The Campbell Foundation awards grants to organizations providing services for people with HIV/AIDS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PRURGENT
The holidays can be a difficult time for many nonprofit organizations serving the HIV/AIDS community. Demand for services often increase at this time of the year for everything from a hot meal to medication to health services.
That’s why each year since 1996, The Campbell Foundation, which funds HIV/AIDS research, offers HIV/AIDS service organizations a “Holiday Hug” in the form of a non-restricted donation. That means the money we give can be used in any way that organization sees fit. This year, the foundation awarded 11 Florida organizations a total of $25,000, some of which will be matched through funds obtained during the Florida AIDS walk.
At Care Resource, which has locations in Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale, CEO Rick Siclari says: “This donation supports accessible, high quality, comprehensive primary care for vulnerable and underserved populations in our South Florida community.” While at Latinos Salud, which has locations in Miami, Miami Beach and Wilton Manors, Executive Director Stephen Fallon says: “With the Campbell Foundation’s support, we can take our outreach van out to more locations, conduct more special events, and generally help more community members stay safe from, or live healthier with, HIV.”
Other grant recipients include:
• A.H. of Monroe County
• Broward House
• Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center
• Comprehensive Care Clinic/Broward Health
• FoundCare
• Legal Aid of Broward County
• McGregor Clinic
• Poverello Center
• SunServe
Although funding cure research is The Campbell Foundation’s primary mission, we also recognize how important it is to assist those who are living with the disease.
“As we know cure research is ongoing and often we don’t hear about results for months and sometimes years. Giving out our ‘Holiday Hugs’ each year lets us see the tangible difference that can be made in a short period of time,” says The Campbell Foundation’s Executive Director Ken Rapkin.
Scott Pridgen, Executive Director and CEO of A.H. of Monroe County, says the funding will be used to provide 100 clients a $25 food voucher to ensure they have the ingredients needed for Christmas dinner.
Kara Schickowski, a staff attorney at Legal Aid of Broward County, notes how difficult it can be in a competitive environment to obtain funding.
“Being remembered by The Campbell Foundation again this year is really uplifting, on a personal level! It reminds me that we have support in the community and the work we do here at Legal Aid for people living and thriving with HIV is recognized,” says Schickowski.
As The Campbell Foundation prepares to celebrate its 25th Anniversary in February, we look forward to continuing our mission of funding HIV/AIDS research as well as helping those in the community who, every day of every week, provide much-needed services to those living with the disease.
“Because of the Campbell Foundation’s continuous support, families living with HIV will have their needs met. Emergency assistance, medications, access to care, etc., are just a few ways the center uses the Holiday Hug funds. Our families know they are not forgotten and that The Campbell Foundation is a change agent for good,” says Ana Calderon Randazzo, Executive Director of the Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center.
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. As the Campbell Foundation prepares to celebrate its 25th year, it has given away more than $11 million dollars, with nearly $1.3 million of that going to direct services. | 
