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World AIDS Day 2009

World AIDS Day 2009

Red Ribbon Firends has been working hard to raise money for Careteam since 2001. These funds come to Careteam in the form of a grant to be used specifically for gays and lesbians who are living with HIV in OUR community. Careteam received a check for $3,000 Saturday night! To date, Red Ribbon Firends, with the help of CLAWS has raised over $40,000 for Careteam. We appreciate your dedication to the HIV community and your vigilance in helping to stop the spread of this terrible disease through Prevention Education.

Don't stop spreading the word. Today, Prevention IS the only cure. Let's not wait for the medical cure, let's stop the spread of HIV today. People are listening. The time is right. You know how I know that? At 1:00 am in a bar full of partying people...everyone stopped what they were doing, stopped what they were saying, and took a full minute to silently remember the loved ones we've lost. When was the last time you saw that happen?

2009 5K RUn and AIDS Walk - Great success!

There were many very generous sponsors who helped us reach our goal. You can help me thank them by choosing to give them your business. Our Sponsors were: Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, Waccamaw Cardiology, Responsive Solutions, Red Ribbon Friends and Coastal Carolina OB/GYN. Some very generous friends included: Seaboard Signs who provided all of our signs and posters, Starbucks who provided coffee for volunteers and participants, Chris Rudisill Designs who provided our poster and shirt graphics, and Margaret Curry with New York Life who provided the sound system and music. Margaret Curry was also present providing free child ID cards for our younger participants. Life Line Chiropractic provided adjustments and chair massage for participants and donated 100% of those proceeds back to Careteam. Thank you to all of our Sponsors and Friends!

Thank you to all who gave very generously in this difficult economic time. We appreciate your support more than ever!

Careteam's 5K Run and AIDS Walk

Registration is available online at www.grandstrandrunner.com.
...or you can click on the poster on our home page for a link to their website.
Don't wait! The sooner you register the cheaper the fee.
Call your friends and start building teams!

We are really looking forward to the race this year. If you have questions call our office at 236-9000.

Can't wait to see you there!
Johanna

Recent HIV Testing at Time Out - TEST RESULTS

Thanks!
Johanna

Careteam is looking for Volunteers "old" and "new"

There are different volunteer opportunities available at Careteam. Some involve contact with our clients such as transporting our clients to medical appointments, other opportunities are more clerical and some are specific to our fundraising events. While Careteam does not have need for volunteers everyday, being able to call on help when we need it is important. Knowing this will help you decide what opportunities best fit your schedule. No amount of time is too small. Whether you help out every week or once every few months, we need you and we appreciate all that you do.

We are scheduling a new and refresher volunteer orientation in the next couple of weeks. Call Stevie Wyatt at 236-9000 today to be included. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

With great appreciation,

Johanna

2009 Dining With Friends a great success!

This year we had twelve host parties and three restaurants had special events to raise money. We had several new hosts join us: Mr. Issaac and Mrs. Tracy Bailey, Ms. Stevie Wyatt and Ms. Judy Douglas, Ms. Sandy Adams, Mr. Wayne Herndon and Dr. John Reilly, Rev. Tommy Tipton and, Rev. and Mrs. William McNeil. Thank you all. I hope your experience was a good one and that you will return to help us next year. Many thanks to our repeat hosts: Dr. Keith E. Wyche and Mr. Clark Vereen, Drs. Gordon, Hayes and Dulcos, Coastal Carolina OB-GYN Drs. Washington and Bozeman, South Strand Eye Associates Dr. Tully, Mr. Gene Broyles and Mrs. Danielle DelPercio, Mr. Keith Bowling and Mr. John Manley and, Mrs. Sandra Saunders and Mrs. Brenda Rosen. The Rainbow House contributed 10% from all food sales for the month of April. Liberty Steak House and Crady’s both hosted a special evening with 10% of proceeds going to Dining With Friends. A special thanks goes to the friends of our long time supporter, Dave Heckman of the Charleston Café who made contributions in his memory. We miss you Dave!

