|
Volume X, Issue No.
3
April, 2004
HIV/AIDS Volunteer Enrichment Network
|
|
Volume X, Issue No.
3
April, 2004
HIV/AIDS Volunteer Enrichment Network
|
Ladies of Style And Excellence
Know How To Have Fun!
By
Tony Teano
Apple pie. Bingo. Cotton Candy. Those are a few of the A, B, C’s that the Delta Sigma Theta “sorors” (a short term encapsulating “sorority sisters”) thought of for the Carnivale held at John Wesley United Methodist Church in Glen Burnie on March 13, their international day of service. More than 30 members of the HAVEN community—staff, clients and volunteers—enjoyed those and even more great activities at Carnivale, such as: seated massage; hand massage and skin care; face painting; free books (I found one called “The Queen of Everything,” which I couldn’t resist!), line dancing, sand portraits, spin art, miniature golf, magic card tricks, Easter and Mother’s Day crafts, hot dogs, pop corn, sodas, pizza, live piano music, live poetry reading by the author (poem reprinted with permission in this newsletter), free groceries provided by Food Bank, free photographs and craft art frames you design yourself, and so much more!
On behalf of the entire HAVEN community, and in recognition of all the hard work of each soror from the North Arundel and Annapolis Alumnae chapters, I presented each chapter president with a small bouquet of white Shasta and red Gerber daisies (red and white being the DST’s colors). Everyone at Carnivale 2004 will long remember the joy that Delta Sigma Theta brought into their lives. One of the Delta’s t-shirts I saw at the event described the sorority as “Ladies of Style and Excellence,” and I personally couldn’t agree more. Thank you for bringing your sense of grace, fun, and style to us. Your hearts and hands, which are committed to excellence and inspired by spirituality and social justice, have made a significant contribution! Thank you very, very much!
HELP ME, RHONDA!
By Rhonda Vous
A. I think you are talking about YOGA AND MEDITATION, which BEGINS ON MARCH 24—the new group that Art Hansen and Bernadette Zorio are offering. All are welcome to join them in this 8 week session of Meditation, taught by Art Hansen, and Integrative Yoga Therapy, taught by Bernadette Zorio. This program is an opportunity to learn new skills in stress reduction and increase your body’s strength. The practice of Yoga facilitates the integration of body, mind and spirit. It has been proven to increase vitality and foster a sense of peace and calm along with many other benefits. So please consider spending the next 8 weeks getting yourself ready to spring forth and welcome the season of renewal and rebirth. The group will be gin at 7pm and last until 9:30pm. Sessions will be held at the Unitarian Universalist’s CHURCH building. Call Tony early to arrange transportation. Please contact Bernadette at 410-956-5969 if you plan to attend or if you have any questions. They request that you commit to the entire 8 week session. Please bring a Yoga mat or a towel or blanket. Bernadette sends a heart-felt “Nemaste.”
Black Professional Men PROGRAM
mentoring for young African-American Males 12-17. each 3rd sat. of the month 10:30am to 2PM. lunch provided. more
info? call 410-377-1023 or visit www.bpminc.org
The poem below was passed along by stellar volunteer Faye Butler, who is a News Room Super Star! Visit with the News Room Crew monthly to meet other super stars and share in their sage advice and witty bantering!
“This One’s For Girlfriends”
I
have a new delightful friend,
I am most in awe of her.
When we first met I was impressed,
By her bizarre behavior.
That day I had a date with friends,
We met to have some lunch.
Mae had come along with them,
All in all . . . a pleasant bunch.
When the menus were presented,
We ordered salads, sandwiches, and soups.
Except for Mae who circumvented,
And said, Ice Cream, please: two scoops.
I was not sure my ears heard right,
And the others were aghast.
Along with heated apple pie,
Mae added, completely unabashed.
We tried to act quite nonchalant,
As if people did this all the time.
But when our orders were brought out,
I did not enjoy mine.
I could not take my eyes off Mae,
As her pie a-la-mode went down.
The other ladies showed dismay,
They ate their lunches silently, and frowned.
Well, the next time I went out to eat,
I called and invited Mae.
My lunch contained white tuna meat,
She ordered a parfait.
I smiled when her dish I viewed,
And she asked if she amused me.
