A look back at 2014 at The Damien Center

It's officially the last day of 2014, and we're officially running on adrenaline from all the exciting things that happened here over the past year! It was a busy one, and in the spirit of looking back in order to look forward, we put together this little Storify to help us out.

It's populated by photos from our Instagram, so if you like what you're seeing, hop on over and follow along for our 2015 adventures. Enjoy!

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!  

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!

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!

The Damien Center Honored with Grant Awards

The Damien Center relies on funding from many sources to provide the high quality programs and services that help us meet our mission.  In recent months we have received several grants from private foundations that will help us continue to improve our services and meet the needs of our clients. We have recently received notification of funding awards for three now positions that will expand our services to our HIV clients:

• Marion County Public Health Department has awarded The Damien Center through Ryan White funding a full-time Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counselor as well as a full-time Medical Case Manager.
• MAC AIDS Fund has awarded The Damien Center with a part-time Housing Case-manager.

In addition to these exciting new positions, The Damien Center was recently awarded the following grants:

• The Indianapolis Foundation, a CICF affiliate:  $40,000 for general operating support
• Christ Church Cathedral:  $10,000 for general operating support
• The Realtor Foundation – $3,500 to provide one transitional housing unit for the transgender population
• Canfield Memorial Trust - $1,500 to support Kids Club programming

We are grateful to these funders for recognizing the importance of supporting HIV/AIDS programs in our community and for their confidence in The Damien Center’s ability to provide these services.