The steps to an AIDS-FREE Generation



At last years International AIDS Conference, which received little mainstream media coverage or commentary from our local ASO's; we Heralded the goal of an AIDS-Free Generation by 2015. A call went out to Re-Tool our ASO & CBO's to take full advantage of all the tools and resources that we know have available. This has always been the aspiration of The South Bank "HIVe", building a Diverse, Accepting, Loving & Supportive CommUNITY of Northern Kentuckians Living with and Affected by HIV to Support the Goals and Vision of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

"The United States will become a place where new HIV infections are rare snd when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, Free from Stigma and Discrimination."

"Magic" and I were both diagnosed the same year and, indeed; Advocacy & Awareness were high priorities back then. However, as more drugs were developed, Federal Funding became available and the Deaths slacked off, so did the concern for Adv...ocacy. Funding and staffing for Advocacy and broad based Public Community Education decreased and the focus was shifted to the Demographics and Communities perceived to be at the Highest Risk. Now, 30+ years into the Epidemic we know that HIV does not discriminate and ALL demographics are at Risk, yet funding and staffing for Public Education (a major component of 2010's National HIV/AIDS Strategy) have not matched the need and the ASO's (AIDS Service Organizations & Community Based Organizations or CBO's) that receive Ryan White Care Act Funding have had to concentrate their funding, staff and resources on providing direct programs and services to an ever increasing case load of those who are newly infected.  

 

"Friends of The HIVe" is a new Kentucky Non-Profit (501(c)3) being organized  to provide financial and volunteer support for that purpose. The NEW Face of HIV Awareness, "Mr Friendly" pins, as well as the programs, resources and training developed will be used to enhance our "AESOP Initiative". Minimum suggested donation for a pin and voting membership is $1.00, project volunteerism or an in-kind donation for a project or program. Membership shall be open to anyone regardless of regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socio-economic circumstance. Membership shall not be construed to indicate one's sexual orientation or HIV status.

30th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial

Sunday May 19th, 2013

Human Decency, Compassion or a Heart!?

I decided my life is worth saving and I'm taking the time to do so before I have to join the ranks of the Homeless. After all, I am not the villain in this Housing Horror Story. When I awoke to brisk winds, snow and 8 degree temp, I knew I made the right decision.
My Low-Income HOUSING Crisis & Landlord-Tenant Horror Story...
The Court Process & Settlement was a Win-Win: I have no problem with terminating the contract before the Lease Term ends and acknowledge the JOY that brings all Parties involved ;-)

Oh, do ask Cara. If I'd gotten my copies of Court & Settlement paperwork I'd know. A friend of mine said that if there was an eviction order I'd have gotten something directly in the mail!? I can deal with being homeless a bit, Vincent @ Welcome House has a lead and we have appt Monday at 2:00 pm; but not losing all my stuff...

From my Friend Farrah, a former City attorney who first recommended that I talk to her friend Cara at Legal AID months ago at a Bar Monet "DISH" Nite:
"I have been in communication with Cara & she told me pursuant to the terms of the agreement you formed with Dudley Properties they can file a writ of possession at any time after the date you were supposed to vacate. So, they can file it on Monday or any time thereafter. And when that happens, the landlord coordinates with the Sheriff's Dept to have a deputy sheriff come to your apartment & sit all of your things out on the curb. Cara said the Sheriff's Dept often times does these "sit outs" on Mondays. So, if there is any way possible for you to move out over the weekend, I highly advise you to do so. Best of luck. Farrah"

 

Well, allrighty then; that's what they have a right to and can do if it turns out they have no Human Decency, Compassion or a Heart!?

Thursday Jan 31st: At lunchtime, I gathered my strength and walked over to the office and asked myself. Dave the Property manager said it wasn't his decision but he'd make the request and get back to me in an hour. An hour or so later he called back and said he hadn't gotten a definitive answer yet but he'd let me know... BTW; this is not an Eviction, but rather a Court Settlement that allowed me to terminate the tenancy and find a new place, which I haven't been able to do...
To be clear, I AM NOT BEING EVICTED! I & & Cara, my LegalAID Attorney successfully fought that after I requested a Jury Trial and the Judge urged a settlement instead.
 

