CCA News
Team CCA Walks the Walk, Talks the Talk . . . One of Top 50 Fundraising Teams at AIDS Walk San Francisco 2011
Posted on Monday, July 18, 2011, by Jim Norrena
Team CCA Meets Goal, Places Among Top 50 Fundraising Teams!
California College of the Arts joined AIDS Walk San Francisco 2011 held in Golden Gate Park Sunday, July 17, which marked the 25th anniversary of the event. Team CCA exceeded its $5,000 fundraising goal by almost 20 percent, contributing $5,810 to the largest AIDS fundraising event in Northern California that attracts hundreds of thousands of donors from the Bay Area and across the country.
This year AIDS Walk San Francisco raised $3,011,245, which will be dispensed among local HIV prevention, testing, and care services of San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and 48 other Bay Area AIDS organizations.
“The funds raised by AIDS Walk San Francisco play a vital role in our efforts to radically reduce new HIV infections in San Francisco, ensure everybody knows their status, and make sure all people living with HIV/AIDS get the care they need,” said Neil Giuliano, CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “AIDS Walk San Francisco is about a community of people coming together not only to create something special, but also to make a substantial impact in the fight against HIV/AIDS across the Bay Area.”
CCA Support Through and Through
With 42 registered walkers, each averaging $137 in donations, Team CCA's fundraising efforts placed the college among the top 50 best fundraisers of more than 500 registered teams. See photos »
Thanks also to Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration David Kirshman and Director of Human Resources Sharyn Schneider who paved the way for the college to generously match registered walkers' funds up to $1,000, which served not only to motivate participation but also encouraged additional sponsorship support from among the staff, faculty, alumni, and student populations.
Among the many supporters (too many to list here!) were President Stephen Beal, Senior Vice President for Advancement Susan Avila, Vice President for Communications Chris Bliss, Communications Director Brenda Tucker, Director of Facilities and Operations Noah Bartlett, Visual Studies chair Maria Makela, Vivian Truong (BFA Photography 2011), students Rahul Desai and Tim Forest, and one of CCA's newest recruits, Scheduling Manager Randy King, who individually raised more than $1,100 and paraded proud as a peacock as one of the Star Walkers at the event. (Okay, as a fellow Star Walker, I paraded with him.)
Why Walk?
Out of sight, out of mind, right? Not true. Because of current budget cuts, now more than ever it's vital to support local HIV/AIDS programs and services throughout the Bay Area. One inspiring way CCA chose to increase its visibility among the various AIDS/HIV service organizations was to not only walk among other community builders, but also contribute monetarily to those services currently being challenged by budge cuts.
A Green Walk in the Park
Team CCA registered as a "green" participating team, which meant all information about the team, the Walk, and the team's fundraising efforts was communicated solely through email or website access. Read more about the college's ongoing commitment to sustainability.
Celebrity Sightings
The AIDS Walk’s opening ceremony featured Dan Ashley (ABC 7), Alan Cumming (The Good Wife), Cloris Leachman (Raising Hope), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), and Mary Birdsong and Judy Kaye (Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City) who performed "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "You’ll Never Walk Alone," respectively. See photos »
Elected officials in attendance included State Senator Mark Leno; San Francisco Supervisors David Chiu, Ross Mirkarimi, and Scott Wiener; and San Francisco Treasurer Jose Cisneros.
QSA at CCA
Team CCA was sponsored by the college's Queer/Straight Alliance, an undergraduate and graduate student leadership group whose mission is to provide a “safe space” where all individuals can be free of harassment, discrimination, isolation, judgment, or violence, or any combination thereof, that occurs because of who they are, and to raise public awareness through multiple perspectives about diverse issues surrounding CCA's LGBT community and beyond.
Contact qsa@cca.edu for additional information or visit QSA on Facebook. Also, learn more about CCA's student activities and leadership opportunities.
About AIDS Walk San Francisco
About AIDS Walk San Francisco: Since 1987, AIDS Walk San Francisco has raised more than $77 million for lifesaving HIV prevention, testing, and care programs and services, and has grown into the largest AIDS fundraising event in Northern California. AIDS Walk San Francisco has become a Bay Area tradition, bringing together tens of thousands of participants and volunteers; hundreds of corporate, community, and friends and family teams; and hundreds of thousands of donors from the Bay Area and across the country. This year’s event benefits San Francisco AIDS Foundation and 48 of other Bay Area AIDS service organizations. For more information, visit www.aidswalk.net/sanfran.
Related
See Team CCA (and the celebrities!) in action at the AIDS Walk »
Watch the AIDS Walk San Francisco 2011 promotional video »
Visual Artist Daniel Dallabrida's "Damage Is Done": A Call to Revisit AIDS Crisis Years