Three easy ways to give that don't cost you anything: Part 1

Friends, we have an important question. Do you do any of these things?

• Use a credit card
• Shop at Kroger
• Buy things on Amazon

Yes? Us, too! Lucky us and lucky you, each of these just became a super easy way to give back to The Damien Center, and they won't cost you a penny. We know it's not always easy to give as much as you'd like to causes you care about, so read on for three easy ways to make your everyday spending a little more philanthropic!

Let's start with the credit card. We've recently developed a partnership with The EqualityCard Project, an organization that has created a unique tool to allow philanthropic-minded individuals and businesses to give back to organizations like ours that support equality for all individuals.

The EqualityCard™ Visa is a great way to support our mission, without any additional expense to you. Here's how it works: The EqualityCard™ is a traditional Visa credit card that donates an amount equal to 1% of all of the cardholder's purchases to the LGBT non-profit of their choice. There are no out-of-pocket costs for the cardholder, and no annual fee to use the card. 100% of the amount donated to us on your behalf is provided by The EqualityCard Project, and best of all, the donation is tax deductible for you!

If you own a business, the corporate version of the EqualityCard™ allows you to generate similar donations to support our organization, without affecting profitability. EqualityCards™ can be issued to any number of your employees, for the routine purchases that they make on behalf of your business every day. Business owners, we hope you'll consider giving to The Damien Center through the EqualityCard™ Corporate Giving Program.

Best of all, The EqualityCard™ Visa is easy to set up and operates like other standard credit cards. We'd love for you to check out our partnership. Consider applying for an EqualityCard™ and designating The Damien Center as the beneficiary for your donations. You can do that by visiting the EqualityCard™ website at www.equalitycardproject.com and using our invitation code: 2053.

Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 - more easy ways to give that don't cost you a penny!

Support Hoosiers living with HIV this weekend

This time of year, we're busy. Our 27th Annual Grande Masquerade is just around the corner on October 18, the United Way of Central Indiana is at full throttle with their wonderful fall giving campaign, fairs and festivals abound on weekends, and we're busier than ever supporting those living with HIV in our community with Care Coordination, counseling, housing support, and more.

But right now is precisely when we need to slow down and remember why we're doing what we're doing. Who are we serving, what is the difference that we're making? The Annual Indiana AIDS Walk is one of our favorite weekends of the year because it reminds us of the answers to these questions.

The Indiana AIDS Fund, a program of The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis, raises money through the annual Indiana AIDS Walk for the Gregory R. Powers Direct Emergency Financial Assistance (DEFA) Fund. AIDS service organizations (like us) and other grantees of the Indiana AIDS Fund use DEFA funds to provide emergency financial assistance and direct care for Hoosiers affected by HIV/AIDS. DEFA helps pay for utility payments, rent and other housing costs, medical expenses, prescription drug costs, transportation expenses, and food, clothing and other basic needs.

The coolest thing about it? More than 1,000 people walk in the Indiana AIDS Walk every year, and last year, the event raised more than $235,000. Families, groups of friends, businesses, civic leaders, youth, fraternities, sororities, churches, educators, volunteers, corporations, children, pets, concerned citizens, clubs, and associations – anyone interested in helping Hoosiers with HIV in emergency situations can participate and make a difference.

You can join the walk as an individual, join an existing team (like ours, Team Damien), or make a financial contribution to the walk. Here are the important details:

2014 Indiana AIDS Walk
Saturday, September 27
Herron Morton Place Neighborhood
(At the corner of 22nd and Talbott Streets)
4 – 6 p.m., registration opens at 3:30 p.m.
The Walk steps off at 5 p.m.

We hope to see you there!

Celebrating Successes: Our 2012 Annual Report

When we sat down and started to brainstorm what our 2012 Annual Report would look like, we envisioned something different - something that would capture our innovative programming, showcase our commitment to fighting HIV, and help our donors and supporters better understand what really happens at The Damien Center on a daily basis.

Enter Jane and John. These two fictional clients take readers on a journey from getting tested for HIV to finding stable housing and getting connected with health care, and everything in the middle. As Jane and John access a range of Damien Center services, they are able to stay healthy even as they are infected or affected by HIV. Jane and John represent the thousands of individuals we reach every year through HIV testing, Care Coordination, counseling, housing, and many other programs.

Our 25th year of service - 2012 - was truly our best yet. As a leader in HIV prevention and care, The Damien Center sits at the forefront of a national movement toward Linkage to Care, which is just one key piece of the ever-growing puzzle to eradicate HIV. Each of our programs is carefully designed to tackle different aspects of this complex issue.