This year the Dining With Friends Committee added our “Guess Who’s Coming For Dinner...” Artist Auction. It was great fun, the art was incredible and it helped raise more money for the event. Thank you to each and every one who contributed plates for our auction: Lisa Blayton, Terry Brennan, Wendy Brennan, Lon Calhoun, Cathy Collins, Kim Dawn, Sarah Geriach, Christine Marie Giguere, Global Awareness Project, Sage Graham, Steven Haines, Robert Lukey, Renee Marie Noaell, Christy Lane Roberts, Robin Roberts, Chris Rudisill, Robert Sadlemire, Abby Sink, Rick Spivey, Tommy Starling, Bill Strydesky, Olivia Thompson, Veronica Walters, Alex Washington, the Cast and Crew of Sherlock Holmes and, the Cast and Crew of Jersey Boys.
Each year, Careteam honors the host(s) who raised the most money at their dinner party. Our 2009 Top Host Award went to Dr. Wyche and Mr. Vereen whose party raised over $7,000. Many of our host(s) hold “theme” dinners. The “Best Dressed” Award went to Mr. Ted Ross from Ms. Sandy Adams “Roman Empire” party.

Careteam took the opportunity at our After Party Celebration to honor some other very important people. Our 2009 Community Partner Award went to Dr. John Covington and Sexton Dental Clinic. We appreciate the many years of support and service you have given to Careteam and our clients. The 2009 Volunteer of the Year went to Chris Rudisill. Chris has worked tirelessly and without charge for the past several years creating all of our graphic designs for Dining With Friends and the AIDS Walk. We appreciate your generosity and for sharing your talent with us.
The 2009 Dining With Friends Committee, chaired by Jamey Sellars worked very hard this year. Committee members were: Chris Rudisill, Darrell Senter, Wayne Herndon, Gene Broyles and Danielle DelPercio. Producing an event like ours takes many months, weeks and hours. We so appreciate their time and commitment.

Thank you all! See you next year!

Johanna

Careteam Honored with Secretary of State’s Coveted 2008 Angels Award

“The Board of Directors and staff of Careteam are honored to be publically acknowledged by the public servants who monitor the effectiveness of charities,” said Keith E. Wyche, M.D., President of Careteam’s Board of Directors. “It takes a great team working diligently to ensure the best possible and most cost effective service. Our staff and Board work hard to ensure that our clients benefit from every dollar we receive. We are very proud to be receiving this prestigious award.”

Careteam’s compelling mission is to empower its community with the means to STOP the spread of HIV through Prevention, Education, Treatment and Support. To this end, Careteam has two primary goals, 1) to provide access to medical care and treatment for people living with HIV in Horry, Georgetown and Williamsburg Counties and 2) to provide free and confidential HIV testing and awareness education to those at risk for HIV disease. Last year, Careteam provided medical care and treatment for 500 people for less than $2,000 per person. “While eighty-six percent (86%) of Careteam’s $1 M budget comes from federal grants, this funding is not sufficient to ensure that everyone who needs medical treatment and support receives it,” said Johanna Haynes, Careteam’s CEO. “We depend on community support from individuals and private foundations to fill the gaps of insufficient federal funding.”

“Everyone is feeling the economic crunch today,” added Haynes. “Careteam expects budget cuts this year along with everyone else. We know there are many very deserving charities in our community who need financial support. We appreciate when donors choose Careteam and we don’t take it for granted. That is why we work hard to be good stewards of all contributions made to our organization.”

I want to thank our Board of Directors, dedicated staff and host of faithful volunteers for all the hard work you do for Careteam and for our clients every day. Today is your day. Congratulations!

Johanna

AIDS Walk 2008

There were many very generous sponsors this year who helped us reach our goal. You can help me thank them by choosing to give them business when you need their services. They are: Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, Responsive Solutions, Starbucks Coffee, Waccamaw Cardiology, CLAWS, Red Ribbon Friends, Bank of America, South Strand Eye Associates and Burroughs & Chapin. Seaboard Signs provided all of our signs and banners. Better Brands provided drinks. Surge Weekly Magazine provided our graphics and advertising. As always a special thanks to Alternatives News Magazine and GS Magazine for their advertsing supprt. Thank you again to all of our sponsors.

