Board President's Message

Dear Friends, Donors, Supporters, Volunteers and Clients:

Each year, about 40,000 people continue to test positive for HIV infection.  In the past 25 years, how many tears have we shed, how many deaths have we mourned, how many futures have we seen denied, and how many lovers and friends have left us with their dreams not fully lived because of this deadly disease? An old saying goes "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Thus far, the only way to prevent infection by the HIV virus is to avoid behaviors that put one at risk of infection, such as sharing needles and having unprotected sex.  APAIT was founded nearly twenty years ago with the mission to prevent and reduce HIV infection among Asian and Pacific Islanders. Currently, our continuum of prevention programs include providing social outreach events, group educational sessions, support groups, and advocacy training to raise HIV awareness and to empower Asian Pacific men and women with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed choices regarding individual beliefs and behaviors to prevent HIV infection.  For those who are living with HIV/AIDS, our mental health services aims to alleviate or decrease the psychological impact associated with this disease.  These programs improve health outcomes and facilitate client self-sufficiency.  Through collaborations with other agencies and the hard work of our devoted staff, we have seen success. Today, the HIV infection rate remains relatively low in the Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

As AIDS evolves, new challenges have emerged.  Recently the public and government funding has been drastically reduced because of budget deficits and social policy changes.  We can now see the possibility of what can be done to overcome these challenges, but because of lack of funding, this potential cannot be achieved at this time.  Now more than ever, your support and donations are even more important to us. To continue to keep the infection rate low, we need funding to sustain our current strategy for advocacy programs, to expand our outreach efforts, and to maximize our legislative voice.  Please remember: in charity, there is no excess.  No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. 

2007 will mark APAIT's 20th anniversary. In 2007, let us raise additional resources for this meaningful organization so it can do more. Through it, let us continue to promote AIDS awareness so fewer people will be infected.  Through it, let us find more ways to give to people in need.  Let us also salute our volunteers and colleagues who have worked so tirelessly to help those who need our help.  Together, we can and will do more. We look forward to your participation and support in our up-coming events.  Thank you.

Thank you,
Laurent Sy
Board of Advisors President