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Angela Lucas, Rider #4446

Why We Ride

About AIDS - SF AIDS Foundation

On June 5th, 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta published a report detailing an outbreak of a rare form of cancer known as Kaposi's Sarcoma, which was affecting groups of previously healthy homosexual men in large metropolitan cities in the United States. In the following years, as hundreds, then thousands of individuals became sick with Kaposi's and other equally debilitating opportunistic infections that doctors couldn't cure, millions were then forced to grapple with fear and prejudice. While the politicians faltered in calming the fear; science faltered in finding cures and preventive medicine for this new epidemic called AIDS.

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About AIDS
AlDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, is caused by HIV disease--the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This virus, which is transmitted from one individual to another through the exchange of body fluids (such as blood or semen), attacks helpful white blood cells (called T4 lymphocytes), thereby causing the body to lose its capacity to ward off infection.

In the last seventeen years, the disease has killed over 390,692 men, women, and children in the United States alone--more than 6 times the number of people who perished in the Vietnam War. Though AIDS is a communicable disease, indiscriminately affecting people regardless of their race, age, gender, culture, or sexual orientation, gay men remain the group most impacted by the virus.

Today, 17 years after the first reports of the Kaposi's outbreak, much progress has been made in the medical field regarding the treatment of HIV. With the continuing development of protease inhibitors, people living with HIV and their friends and families have reason to hope the virus may eventually become manageable.

Although optimism is not uncalled for, it should not in any way deter from the fact there is much work left to be done. Across the country 40,000 people will be infected this year; 25% of the new infections will be among teenagers. Only 12% of Americans currently living with HIV are under a doctor's care. Of individuals receiving the latest drug therapies, 30% will not be able to tolerate them. Additionally, up to 50% may not find such therapies effective over the long term.

More people are living with AIDS than ever before and need care, treatment and support. Throughout the last 16 years, and up to the present day, one renowned agency has continued to be there, providing accessible, state-of-the-art AIDS services and resources. Not only has this organization helped bring AIDS care and education to literally hundreds of thousands of individuals throughout California, it also continues to serve as an inspirational model for countless other community-based social service agencies around the world: that agency is the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

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San Francisco AIDS Foundation
San Francisco AIDS Foundation is one of the nation's first AIDS service organizations. Founded in 1982, it is San Francisco's significant response to the pandemic. Now, in its 16th year, San Francisco AIDS Foundation remains at the forefront of the battle against HIV disease. Today, the AIDS Foundation sees more people than ever: gay and bisexual men of all colors; injection drug users, whether they are actively using or in recovery: lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual women; and transgender individuals. Its clients mirror the diverse faces of the epidemic. African American, Asian, Caucasian, Latino/a, Native American and Pacific Islander. Each person receives compassionate and respectful services from a dedicated staff of committed individuals.

The AIDS Foundation's array of programs and services are simply a means to one imperative end, the mission of the AIDS Foundation: to end the HIV pandemic and the human suffering caused by AIDS. As rapidly escalating caseloads and limited resources are striking the HIV/AIDS service community with unprecedented force, the AIDS Foundation's leadership, programs, and services are more vital than eve. The following is a summary of services and the people served by them.

HIV Services and Treatment Support
Thousands of people come through the AIDS Foundation's doors each year seeking help for a variety of challenges. Services provided include: HIV care coordination services, comprehensive housing programs, financial benefits and counseling, transportation and clothing, substance abuse and mental health counseling referrals, women's and family services, support groups in both English and Spanish, and specialized support services for people who speak Spanish.

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked,
in which you can walk with love and reverence.
- Henry David Thoreau