Last but certainly not least, thank you to all who came to walk, volunteer and raise money for this year's event. There are no words to express the gratitude we feel to each and every one of you. You are the reason we can continue the work that we do!

Sincerely,

Johanna

AIDS Walk 2008

Last year, Careteam raised over $15,000. $5,500 of that was raised by walkers on the day of the event. The rest was sponsorships and other donations received after the event. This year we want to double that amount and we can with just a little additional effort from each walkers. Here is how. Start building support for the walk right now. Whether you walk with a group or alone now is the time to start asking others to sponsor you on the walk. It's easy to do and a great way to increase the amount of money you help raise. If you have friends or family who can't walk this year, ask them to sponsor you to walk for them. If you have 10 people sponsor you for $10 each you've just raised $100 for the walk! Forming a team is another way to increase the amount of money you raise. Teams can be made of friends, family,church groups, work groups or social groups. If your church group has 20 people walking and each of them asks 10 people to sponsor their walk for $10 each, you've just raised the amount of money you helped raise from $100 to $2,000. You don't have to limit your sponsorships to $10 either. Ask people to give as much as they can. For some that will be $10. For others that could be $50 or more! Last year we had close to 150 people participate in the walk. We raised an average of $35 for each walker. If every walker gets 10 sponsors and brings at least two new walkers with you we could increase the amount raised by our walkers from $5,000 to $30,000. Easy!

So,start planning now. It's going to be our best AIDS Walk ever and you can help make that happen.

See you there!

Johanna

Dining With Friends 2008 a tremendous success!

Several party hosts had a friendly competition going on to see who could raise the most money. Everyone was trying to raise more than our Top Host last year, John covington and Robert Lukey. While John and Robert still hold the most money raised position our Top Hosts this year came very close. Congratulations and a very big THANK YOU goes to Gene Broyles and Danille DelPercio. Their party raised $9600!

Gene and Danille played a big part in helping us raise $50,000 this year. They worked hard, had fun and squeezed money from everyone they knew. They were not alone. We had Hosts from years past come back to Host again. We had new Hosts join us bringing new friends with them. Whether your party raised $90 or $9000, every party, every dollar, every supporter and every gift counted. We could not have done this without all of you. Thank you ALL!

As we wind down and rest up from this year's successful event its not too early to start planning for next year. Start compiling your guest list, planning your menu and mark your calendars now for April 25, 2009! We hope to see you all again next year!

Thankfully,

Johanna Haynes, Executive Director
Keith E. Wyche, President, Board of Directors
Sandra Saunders, DWF 2008 Committee, Careteam Board of Directors
Tim McGhee, DWF 2008 Committee
Jamey Sellars, DWF 2008 Committee
Gene Broyles, DWF 2008 Committee
Danielle Del Percio, DWF 2008 Committee
Chris Rudisill, DWF 2008 Committee

Dining With Friends 2008

Mark your calendars now for April 26th.

Over the past few years Careteam has experienced an incredible roller coaster ride of our federal funding. We have survived and we are wiser for the experience. The staff and Board of Directors have learned a very valuable lesson; we cannot depend solely on federal funding to take care of our clients. With that in mind we have initiated a challenging financial development goal. We expect that in five years 1/3 of our budget, $350,000 will come from fundraising events and annual giving programs. That is a tall order for a handful of faithful supporters. It is not so difficult for a community of supporters. The easiest way for our Dining With Friends event to raise more money is to have more parties. Last year, we had 13 parties and raised almost $44,000. You can do the math. Double the number of parties, double the amount we raise. The other way to increase the amount of money we raise is to increase the number of businesses who Sponsor the event. Please check out the Sponsorship Levels information included with this letter. If you own your business, consider Sponsoring Dining With Friends 2008. If you have friends who are business owners, please pass this opportunity along to them. We need your help today.

