Of the myriad LGBT community service groups based in New York, many of them specialize in fighting HIV/AIDS and assisting residents living with the illness. Here are a few of those organizations that deserve your commitment.
•   Braking the Cycle
For the athletically inclined, the three-day bicycling event Braking the Cycle raises money for HIV/AIDS services at the Center. A sizable crew also supports the ride.
•   Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Through Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the American theater community has raised more than $175 million for services for people HIV/AIDs and HIV-related issues. It distributes that money in two ways: through five programs of The Actors’ Fund, and through a National Grants Program that awards funds to AIDS and family-service organizations nationwide. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS must raise every dollar of its philanthropic budget, and so the group has resorted to several creative ways to ignite donors’ generosity, such as giving benefit performances and creating an online tool that allows individuals to take part in fundraising.
•   CHAMP
Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project works in communities experiencing high rates of HIV/AIDS infection, and broaches the causes of epidemic in these places, such as poverty, homophobia, and imprisonment. By focusing on marginalized groups and social justice, CHAMP most notably advocates for prevention and prevention research.
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•   GMHC
Founded in 1981, GMHC is the world’s first provider of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy. The group offers free HIV testing and other education opportunities, physical and mental healthcare, legal aid, and job-placement services. Equally important, GMHC is evolving quickly to accommodate shifting behaviors and opinions about HIV/AIDS, including the rise of crystal meth and diminishing awareness of risk. The group is supported by donors, volunteers, and advocates.
•   Housing Works
Housing Works is the largest community-based and minority-controlled AIDS service organization in the United States. For 20 years it has provided housing, meals, medical and mental healthcare, job training, drug treatment, HIV prevention education, and social support to more than 20,000 homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. Housing Works’ social-enterprise business pay for those services, and provide jobs to job-training graduates -- among them is its chain of Housing Works Thift Shops, whose upscale clothes and furnishings are available for purchase in person or by online auction. So besides donating or volunteering, consider shopping for a good cause.
•   Braking the Cycle
For the athletically inclined, the three-day bicycling event Braking the Cycle raises money for HIV/AIDS services at the Center. A sizable crew also supports the ride.
•   Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Through Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the American theater community has raised more than $175 million for services for people HIV/AIDs and HIV-related issues. It distributes that money in two ways: through five programs of The Actors’ Fund, and through a National Grants Program that awards funds to AIDS and family-service organizations nationwide. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS must raise every dollar of its philanthropic budget, and so the group has resorted to several creative ways to ignite donors’ generosity, such as giving benefit performances and creating an online tool that allows individuals to take part in fundraising.
•   CHAMP
Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project works in communities experiencing high rates of HIV/AIDS infection, and broaches the causes of epidemic in these places, such as poverty, homophobia, and imprisonment. By focusing on marginalized groups and social justice, CHAMP most notably advocates for prevention and prevention research.
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•   GMHC
Founded in 1981, GMHC is the world’s first provider of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy. The group offers free HIV testing and other education opportunities, physical and mental healthcare, legal aid, and job-placement services. Equally important, GMHC is evolving quickly to accommodate shifting behaviors and opinions about HIV/AIDS, including the rise of crystal meth and diminishing awareness of risk. The group is supported by donors, volunteers, and advocates.
•   Housing Works
Housing Works is the largest community-based and minority-controlled AIDS service organization in the United States. For 20 years it has provided housing, meals, medical and mental healthcare, job training, drug treatment, HIV prevention education, and social support to more than 20,000 homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. Housing Works’ social-enterprise business pay for those services, and provide jobs to job-training graduates -- among them is its chain of Housing Works Thift Shops, whose upscale clothes and furnishings are available for purchase in person or by online auction. So besides donating or volunteering, consider shopping for a good cause.