I answered, Yes, you do,
But also you confuse me.
How come you order rich desserts,
When I feel I must be sensible?
She laughed and said, with wanton mirth,
I am tasting all that's possible.
I try to eat the food I need,
And do the things I should.
But life's so short, my friend, indeed,
I hate missing out on something good.
This year I realized how old I was,
She grinned, I've not been this old before.
So, before I die, I've got to try,
Those things for years I had ignored.
I've not smelled all the flowers yet,
There's too many books I have not read.
There's more fudge sundaes to wolf down
And kites to be flown overhead.
There are many malls I have not shopped,
I've not laughed at all the jokes.
I've missed a lot of Broadway Hits,
And potato chips and cokes.
I want to wade again in water,
And feel ocean spray upon my face.
Sit in a country church once more,
And thank God for It's grace.
I want peanut butter every day,
Spread on my morning toast.
I want un-timed long-distance calls,
To the folks I love the most.
I've not cried at all the movies yet,
Nor walked in the morning rain.
I need to feel wind in my hair,
I want to fall in love again.
So, if I choose to have dessert,
Instead of having dinner.
Then should I die before night fall,
I'd say I died a winner.
Because I missed out on nothing,
I filled my heart's desire.
I had that final chocolate mousse,
Before my life expired.
With that, I called the waitress over,
I've changed my mind, it seems.
I said, I want what she is having,
Only add some more whipped-cream!
QUALITY OF LIFE RETREATS
By
Tony Teano
The Baltimore-Washington Conference of United Methodist Churches have been one of our strongest allies in the struggle against HIV/AIDS. They sponsor spiritual “Quality of Life Retreats,” which countless HAVEN PLWHAs have attended over the years. Raymond Shattuck is available to answer questions about the retreats (410-626-2834), or you may call the Retreat Director for the particular retreat in which you are interested attending. Retreat applications have been printed with this newsletter, and the calendar of retreat dates is printed on the application.
hAVEN Workshops:
The LABYRINTH &
THE 4 AGREEMENTS
By Tony Teano
Volunteer Extraordinaire Kim Watson and I are pleased to offer several workshops to the entire HAVEN community. The first workshop will be on the Labyrinth as a meditative and reflective tool. Each person has a unique set of circumstances and challenges, but we all share the common journey of life together. The labyrinth can be used for those who wish to celebrate (like the arrival of spring), to work through sorrow (such as grieving), to find acceptance and forgiveness (even from one’s-self!), and other purposes. The labyrinth is an intuitive tool, allowing each person to experience his or her own truth. Although large walking labyrinths are famous and we do have access to one if the group is interested, I also have smaller, hand-held labyrinths that we can use in smaller settings. No prior knowledge is necessary. Folks should wear comfortable clothing. More details will be available by the first week in April, so call then for the workshop date and to register for it. The workshop is open to the entire HAVEN community, and I am thinking of having it around Easter sometime in the evening.
The second workshop will be on the Four Agreements, Toltec (Mayan) transformational methods. This ancient wisdom will be presented by Kim Watson, and that workshop will probably be in May. Again, we are still working out the details—so call with your enthusiasm and let us know of your interest! The Four Agreements have been helpful to people in gaining clarity in life, increasing self-awareness, taking steps toward personal freedom, stopping your inner judge from ruling your life, among other things.
Call me at the office for more information on these exciting opportunities!
GAY PRIDE
By Tony Teano
Judy Garland’s birthday is a significant date in the Queer community. Do you know why?
No. It isn’t just because some of us like to dress in sequins and sing her ballads and torch songs. On her birthday, which is in June, police raided a New York City gay establishment, Stonewall (where, yes, there was some Judy Garland impersonating going on). At Stonewall, the patrons inside rebelled against the harassment and the history of police brutality against the gay community. “The Stonewall Revolution,” as it became to be known, was a significant event in American gay and lesbian experience, and June has emerged as a month replete with events marking the liberation.
I would like to hear from gay, lesbian, bisexual and friendly straight folks too about ways we can have our own Gay Pride event (s). Maybe a documentary movie night? Maybe a disco party? Let me know what you would like to do and we will plan something to honor it.
Won’t You Be My
NeighBor?