If you’ve hosted a party for us in the past you know how it works. If not, don’t worry. It’s easy; your friends, your home, your menu, followed by a fun filled After Party Celebration. We supply the party invitations for you to mail to your guest list. The invitation will let your friends know that this is a fundraising event for Careteam. You do not have to ask for money. If they are coming to your party they know they are being asked to contribute. It doesn’t matter if your party raises $300 or $10,000. Every party is important in helping us reach our goal.

Won’t you please join Careteam’s list of family and friends who participate in Dining With Friends 2008. Call our office today for details and to request your invitations. Thank you again for your faithful support.

Sincerely,

Johanna Haynes, Executive Director

You are our family!

This year Careteam served nearly 500 people living with HIV. For less than $2,000 per person, Careteam ensured that each one had access to medical care and treatment for their HIV Disease regardless of their ability to pay for that care. Over 240 of those clients had inadequate or no insurance coverage. For those clients, Careteam paid for their HIV Medical Care appointments, standard laboratory tests and medications that were not available from any other source. Over 200 people who were at risk for HIV infection received free and confidential testing. Over 800 people have received HIV education and counseling. Careteam has continued to build partnerships with local churches to help raise awareness of HIV in our African American communities and we have added new provider partnerships to help ensure that our clients get the best possible healthcare.

This year brought challenges as well. For fifteen long months, South Carolina had the longest AIDS Drug Assistance Program waiting list in the nation. At times this meant treatment delays for clients. This crisis created increased burden on case managers who were already strapped with large case loads due to funding cuts the year before and increased costs to Careteam who is responsible for purchasing medications while clients wait for drug assistance. At the same time, we were experiencing the largest federal funding shortage since the initiation of the Ryan White CARE Act in 1993. In May of this year, our state legislature came to the rescue and budgeted 3 million dollars for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Today we are happy to announce there is no ADAP waiting list for South Carolina. We cannot thank our local Representatives enough for hearing our need and responding so quickly.

While you celebrate the holidays please know that we are celebrating you. Your support is needed and very much appreciated. As you finalize your year-end gifts please think again of us. Thank you for all you do for Careteam and our community.

Happy Holidays!

Johanna Haynes

World AIDS Day 2007

This year, there are several groups hosting World AIDS Day activities. One event in particular that I want to point out is the Opening Ceremony for the AIDS Quilt at the Center Project, 12 noon on December 1st. The Red Ribbon Friends organization has paid to have several panels of the AIDS Quilt from Washington DC to be displayed here in Myrtle Beach. Seeing the panels, joining the ceremony is a very moving experience. I hope you will make a special effort to add to your World AIDS Day schedule a visit the Center Project from December 1st - 7th to experience the Quilt. This is an experience you won't want to miss.

Here is a list of other activities. We hope you will join us at one or more of these events.

November 29th
Coastal Carolina University HIV 101
12 noon
November 30th
Chesterfield Missionary Baptist Church Candle Light Vigil
6 pm Longs, SC
December 1st
Red Ribbon Friends hosts AIDS Quilt panels from Washington, DC
12 noon Opening Ceremonies 307 Hwy 15, Myrtle Beach
Nazareth AME Church Blessed to be Alive!
6 pm Choppee High School, Choppee Road, Georgetown
Red Ribbon Friends Candle Light Vigil
10 pm Town Square, Myrtle Beach

2007 AIDS Walk and Festival a great success!

Special thanks goes out to all of our volunteers, the students of HGTC Dental Hygeine school, the Conway Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, members of St. Michael Catholic Church's AIDS Ministry, and many others. We would also like to thank our local muscians who volunteered their time, Margaret Curry, Joe Moyer, Duke Tinnes, Acousitic Johnny, Houndog Hansen, Rachael Ayers, Gabby Rae and the Broadway Juniors. Last but certainly not least, please remember our sponsors with your patronage: Waccamaw Cardiology (although we do hope you won't ever need these guys!), Blue Cross Blue Sheild of SC, WFXB, Surge Magazine, GS Magazine, Alternatives News Magazine, Coastal Carolina OB/GYN, Responsive Solutions, Webster Trading Company, Keller Williams Realty, Starbucks and Pepsi.