Paying It Forward, Daily; “Think of an idea to Change The World, And put it Into ACTION…”  "C+V=G" My 2010 Version The only promise I can safely make is: "That I will do my utmost to Live Up to My Mission and be Faithful to My Message and give it everything I've got... And then some!"

Mission Statement: "To use the rest of my life the best I can so that the people and places through which my journey leads me will remain a little bit better for me having passed their way..."

 

Interests: Empowering the People!

 

 

 



Those of y’all who have known me the longest understand my passion for My Mission. One of the things I’m Proud of is having established a Living Trust that has guided and supported my Life with HIV for the last ten years. I may not always succeed in my attempts to Educate about, Support and Advocate for My CommUNITY (as well as manage My HIVe’s Budget, LOL!); but I’ve done my best and haven’t given up. The People and Places through which My Journey has led me; have shared with, taught me and enriched it more than I can ever repay; Thanks Y’All.

YES! I Am…R-U-1-2 !?

 

Either write something worth reading

or do something worth writing.

--Ben Franklin

 "Are YOU A Reason, A Season, Or A LifeTime...?"

Pay attention to what you read. After you read this, you will know the reason it was sent to you! People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.When someone is in your life for a REASON. . . It is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are! They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and
force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.
Then people come into your life for a SEASON. Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons: things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life!!!

Michael

The Garden of Life

I think I'd like to be remembered as a "Johnny Appleseed" of The South Bank; planting, tending and nurturing seeds of HOPE along my journeys path... But, unlike Johnny and more like Jerry Baker, I care for a very diverse selection of seeds and seedlings...

 

Birthday & Launch of "The Friends of The HIVe"

The Loft Night Club

100 W.6th Street, Covington, Kentucky

 

Tuesday March 19th, @SoBankQueenBee is turning 58 & Launching "The Friends of The HIVe"! Along with the Mr Friendly Resources & Programs, we'll be the re-tooled, upgraded, NEW CommUNITY Face of HIV Awareness and Survivor's Support Services On The South Bank in Greater Cincinnati... I was thinking I'd just get some Happy Hour Snacks, a Cake and bring the Introductory Info, Membership Forms and Mr Friendly pins.    "I was reminded of it as I watched Tom Hanks' stunning performance in "Philadelphia" again last night. I was watching for two reasons - to remind myself of how it still really is out there, and to write down this passage: The Precedent:  "The Federal Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as a reference for this Supreme Court decision: "Subsequent decisions have held that AIDS is protected as a handicap under law not only because of the physical limitations it imposes, but because the prejudice surrounding AIDS exacts a social death which precedes the actual physical one. This is the essence of discrimination - formulating opinions about others not based on their individual merits but rather on their membership in a group with assumed characteristics."   In many ways, I consider that I died and have been a dead man walking since October 3, 1991. Most assuredly since October 10th, when Perkins learned my satus and "constructively discharged" me. Since then, I have tried my best to journey on with dignity, honesty and that conscious gratitude that every day is a gift, reaching out to something bigger than myself. It's been a very long and hard road to tow, but 2013 begins a new Odyssey: Toward an AIDS-Free Generation. I will strive to put the past in its place with forgiveness, shake of the shroud of societal death and Believe that I can run on....   My mission is to continue reaching out to something bigger than myself so that I may enhance all those pills, powders, and protein shakes; to live to tell as long as I am able and to share my experiences with any one who may benefit from what I've learned.   Best Regards! "Michael W. Connett, Grantor/Trustee The Michael W. Connett LIVING Trust Founder/Executive Director, The South Bank HIVe "I used to be afraid of dying, I'm not anymore. I'm more afraid of what happens to the people who live..." from "And The Band Played On" "HIV is something you live with every day for the rest of your life. You may never die of it, but you always die with it..."