Guest Post: Local HIV+ teen works to end stigma

This week, our friends at Jameson Camp are joining us for a very special guest post about a local HIV+ teen who's making serious waves with her positive attitude and big heart. 18-year-old Paige Rawl is a supporter of Jameson Camp's Tataya Mato program, a week-long camp for HIV+ kids, and speaks to groups all around the city about her experiences with HIV. Read on and be inspired by Paige's story, as told by Taylor Brown.


Recall what life was like in middle school. For most people, the hardest times might include occasionally being left out or perhaps receiving a bad grade on a project. Now imagine what life would be like in middle school if you were HIV+. Imagine what it would be like if everyone knew. Imagine being relentlessly bullied.

For Paige Rawl, this was no hypothetical situation.

Paige, now 18 years old, grew up in Indianapolis and was born HIV+. Her mother contracted the disease from her father, and it was passed down to Paige. However, she didn’t know that she had the disease until she was 12 years old.

It was around this time that Paige decided to open up to a friend. “I told my best friend in sixth grade that I was HIV+,” said Paige. “She told her older sister, and it spread throughout the entire school.”

That’s when everything started to fall apart. Paige was nicknamed “PAIDS” and was harassed by children and adults alike. Eventually it became too much, and she decided to switch to homeschooling. “I went through a lot of bullying because of the stigma associated with being HIV+,” she said.

While she was being homeschooled, Paige decided it was time to take a stand and educate others on the disease in hopes of helping other children cope. “Now I do a lot of public speaking, advocacy, and education programs to raise awareness,” said Paige.

Though the stigma still exists, the number of programs that address the issue of HIV/AIDS is growing. The Indianapolis based nonprofit The Damien Center works to empower those affected by HIV/AIDS and to prevent the spread of HIV. Jameson Camp, a nonprofit organization on the west side of Indianapolis, has a week-long camp for children impacted by the disease. The Tataya Mato program is the only week-long camp in the state of Indiana for children dealing with HIV.

Last summer, Paige shared her story with the Tataya Mato campers. “Growing up, I didn’t know a lot of people who were HIV+ and dealing with the same issues as me,” said Paige. “A program like Tataya Mato gives children the opportunity to meet others like them. It makes them feel like they aren’t alone.”

Paige is currently a finalist in Seventeen Magazine’s “Pretty Amazing” competition, a contest in which participants submitted essays highlighting their accomplishments. According to Paige, 30,000 girls entered and only five were named finalists. The winner of the contest receives a $10,000 scholarship and will appear on the cover of the October issue of Seventeen. The winner will be announced in September.

Paige plans to attend Ball State University in the fall, and she also plans to continue her work educating others and raising awareness about HIV/AIDS. “Just because you are HIV+ doesn’t mean you should be held back,” she said. “It doesn’t define who you are.”

Vote for Paige in the Seventeen Magazine contest and read more about her!

You're Invited: Damien Center Open House Tuesday 7/23

Ever wondered what goes on inside The Damien Center? What kinds of services do we offer, what are our staff members like, and what's it like to access our different programs? We're having an open house tomorrow, so now is your chance to find out!

Stop by tomorrow evening, July 23, between 5:30pm and 7:30pm to learn a little more about who we are and what we do. We'll have self-guided tours of our building, so you'll be able to check out where Care Coordination, HIV/STD testing, housing services, mental health counseling, food pantry services, and more take place in building. We'll also have staff members on hand to tell you a little about how things work in their different areas and go through mock services with you.


Just want some general information? We'll also have that, along with opportunities to win prizes and learn a little more about HIV and AIDS. We're looking forward to seeing you there!

The details:

What: Open House
Where: The Damien Center (26 North Arsenal Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46201)
When: Tuesday, July 23, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Who: All are welcome!
Questions: Check out the Facebook event or call us at 317.632.0123!

Thanks a latte, volunteers!

On Monday we're going to be celebrating and thanking our amazing volunteers at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. But today, we wanted to share with you how grateful we are for those who give their time to keep us chugging along, onward and upward toward our mission to care for those living with HIV and fight to prevent the spread of it in our community.

Over the past year, more than 300 individuals have given their time and talents to helping us fulfill that mission. At Grande Masquerade alone, more than 80 people helped us raise $178,488. Additionally, 70 volunteers for Dining Out for Life made contact with 10,000 diners and raised $23,000 in individual contributions. On top of that, volunteers helped us get out in the community at fairs and festivals and represented us to their friends, families, and communities.

What else did they do? Our incredible volunteers helped us haul thousands of pounds of food for our food pantry so that we could continue to offer nutritional support for our clients, who need it more than most. Our volunteers also helped us serve 687 clients in our food pantry - that's 687 people who got an extra hand when they needed it. They also helped us keep our office running by volunteering in our testing center and so, so much more.

In terms of hours served, our volunteers have blown us out of the water. If we just counted the 11 volunteers with the most service hours, their total hours from July 2012 to July 2013 add up to 2,670 hours. That's 111 full, 24-hour days of service! Two of our volunteers contributed 528 and 596 hours to us, respectively. That's kind of like working full time for three and a half to four months. Wow.

We can't really thank our volunteers enough for what they do. It's impossible to put a value or a number on the generosity of the people we count among our precious volunteers. But what we can do is try to show our appreciation now and throughout the year. So thank you, volunteers, for everything you do! We are beyond grateful for your hard work and commitment!