We hope you'll take a read through our 2012 Annual Report and explore what it's like to be a client at The Damien Center by following along with Jane and John. It's because of supporters like you that we can continue to offer our services completely free of charge to those in need in our community. Thank you, and enjoy!

25 Stories: Paying it forward for the holidays

The holidays are upon us. We're celebrating, decorating, spending time with friends and family, and reflecting on why we celebrate in the first place. We're also shopping for gifts like crazy, milking these very last few days before Christmas to find the perfect gifts for our loved ones (or maybe just those we're obligated to get gifts for). Paul Pickett understands. As a giver of gifts to more than 70 people, this Damien Center board member knows that gift-giving can be as stressful as it is fun. But this year? Paul's got a better idea. Read his story below to find out what he's giving this holiday season and, more importantly, why.
 
One of my favorite parts of the holidays is the hunt for great presents. From my 18-month-old godson to an 80-year-old friend, my list is varied and long, so finding the perfect gift for everyone isn't always easy.

This holiday season, I made a decision to pay it forward. I wanted a more powerful way to let my friends and family know how much I appreciate, care for, and love them. So this year, anyone over 16 on my list will have a donation made in their name to The Damien Center.

Instead of giving another pretty vase or antique letter opener, I'm giving the gift of support, care, and needed services for those living with HIV and helping educate the public on how we can prevent the spread of HIV in our community.
 
The Damien Center is near and dear to my heart. For 25 years, the Center has cared for those living with HIV and led the fight to prevent the spread of HIV. This year, I encourage you to give a gift from the heart and one that keeps on giving. Give a donation to The Damien Center and know that your gift supports real people in need, like many of the stories you've been reading throughout the year.

Inspired to give your loved ones a life-saving gift this holiday season? Make a 25th anniversary gift of $250 or more today and become a member of our one-time only Quarter Century Club, a special giving society to honor those we've served over the past 25 years.

Bonus: When you give a gift in a loved one's honor this holiday season, we'll even send them a card letting them know a gift was made in their name. Give a special gift today! 

Happy birthday to (all of) us!

Birthdays are good for celebrating, laughing, imbibing, indulging. You know the drill: cake, cocktails, loved ones, favorite places and spaces. But they're also good for looking back. Reflecting. Thinking about how far you've come and what you've been doing that matters to you and your values.

Today, I - Kimberly, your faithful Damien Center blogger and marketing coordinator - have been doing just that as I celebrate my 27th birthday. I've been asking myself, what have I been doing these last few weeks, months, and years that enriches my life and others', that makes my community a better place?

Here at The Damien Center, we've also been celebrating our birthday - all year long. It's our 25th year serving those affected by HIV in Central Indiana, and we're so proud of the legacy we have as Indiana's oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service organization. What we do and how we do it didn't start last year or last month. It started in 1987, when a caring, progressive group of people got together to support a community in crisis.

Birthday reflections, for us, have us looking at who we served, how we served them, and where our (your) funding dollars went. So, what have we been doing that matters to us, our values, and our community? In 2011, we:

• performed 2,315 free HIV tests
• reached 796 youth through prevention education
• served 1,126 clients through Care Coordination
• helped 96 families find housing
• fed 616 clients through our food pantry
• assisted 124 clients in receiving emergency financial assistance

And this is just the beginning. Birthdays are also for looking ahead to the coming year(s), planning for a strong future, setting goals, and living life. So as I and The Damien Center look ahead to our next 25 years, we hope you'll help us celebrate both where we came from and where we're going.

Looking for ways to honor our 25 year legacy? Make a donation, volunteer, walk with us in the 2012 Indiana AIDS Walk, or snag a ticket for swankiest gala in town, the 25th Annual Grande Masquerade.  

The Season of Giving

Did you know that we're the largest and oldest HIV/AIDS service organization in Indiana? Here are ten reasons to give a little extra this holiday season:

YOU can help make a difference!
Make a donation at www.damien.org/donate

#10: You can help serve the most people infected and affected by HIV in Indiana. Last year, we helped 1,230 people with HIV/AIDS; this holiday season, we expect to serve nearly twice as many people in December as we did last year.

#9: You can help end hunger. People living with HIV need nutritious meals to help their immune system fight the disease. We gave out over 150,000 pounds of food through our pantry this year.

#8: You can help shelter people with HIV. Stable, affordable housing helps people with HIV stay on medication. We helped house 70 families in 2011.