By Tony Teano
There are great resources among our neighbors in the area, in the city and in neighboring counties that folks here can take advantage of. The Professional Black Men’s mentoring program on this newsletter’s cover is one example. So are the Methodist-run Quality of Life Retreats. But I’d also like to mention several other programs you may benefit from. Let me know if you like this column and I’ll try to make it a regular one with new info!
FOODLINK: 410-222-7853. Annapolis-based, the mission of Food Link is to lead efforts in alleviating hunger in your community by linking vital resources to families and individuals in need. Surplus and excess foods such as produce, deli items, dairy products, cheese, meats and baked goods are rescued and donated by area grocers, restaurants, caterers , growers and individuals. Food Link organizes and facilitates the collection and distribution to recipient agencies directly to those in need. Also, the food link assists in holiday present drives FOOD LINK WAS CRITICAL TO GATHERING GIFTS FOR HAVEN’S HOLIDAY PARTY LAST YEAR! Other programs of theirs include Wholesale Produce, Retail Food Rescue, The Crisis Connection, and an Emergency Baby Pantry.
LESBIAN SERVICES PROGRAM: 202-939-1590. Based out of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, this active group of lesbians has exciting monthly programming. Metro Accessible.
GAY MENS GROUP: 410-837-2050. Located in the Mount Vernon part of Downtown Baltimore City,
Chase Brexton Health Services offers support groups for gay men at their bus
and light-rail accessible offices.
JACQUES INSTITUTE: 410-706-0150. A great, free program at the University of Maryland in downtown Baltimore City. The Jacques Institute meets twice a month, and it is a sort of town-hall forum where anyone can come to learn about HIV/AIDS—whether they are infected with the virus or affected by it. Many HIV+ people use this to augment their doctor’s visits to find out more about what is going on with treatments, etc., and how best to manage their illness. They meet once in the day (lunch provided) and once in the evening per month. The location is 725 West Lombard Street.
The Principle
This moving
poem was read by the author, Syreetta D. McArthur, at the Delta Sigma
Theta Carnivale on March 13th.
“Rita Dyan” has permitted it to be printed in our newsletter.
On this day we
united together
To light the
candle that defines our
Life
Burning brightly
like that Northern
Star indivisible
by faith and with
Every birth,
every breath every being
That continues
to ascend this power
Grows
And with this
power creativity
Positively flows
from these worlds
It is my
responsibility to bring together
My people
I am Mother
Earth Incarnate
My blood still
flows
Through the soil
my tears are
Still making the
cotton bloom
These eyes
watched as branches
Hung hoses ran
cars drag I am
Building this
American Nation from
A level of
destruction miseducation
Ghettotization
My determination
grows from a knowledge
Of self
knowledge of the black the red
The green and
the power it brings.
h.A.v.e.n. FRIENDS
is back on the
third thursday of the month. However, the
office is closed on the third thursday of the month until june. So how do we do this? if you need transportation, call the office
by noon on the wednesday before haven friends; if it slips your mind and you
call after that time, call vance at 410-672-7571.
By Tony Teano
April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month. Here is a poem by an unknown author dedicated to all our Rock Star status volunteers (and, you are all Rock Stars!).
“Volunteers”
Many will be shocked to find
When the day of judgment nears
That there’s a special place in heaven
Set aside for volunteers.
Furnished with big recliners,
Satin couches and footstools
Where there’s no committee chairman,
No eager team that needs a coach,
No bazaar and no bake sale.
There will be nothing to staple,
Not one thing to fold or mail.
Telephone lists will be outlawed,
But a finger snap will bring
Cool drinks and gourmet dinners,
And rare treats fit for a king.
You ask, “Who’ll serve these privileged few
And work for all their worth?”
Why, all those reaped the benefits
And not once volunteered on earth.
h.A.v.e.n.
Telephone Numbers
President of the Board of Directors
Bob Davis
(Reach through
Diane)
Executive Director
Diane Goforth
(410) 544-2244
Director of Volunteers & Client Services
Tony Teano
(410) 224-2437
Housing Director & Buddy Services
Coordinator
Vance Larson
(410) 672-7571
Our House Resident Manager
Sharon Dawson
(Reach through Vance or Diane)
Happy Volunteer Appreciation Month to
All of our Rock Star Volunteers!