Dear Friend,

One fact that greets us each morning when we walk through the doors at the Alliance is that the generosity of our donors allows us to provide enhanced services to the thousands of individuals whom we serve.

Last year, through your unselfish support of the Alliance, you affirmed that together we can—and will—make a difference. Our staff, volunteers and supporters have much to be proud of. In spite of a difficult economy, we served those in need of direct client services, testing services and prevention education with compassion and care.

With your support in 2011, the Alliance:

• Reached 2,089 individuals through our education and outreach efforts, and directly served more than 2,000 clients living with HIV and AIDS;
• Provided more than 12,000 individual direct services to our clients, including mental health counseling, pastoral care, case management and housing support;
• Conducted 1,889 HIV and STD tests; and
• Expanded our prevention services to include immediate treatment for specific STD infections.

Despite state and federal budget cuts, we advocated for the programs that were mission critical, stayed focused on our work and committed ourselves to the clients. We tightened our belt and set our mind to service.  In addition, we started working internally to examine every expense not directly related to client care with the goal of lowering it while not affecting services to clients or negatively impacting our staff. The outcome of the goal resulted in lowering costs for phone services, reducing expenses to process donations by credit cards, banking fees, along with many others. We will continue this work well into the New Year. While much of the work we do is funded by grants and special events like Drag Bingo, AIDSWALK&RIDE and Works of HeArt, a significant amount of our operating budget comes from you, through direct, tax deductible  donations.

This is why we ask for your help today. We hope you will consider a gift of:

• $400, which covers the cost of HIV and STD tests for three individuals;
• $200, which keeps the lights on in our Durham office for two weeks;
• $100, which helps stock our food pantry with nutritious meals for 40 ($2.50/client); or
• A regular, monthly donation (via credit card) as a Circle of Life member.

We anticipate an increase in the need for our services in 2012 as HIV infections in North Carolina continue to rise. Will you help us serve this increased demand? Every contribution, small or large, makes a difference in the lives of people right here in our community. In 2012 our goals are to expand our services to include onsite access to primary care for those in need; conduct a comprehensive community-based needs assessment to identify emerging and unmet needs; and focus on the mission of the Alliance in order to fulfill the needs of the community.

Please help the Alliance of AIDS Services - Carolina with a gift that will make a real difference. As always at the Alliance, we remember those lost, those living, and those we must protect.