If I Had a Million Dollars...I'd Ease the Pain of HIV/AIDS in Africa: A How-to Manual for Individuals and Groups Wishing to Make a Positive Response to the HIV/AIDS…

By Stephen Douglas

In Africa, every minute of every day, five people die of AIDS and nine more are newly infected.

In 2003, a group of like-minded, energetic people got together to actively motivate and inspire their community to help ease the pain of HIV/AIDS in Africa. This manual was produced by the residents of York Region, Ontario, who have come together to raise awareness and money. They chose the Stephen Lewis Foundation as the beneficiary of their efforts. Follow their story and watch how a spark can become an inferno. Their success can be your success.

This guide was written by Stephen Douglas on behalf of the York Region Committee in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Visit their web site at www.york4stephenlewis.ca for more information.

"The AIDS pandemic is the biggest, most monumental tragedy of our time. Even more tragic is the fact that it can be stopped, but hasn’t been. In Africa, communities have been shattered by HIV/AIDS. Here in Canada, our strong and caring communities have the power to ease the pain and suffering. Let’s unite our communities to help theirs."

- Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dundurn
• Release date: Sep 26, 2004
• ISBN: 9781554881963

Book preview

If I Had a Million Dollars — I’d ease the pain of HIV/AIDS in Africa:

A how-to manual for individuals and groups wishing to make a positive response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa.

Presented by

The York Region Committee in Support of the

Stephen Lewis Foundation

If I Had A Million Dollars Campaign

with the kind and

generous support of

Natural Heritage Books

Copyright © 2004 The York Region Committee in Support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation

All rights reserved. No portion of this book, with the exception of brief extracts for the purpose of literary or scholarly review, may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the publisher.

Published by Natural Heritage / Natural History Inc.

P.O. Box 95, Station O, Toronto, Ontario M4A 2M8

www.naturalheritagebooks.com

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Douglas, Stephen, 1963-

If I had a million dollars—I’d ease the pain of HIV/AIDS in Africa: a how-to manual for individuals and groups wishing to make a positive response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa / Stephen Douglas.

ISBN 1-897045-02-6

1. HIV infections—Africa. 2. AIDS (Disease)—Africa. 3. Stephen Lewis Foundation. 4. York Region Committee in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. 5. Fund raising—Case studies. I. York Region Committee in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation II. Title.

RA643.86.A35D68 2004          362.196’9792’0096          C2004-905732-4

Natural Heritage / Natural History Inc. acknowledges the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing programme. We acknowledge the support of the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Media Development Corporation’s Ontario Book Initiative. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Programme (BPIDP) and the Association for the Export of Canadian Books.

Ordering Information:

You can order your copy of I’d Ease The Pain by contacting the publisher, Natural Heritage Books, at 416-694-7907, or by visiting their website at www.naturalheritagebooks.com. An electronic version of the book is available on the committee website www.york4stephenlewis.ca. Please visit our website for more information.

This book was written to be shared, passed along to neighbours, circulated among association members and then donated to your local service group or helping agency. We’d like to encourage as many people as possible to use this information to motivate and inspire their communities and help ease the pain of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Design and Layout: Pierre Leclipteux

Cover Photo Credits: Jules, Nasa Earth Observatory

Printed in Canada by a generous Canadian printer who wishes to remain anonymous.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword — A Message from the Committee Co-Chairs

Introduction

The Face of HIV/AIDS in Africa—Quick Facts about HIV/AIDS

The Stephen Lewis Foundation

Meet the York Region Committee—Objectives and Goals

A Case Study… The York Region Committee Gives Birth to an Idea

The Spark That Ignites An Inferno

Legal Considerations

About York Region

Seed Money

Getting Patrons On Board

Meeting the Need—Getting Started in York Region

Community Action

Education

Garage Sales

Arts

Health

Service Groups

Government

Labour

Community

Business

Seniors/Volunteers

Youth

Seeds of Hope

Faith

Legal

Media

The Gala Dinner as Major Fund Raiser

When The Money Starts Rolling In

The Spark Becomes An Inferno

References… Relief Projects, Recipes, Resources

What’s Being Done to Ease The Pain of HIV/AIDS in Africa

Throw an African Dinner Party

Resources

Acknowledgements:

As you know, a great deal of time and effort goes into any awareness and fund raising campaign. There are a huge number of people involved with the York Region Committee in Support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation and our thanks go to those folks who gave so freely of their time and expertise.

Thanks to our esteemed Patrons;

Hon. Lincoln Alexander, P.C., C.C., O.Ont., Q.C. Hon. George Smitherman, Minister of Health, Ont. Bill Fisch, York Regional Chair and CEO Dr. Lorna R. Marsden, President, York University Steven Page of the Bare Naked Ladies

For the many hours of work, meetings, planning, phone calls, action and re-action, thank you to our Executive Committee members and extended committee volunteers;

Honorary Chair: Charles Beer Co-chairs: Mary Anna Beer and Steve Falk Chair Gala Dinner: Alan Wells Other members: Tessa Benn-ireland, Len Bulmer, Noel Cooper, Pam Cornelius, Cathy Gapp, Pam Gragtmans, Bunny Godman, Judy Gordon, Ken Hill, Carole Houlihan, Mari Iromoto, Marie Lauzier, Pierre Leclipteux, Kitty Molefe, Vusi Nkomo, Mbonella Phiri, David Savournin, Pattie Sullivan, Phil Tydeman, Philip Poole, and Robin Wardlaw.

Special thanks to Stephen Douglas who spent countless hours going over the details of the campaign, meeting with the committee and writing this manual. Stephen is an award-winning, Canadian journalist and author with a special interest in southern Africa.

Pierre Leclipteux, the graphic designer for all our campaign material, was cajoled, bullied, and caressed to meet our ridiculously short timelines for the production of this book. Your commitment and design sense are most noteworthy.

In large part, this book was made possible through donations from some very special people and we’d like to especially thank Natural Heritage Books.

We’d also like to extend a very warm thank you to Steven Page of the Bare Naked Ladies, who donated the use of their song, If I Had A Million Dollars for the campaign.

Our Thanks to these supporting companies and organisations:

(at time of printing)

The Aurora Lions Club for donating the hall for our seed money Feast and Dance

The Optimist Club of Aurora for a financial contribution to the Stephen Lewis Foundation

Marquee Productions, Aurora, for their co-sponsoring a night of Forever Plaid at the Newmarket Theatre

Rotary Club of Richmond Hill for allowing us to enter Africa Artwork in their TV Auction

The Mayor of the Town of Newmarket, Tom Taylor, for his support in planning and providing an excellent locale for our first information session - Breakfast of Champions

The Town of Richmond Hill for support in planning the 2nd Breakfast of Champions at Rouge Woods Community Centre

There are many more who have given us a kind and generous helping hand along the way. Please accept our thanks.

The Committee

Foreword — A message from the Committee Co-Chairs

The York Region Committee in Support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation was formed early in 2003 by a group of people who keenly felt the need to respond to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. We were a group from varied backgrounds. Some individuals had travelled to Africa and seen first-hand the tragic effects of HIV/AIDS on people’s lives. Others had read reports on Africa in the media such as those by Stephanie Nolen in the Globe and Mail. Still others had family members who had died of AIDS in Africa and were now struggling with the enormous issues of adopted children, their health and welfare from a distant