasting impressions." We want to create lasting impressions, we thought, and what better way than through a partnership with a local printing who wants to give back to our community?

Today, we're excited to announce that Allegra has selected The Damien Center as a $1,000 grantee for their FootPRINT Fund! We're targeting our Linkage to Care program for this grant, meaning that we'll be using the funds to support this new program and get more HIV+ people in our community connected with care, support, and services to help them live long, healthy lives. You can read more about our Linkage to Care program in this post. With support from Allegra, we'll be able to do a better job getting the word out about L2C, which directly improves the health of our community.

While you'll have to stay tuned for details about what projects we'll be undertaking with Allegra's support, we want to say a big thank you to Allegra for selecting us a grantee! We're looking forward to a great partnership!  

Four Reasons to Volunteer for Grande Masquerade: Disco Ball

With our 26th annual Grande Masquerade a mere two months away, we're starting to think about this (always epic) fundraising gala in real-life terms. We're shifting from loosey-goosey pipe dreams of glitzy sequins and shiny disco balls to the more important questions: How many glitzy sequins? How shiny of a disco ball? And who's going to help us put it all together?!

Enter our faithful supporters, our behind-the-scenes superheroes: our volunteers. Every year, dozens of volunteers sign their lives away for a few hours (okay, but we feed them, so don't worry) to help us set up, get people registered, run our live and silent auctions, answer our guests' questions, run random errands, check people out at the end of the night, tear down, and oh so much more. They are truly our lifeboats during this event, and this year, you can join the ranks!

Here's why you should volunteer for Grande Masquerade Disco Ball: 

4. Obviously, you're helping us out, and you can feel good about that. Last year, the event raised more than $178,000, and we have volunteers to thank for helping us accomplish that. Being a part of our success means you're helping us fight HIV/AIDS and care for those affected by it.

3. If the feel-good factor isn't enough to make you want to give up a Saturday night, look at this way: volunteering is good for your soul, yes, but it's also good for your resume, scholarship apps, class requirements, and more. We want our volunteers to get something out of it, too, so we're happy to help you accomplish your goals while you're helping us accomplish ours.

2. Two words: People. Watching. Our guests come in costumes, black-tie, and everything in between. Seeing what costumes and ideas our guests have come up with is so much fun.

1. You get to attend a classy, quirky, fun, disco-themed fundraiser without having to shell out the bucks to do so! Win win win win.

If you're at least partially convinced that you'd like to volunteer for what's shaping up to be a heckuva Disco Ball, get some more info and fill out our volunteer sign-up form. See you at the Disco Ball!

Walk around the block with us

We know it's hard to imagine at the moment, when the air is heavy and the sun beats down relentlessly, but fall is on its way. And so many wonderful things come when fall comes. Curling up in a blanket around a blazing bonfire, dreaming up your best Halloween costume yet, indulging in a caramel apple or a mug of fresh apple cider—and our favorite, taking a walk around the block to fight AIDS in our community!

This year's Indiana AIDS Walk, A Walk Around the Block, is going to be the perfect gateway to fall for all you lovers of autumn colors and cool, crisp nights. A departure from its previous incarnation as an early-morning walk through Downtown Indianapolis, A Walk Around the Block features a leisurely stroll through the beautiful, historic Herron Morton Place Neighborhood on Saturday, September 28, from 4pm to 6pm. Last year, more than 1,000 people walked for the cause and raised $225,000 to fight HIV and AIDS right here in Indianapolis.

What else is there to do, you ask? We'll have entertainment, a wellness fair, a pet pit stop, awards and prizes, and of course, fun for the whole family. All proceeds benefit the Gregory R. Powers Direct Emergency Financial Assistance (DEFA) Fund. Grantees of the Indiana AIDS Fund, including us here at The Damien Center, use DEFA funds to provide emergency financial assistance and direct care for those throughout Indiana impacted by HIV/AIDS. Here at the Center, we use these dollars to provide bus passes, food for the pantry, medication assistance, client events, and mortgage/rent/utility/incidental assistance.

Want to take a walk around the block with us? It's easy peasy. You can join Team Damien, sign up as an individual, or make your own team by recruiting friends and family to walk with you. Can't be there on September 28? No problem. Make a donation to the event and know you're making an difference for the health of your city.


Check out all the event details here!