NO/AIDS Task plans to reopen the offices at 2601 Tulane Ave and the CAN office at 507 Frenchmen St. on Monday Sept 8th.  

As of 5pm on Wednesday, September 3, 2008, Avita Drugs employees will be in Harahan to answer live phone calls on Thursday, September 4, 2008. We will be open with a limited staff on Friday, September 5, 2008.

If you need medication, please call the toll free number (1.888.792.8482) or our local number (504.737.4007) and Avita Drugs will work with local pharmacies and health care providers and organizations to ensure you are able to obtain your medication.

The news is reporting that the New Orleans Airport has reopened. The city of New Orleans has advised that people will be allowed to return to the city on Thursday, September 4, 2008. However, fuel stations are without fuel and possibly power. Please check your local news channels, with friends and family who may have stayed behind, and listen to local officials before attempting to return to your home or attempting to travel home.

You can watch CNN for up to the minute news coverage statewide. You can also log in to the following website for multiple news channel broadcasts at the same time:

Please check the Avita Drugs website for the most current updates.

 

Register today for the 2008 NO/AIDS Walk which will be held on Sunday September 14th in Audubon Park. You can either register and raise funds online or download the walk materials at the end of this post and fundraise offline.

This year we hope to raise $200,000 to assist those living with HIV/AIDS in Louisiana. Monies raised at the Walk go not only to helping the clients of NO/AIDS Task Force, but also to other AIDS Service Organizations in Louisiana through the Walk Share Grant Program. Qualifying AIDS Service Organizations can contact NO/AIDS at 504-821-2601 ext 218 or download the Walk Share Grant program application here.

Teams

Teams are the largest source of fundraising for the NO/AIDS Walk. So round up your friends, family and coworkers and form a team today! It's a great way to give back to the community while having fun at the same time. For businesses and organizations, teams are a great way to promote the work you do. We encourage you to carry a banner, wear company shirts, carry signs or even dress up in costume. With over 3,000 people in attendance, plus people and business along the uptown route, it's great advertising. Register your team online or by calling 504-821-2601 ext. 219.

Volunteering

The NO/AIDS Walk takes the efforts of literally thousands of people to be successful. We always need volunteers to help with our largest event of the year. We have positions for everything from pre-walk office volunteers to registration, course monitors and food service. If you'd like to lend a hand, download the Walk volunteer form at the end of this post. Don't forget, even though your volunteer assignment may prevent you from actually walking, that doesn't mean you can't fundraise too.

If you have any questions or need more information, don't hesitate to contact us:

• General Walk Info: 504-821-2601 or walk@noaidstf.org
• Teams: 504-821-2601 ext 229 or teams@noaidstf.org
• Volunteers: 504-821-2601 ext. 215 or doreent@noaidstf.org
• Sponshoships: 504-821-2601 ext 203 or heidin@noaidstf.org
• All Other Inquiries: 504-821-2601 ext 218 or tjr@noaidstf.org

NO/AIDS Walk Downloads:

• Walk Sponsor Form
• NO/AIDS Walk Route Map
• NO/AIDS Walk Volunteer Form
• Team Registration Form

 read more

The annual Empowerment conference will be held August 29, 2008, at the New Orleans Marriott at the Convention Center, located at 859 Convention Center Blvd. This free educational conference, designed for consumers and providers, has helped to bring the latest information on HIV/AIDS to our community for over 10 years. Following last year’s success, there will be a social for people living with HIV/AIDS after Empowerment from 3:30-4:30 p.m..

The conference features 14 presentations with over 18 presenters. This year we will have two keynote speakers. Rodney Goodie will present A Transformative Agent during the opening session, and Cynthia Rogers will speak on Adherence during our lunch plenary. Some of the local speakers include: Dr. Wilcox presenting Body Shape Changes & HIV, Dr. David Mushatt presenting, A Partnership for Life (doctor/patient relationship), Dielda Robertson presenting, Living with your Liver and many more great topics. There will also be a Latino track where 2 presentations will be presented in Spanish, including Listening to Louisiana Latino Voices, presented by Mark Giancola and Erika Sugimori. Also present will be over 15 vendors sharing information about their products/services.

Registration begins at 8:00 am with the conference starting at 8:45 am – ending with the reception from 3:30 pm until 4:30 pm for HIV positive people only. Special room rates are being offered by the hotel for August 28th and 29th. For more information on room rates or to make a reservation please call the New Orleans Marriott at the Convention Center directly at (504) 613-2888. Remember to mention Empowerment.