#7: You can help prevent the spread of HIV. We provided more than 2,000 free and confidential HIV tests so far this year - up from last year's total of 1,533.

#6: You can help keep young people safe from the disease; individuals 20-24 account for the highest rates of new infections. We reached more than 700 young people with information on how HIV is transmitted and how to keep themselves safe this year, and we expect that number to double in 2012.

#5: You can help end stigma and discrimination. We provide legal services for people infected or affected by HIV with discrimination issues, living and legal wills, and various other civil legal matters.

#4: You can help people with HIV get jobs. As medications get better, more people with HIV are living healthy lives they didn’t expect to have; we teach skills that help them reenter the workforce.

#3: You can help formerly incarcerated individuals receive interventions that reduce substance abuse and other risky behaviors. We help these individuals keep themselves and others safe from HIV.

#2: You can help link people with HIV to health insurance that makes life-saving medication affordable.

#1: You can help us end HIV. We distribute more than 5,000 condoms every year; without a cure, condoms are one of the only sure-fire ways we can stop the spread of HIV. 

Make Your Reservations Now!

Dining Out for Life is next Thursday - just a week away! Have you made your reservations yet? April 28th is a busy night, so be sure you have a spot at your favorite Dining Out for Life restaurant by making a reservation.

Are the restaurant choices dizzying? We understand. That's why we've built this restaurant map - so you can choose the restaurant that is most convenient for you on April 28! Restaurants with green markers will donate 25%, while restaurants with red markers will donate 50%. The Damien Center is the sun located downtown.

Check out our map at http://www.damien.org/map !

Make your reservations now!

Dining Out for Life in a nutshell: eat out, fight AIDS. It's that simple.

Eat at one of our 45 participating restaurants, and 25% - 50% of your bill goes to The Damien Center. There's no code to mention, no special menus - just do what you would normally do!

Additionally, you can win cool prizes, like the Hoosier Park Package or the Celebrate Indy Package. These packages contain hotel stays, VIP tickets to Hoosier Park, IRT ticket vouchers, private happy hour parties, and more! All you need to do is fill out a form at one of our participating restaurants - no donation is required to enter. Just check the box, give us your name and some way to contact you, and you're entered into our drawing!

The following is a list of all our participating restaurants:

Premier Restaurants are restaurants who donate 50% of their day's sales to The Damien Center. Our Premier Restaurants include:

Legacy Restaurants are restaurants who have participated in DOFL for 5 or more years. Our Legacy Restaurants include:

Adobo Grill

Agio

Amici's
Arni's
Athens on 86th

Bazbeaux

Cafe Patachou

Downtown Olly's

English Ivy's

Greek Islands
Hellas

Iaria's Italian Restaurant

Marco's Restaurant and Lounge
Metro Nightclub & Restaurant
R bistro

Ralph's Great Divide

Santorini Greek Kitchen

Partner Restaurants are restaurants that donate 25% of their day's sales to The Damien Center. Our Partner Restaurantsinclude:

501 Eagle

Aesop's Tables
Agio
Amici's
Arni's - North
Arni's - South
Athens on 86th
Bazbeaux - Broad Ripple
Bazbeaux - Carmel
Bazbeaux - Downtown
Cafe Patachou - 49th and Penn
Cafe Patachou - River Crossing
Cafe Patachou - Carmel
Cafe Patachou - Downtown
Circle City Bar & Grill - Indy Mariott Downtown
Creation Cafe
English Ivy's
Euphoria
Greek Islands
Hellas
Henry's on East
Hoaglin To Go - Indiana History Center
Hoaglin To Go - Mass Ave
Hue Dine
Iaria's Italian Restaurant
Mama Carollas

Marco's Restaurant and Lounge
Mesh on Mass
Metro Nightclub & Restaurant
Puccini's Smiling Teeth - East 82nd
Puccini's Smiling Teeth - Fall Creek
R bistro
Ralph's Great Divide
Recess
Red Lion Grog House
Served
Square Rootz Deli

Tastings

The Legend Cafe

Food Pantry Update - January

The food pantry's meat stores have been depleted because of the holiday season. Donations of canned meat, especially beef and chicken, are needed. Other sources of protein are also welcome.

McNamara Cares

McNamara is partnering with the Damien Center through its McNamara Cares program. Whenever you buy flowers from McNamara, mention the code "Damien" for a portion of the proceeds from your sale to go to the Damien Center. This code works online or in any one of the seven McNamara stores. On wire-out orders, customers will also receive $5.00 off whenever they mention the code "Damien"