FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, Dec. 9, 2016 – Each year, thousands of HIV-positive men, women and children walk through the doors of nonprofit organizations all over the country seeking assistance. Some may simply require bus passes to get them to their doctor appointments, while others may need medical care, food, clothing or shelter. As the holidays approach, increasing demands put pressure on many of these organizations. That’s where The Campbell Foundation has stepped in.

 

Since 1996, the Fort Lauderdale-based nonprofit has ended each year awarding grants to HIV/AIDS service organizations nationwide as a way of saying thank you for what they do for those impacted by the disease. It is what the foundation calls its “Holiday Hug.”

 

This year, the foundation is pleased to announce it is awarding $5,000 to 13 nonprofits for a total of $65,000. This brings the total funding to direct service organizations to more than $1.2 million.

 

“Although The Campbell Foundation’s mission is to fund researchers working on a cure for HIV/AIDS, along with the comorbidities associated with being HIV-positive, we also believe it is important to provide financial support to organizations that assist patients and their families year round,” said Campbell Foundation Trustee Bill Venuti. “At this time of the year nonprofit coffers are strained and we are happy to assist in helping to ease the financial burden.”

 

This year, The Campbell Foundation is providing each of the following with a $5,000 grant for operational expenses.

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• AIDS Service Association of Pinellas (ASAP)/Empath Health, St. Petersburg, Fla.

• Broward House, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

• Care Resource, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

• Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

• Comprehensive Care Center (NBHD), Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

• FoundCare, West Palm Beach, Fla.

• Latinos Salud, Wilton Manors, Fla.

• Legal Aid HIV/AIDS Law Project, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

• McGregor Clinic, Fort Myers, Fla.

• Poverello Center, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

• SunServe, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

• Tuesday’s Angels, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

• Robeson Health Care Corporation, Lumberton, N.C.

 

This year was particularly difficult for one of the grantees, Robeson Health Care Corporation in Lumberton, North Carolina, whose constituents were hit hard by Hurricane Matthew, leaving many of them homeless.

 

“The Robeson Health Care Ryan White Team would like to thank The Campbell Foundation for the true act of kindness shown to our patients during this Christmas season. The past couple months have been very difficult for many of us. Hurricane Matthew has changed many of our lives forever,” said Carla Monds, director of the Ryan White program.

 

Two other grantees are new to the foundation’s end-of-year program this year: SunServe and Legal Aid HIV/AIDS Law Project, both of which serve South Florida.

 

“Throughout SunServe’s history, no client has ever been turned away from mental health or psychiatric services because of inability to pay. This “Holiday Hug” allows us to provide mental healthcare to HIV clients who have barriers to care,” said SunServe Executive Director Mark Ketcham. “For those who may struggle with depression and anxiety, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time. This gift allows SunServe to put this holiday’s message into action; ‘We Help People.’”

 

Legal Aid Service of Broward County, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that provides specialized legal services to the Broward County low-income community. Its specialized programs have served HIV+ clients for more than 20 years.

 

“Unrestricted grants, such as those from The Campbell Foundation, are essential to provide dedicated outreach to this community that the firm has prioritized for more than two decades. In addition to outreach events, grant funds are used to provided direct client services that have been tailored to meet the specific legal needs that HIV+ clients tend to encounter,” said Kara Schickowski, staff attorney/project manager, HIV Law Project. “Legal Aid has noted a strong correlation between clients who have competent legal assistance to address their needs and their improved health outcomes – when a person is relieved from the burdensome stress of a legal problem, he or she is then able to focus on improving his or her overall physical and mental well-being.”

 

 

About The Campbell Foundation

 

The Campbell Foundation was established in 1995 by the late Richard Campbell Zahn as a private, independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting clinical, laboratory-based research into the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. It focuses its funding on supporting alternative, nontraditional avenues of research. In its 21st year, the Campbell Foundation has given away $10.4 million dollars, with about $1.2 million of that going to direct services.