Agency Wide

Our first Step Up To The Plate fundraising campaign was successful. We are delighted to let you know that we surpassed our goal and raised over $5000!

We are heartened and touched by the response of our supporters – many of whom took the time to host a meal in their own homes. Others of you sent us a donation directly – and a big thank you for that.

The Nutrition Program here at AVI is a vital service for our clients and provides the only hot meal of the day for many of them. With funds raised through Step Up To The Plate we will be able to serve over 1000 meals over the winter – making a difference to the lives of some of Victoria’s most marginalised and at-risk citizens.

For more information about AVI's fundraising activities, call James Boxshall, Manager of Volunteer Services and Fund Development at (250) 384-2366 or james.boxshall@avi.org.

"Brave Hearts, Courageous Lives" was the theme of our AIDS Walk this year on Saturday, September 10, 2005. We gathered at the Legislature at 1:15 and walked by 1:30 pm. There was a MasquerAIDS street fair at Broad Street from 2pm - 6pm.

Prizes were given out for Top Fundraiser (individual and team)and for Best Costume (individual and team)

This jointly organized event was a fundraiser for AIDS Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island Persons Living with HIV/AIDS Society and
Victoria AIDS Resource & Community Service Society

Look for next years walk in September. Pledge forms will be available through AVI at 384-2366.

Hey join the guys at Serious Coffee at Blanshard and Fisgard from 6-8pm for our Tuesday nite gathering. At the moment we are trying to bring interesting books to share with each other. Look for the table with the sign with the pride flag on it or call captain for more info
384-2366.

Hey all you runners and walkers, if you want to raise funds for AIDS Vancouver Island and enjoy yourself on Canada Day, check out HBC Run for Canada at:
https://secure.hbcrunforcanada.ca/?did=6&lng=en

All money raised goes straight to AVI when you designate us as your organization of choice.

Any questions, call Kealey at 384-2366.

AVI is pleased to announce that we have hired Rayne Hartshorn as our new Queer Youth Community Development Worker. Rayne comes to us from a recent internship with the federal government. He has extensive experince with The SEXY Queer Youth Group for which he became the Peer Mentor. Rayne is also a member of the City of Victoria Youth Advisory Committee, bringing Victoria Youth issues to the attention of the City "Fathers and Mothers". Rayne also has passions for intensely radical drag, fiddling, writing and punk rock.

This is the new policy developed for the use of AVI's web site. Please have a read through and familiarize yourself with AVI's expectations for participation on our site.

Welcome to the AIDS Vancouver Island’s Internet site.

Welcome to the AIDS Vancouver Island (AVI) Forums. To participate in the AVI Forums you must agree to abide by some basic guidelines. Please note that these guidelines may be updated by AVI from time to time.

The main purpose of the forums is to share information related to HIV, AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and harm reduction, as well as the services provided by AVI. Questions, comments or feedback relating to AVI management, staff, Board of Directors or individual programs should be sent to the Executive Director (miki.hansen@avi.org).

Site participants cannot post material that is racist, sexist, homophobic, defamatory, illegal, harassing or threatening to others in nature. We expect forum participants to show respect for others, their views and opinions, even if you disagree with them.

Participants cannot advertise or solicit other members to buy, sell or peruse any products or services through these forums.

Participants cannot post, distribute or reproduce in any way any copyrighted material, trademarks, or other proprietary information without first obtaining written consent of the copyright holder, unless explicit permission is given through a Creative Commons copyright license.

The opinions posted on the AVI forums are solely those of their authors and AVI does not guarantee the accuracy, integrity, quality or completeness of any of the messages.

AVI reserves the right to monitor the forums to ensure adherence to these guidelines. AVI has the right to remove or edit any post and to disable user accounts when these guidelines are not adhered to.

Your right to privacy

AIDS Vancouver Island, (AVI) with reluctance, occasionally pulls inappropriate material from our site that it determines to be discriminatory or overly personal with respect to individuals.

AVI always leaves criticism up that is directed to the agency and its work for the purpose of fostering open dialogue and continually learning and improving the agency services.

When a person creates an account on this site you are given the opportunity to read the Terms and Conditions for the use of this site, which states our agency’s commitment to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy, unless harm is directed to a person or agency or when we believe in good faith that the law requires it.

People’s comments have clarified the need to be succinct about the policies for the use of this site. AVI is developing a policy for the use of this site that respects the rights of individuals. A posting, with details of this process, will go up within the next few weeks.

This is an image of Mount St. Helens, taken from the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The Observatory and VolcanoCam are located at an elevation of approximately 4,500 feet, about five miles from the volcano. You are looking approximately south-southeast across the North Fork Toutle River Valley.

This image automatically updates approximately every five minutes. Please make sure your web browser is not set to cache images or you may not see the updates when the web page refreshes

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/

"Give your kids a hug and don't let a day go by without telling them you love them." - Judy Shepard

Matthew Shepard Foundation

Matthew's Place

October 12th, 2004 is the sixth anniversary of my son Matthew's
murder. I quickly learned his violent death was a fairly common
occurrence. This realization prompted our family to create the
Matthew Shepard Foundation and do our part to create a more
respectful and caring culture free from hate. I have spent the past
five years traveling across the nation, speaking to over one million
people at schools, churches, corporations, anyone who will listen,
to try and stem the tide of hate that is eating away at the fabric
of our culture.

As we approach the anniversary, it is apparent that I need to
redouble my efforts to invoke a grassroots solution to this
problem. It is a solution that begins with families, educators,
clergy and our communities as a whole. To do this, I need your help.