To find out more about the conference, please call Lisa Breland at 821-2601, ext. 209 or Brian Shearer at ext. 233.

Download the registration form 

This year’s Saints and Sinners Literary Festival is shaping up to be the best ever! From Thursday, May 8, through Sunday, May 11th, we are turning up the heat in the French Quarter for GLBT writers and readers!

The festival unofficially opens on Thursday, May 8th, with “Read Me Something Mister” at the W Hotel French Quarter, when some of the festival’s visiting literary luminaries read from works by their favorite New Orleans authors. Tickets to this event are $25 and can be purchased at www.sasfest.org. On Friday the festival officially begins with this years master class series which include:

• Mark Doty: Memoirs
• Stephen McCauley: Characters that Live and Breathe
• Val McDermid: From Idea to Finished Book
• Dorothy Allison: A Conversation on the Writing Life
• Jim Grimsley: Fixing That Problem Manuscript
• Michelle Tea: Unconventional Ways to Promote Your Book
• Aaron Hamburger: The Importance of Setting

We’ll welcome everyone to the festival Friday evening with a *censored*tail reception. Saturday and Sunday will be filled with a variety of panel discussions with topics ranging from publication issues, marketing, erotica, memoirs and even journalism. There will be something for everyone at the Sixth Annual Saints & Sinners.

In addition to the classes, discussions and reading series, there will also be some theater featured at this years event. “Us,” Tim Miller’s one-man, one-night show that occurs on Saturday, May 10th, at the Marigny Theater, ricochets between Miller’s love affair with Broadway musicals to an exploration of gay marriage, exile and the injustices lesbian and gay people face in the good ol' USA.

A Day Without Sunshine is a new solo performance by Elizabeth Whitney and directed by Mark Finley. The show explores recent histories of “family values” with a specific focus on pageant queen, singer, and orange juice spokesperson turned virulent anti-gay activist

For the full Saints and Sinners schedule and to register online, check out sasfest.org.

 

Once again, volunteers contributed to another great event. Art Against AIDS, 2007 was a huge success. Our valued volunteers assisted in guaranteeing that everyone had a good time.

We are now in the planning stages for our 6th annual Saints & Sinners Literary Fest, May 8 - 11, 2008. Authors from across the country come to New Orleans to help NO/AIDS Task Force raise money through master classes, readings and other activities geared towards exploring lesbian and gay literature. We are looking for volunteers to help with set-up, registration, room and session monitoring and a host of other duties. Interested parties can contact Doreen at (504) 821-2601 ext. 215 or doreent@noaidstf.org to sign up or visit www.sasfest.org for additional information and a fullschedule for the event.  

Toby Lefort is holding his annual crawfish boil fundraiser to benefit his team for the NO/AIDS Walk on Sunday, April 27th, from 3pm until the crawfish are gone! The boil will take place at the Four Seasons Lounge in Metairie at 3229 N Causeway Blvd (MAP). It's only $10.00 all you can eat and all the proceeds benefit the NO/AIDS Walk. 

NO/AIDS Task Force is offering a free AIDS Awareness and Volunteer Training workshop on Saturday February 23 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The training will be held at NO/AIDS Task Force's main offices at 2601 Tulane Ave., 5th floor (map) .

Topics to be covered include medical and psychosocial aspects of HIV/AIDS, peer support, infected/affected issues, risk reduction, and more. This training is a great opportunity if you need to brush up on your HIV knowledge and it will also make you eligible for a wide range of volunteer opportunities with NO/AIDS Task Force.

Space is limited, so to reserve your spot, contact Doreen Tollerson at doreent@noaidstf.org or by phone at 504-821-2601 ext. 215.

 

2008 marks the 25th anniversary of NO/AIDS Task Force. The agency was officially formed in October of 1983. To commemorate 25 years of service to the community, NO/AIDS will be kicking off a year-long campaign highlighting the agency's past work as well as our future direction. Make sure you mark your calendars for this year's events as they promise to be big:

• Saints & Sinners Literary Festival - May 8 - 11
• Dining Out For Life - July 16
• NO/AIDS Walk - September 14
• Art Against AIDS - December 6

In addition, NO/AIDS is planning a number of events specifically to commemorate our 25th Anniversary, so be sure to check back as things develop. 

NO/AIDS now has a Myspace page. Feel free to to add us as a friend to keep abreast of all the NO/AIDS activities.