Our AIDS Walk is an important event. It certainly raises money but most of all the AIDS Walk raises awareness about HIV in our community. That education is more important than anything. By educating our friends and family about the risks of HIV, we are saving lives.

Some really great news annouced at the event is that SC no longer has a waiting list for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Thanks to our state legislators and our US Representatives, increased funds have been made available for HIV care in our state. We are grateful and relieved. We also know from our experience last year that federal and state funding is not always guaranteed. With that in mind, Careteam will continue to seek financial support from our community to help decrease our reliance on federal and state dollars. In the mean time, are fulfilling our foremost goal of ensuring that everyone has access to HIV medical care and treatment and, we are doing that for less than $1800 per person, per year. Thanks to you and your continued financial support we will always meet this goal.

Again, on behalf of the staff and Board of Directors of Careteam, thank you very much for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Johanna Haynes, Executive Director

2007 AIDS Walk and Festival

Final plans are being made for our 2007 AIDS Walk and Festival! If you haven’t made plans to attend, mark your calendars now for September 22nd. We are excited to announce a new location for the event. We will be at Grand Park on Farrow Parkway (at the Old Air Force Base). Following the AIDS Walk we will be entertained by local artists who have graciously donated their time and performances for our Festival. Help us spread the word. Invite your friends, family and neighbors. You won’t want to miss this year’s event!

Call today and we'll register you and your team for the event and, send you Pledge Forms. As you ask people to Sponsor you for the AIDS Walk be sure to clearly print their names and addresses so that we can thank them for their donation. We recommend a $25 minimum in sponsorships for each Walker. Please bring your Pledge Forms and donations to the AIDS Walk registration at 9:00 am.

The schedule of the event is as follows:

Registration 9:00 am
AIDS Walk Begins 10:00 am
Concerts 11:30am – 2:30 pm

Some of the performers you will hear are Gabby Trails (you remember her from Dining With Friends), The Broadway Juniors (from Theater of the Republic), Rachael Ayers, Margaret Curry, Joe Moyer and Acoustic Johnny.

We will be selling Hot Dogs, Pepsi, Pop Corn and Sno-cones during the Concerts. There will be balloons and face painting for the kids. Bring your blankets and chairs.

Start collecting your Sponsorships! The 2007 AIDS Walk and Festival is just around the corner.

See you there,

Johanna

Special Recognition for our DWF 2007 Party Hosts

Many, many thanks to all of our Hosts for doing such a terrific job this year!

Each year, Careteam gives recognition to the "Host(s)" whose party raises the most money for the event. This year that award went to Mr. Robert Lukey and Dr. John Covington. Their party raised just under $10,000. Congratulations and thank you both very much! Mr. Lukey and Dr. Covington have been the receiptients of this award as co-host for serveral years running and we appreciate their continued support. This year they wanted to recognize one of our newest hosts for his very successful dinner, Mr. Jamey Sellers. In doing so they passed the "2007 Outstanding Host Award" to Mr. Sellers. Mr. Sellers was certainly well deserving with a party total of over $2300. Not bad at all for a first year! So, congratulations to Mr. Sellers and to all of our Host for a great year. Thank you all very much! We will continue work harding to be good stewards of the money you give and raise on behalf of Careteam and the clients we serve.

Dining With Friends a tremedous success....

Thank you again to everyone who made the event a great success. To our sponsors:

Waccamaw Cardiology, BlueCross/Blue Shield

Responsive Solutions, Red Ribbon Friends, Alternatives, GS Magazine, Gator 107.9, Easy 94.5, Traffic Patrol

Conway Emergency Group and Burroughs and Chapin

Many others helped supply products for the event:

Better Brands provided all of the beer, Pepsi Cola for the soft drinks and water, Starbucks for the great coffee, The Trestle for always doing a great job on our food

Theatre of the Republic for our decorations and outstanding performers, Dan Prince and Stevie Wyatt our bartenders, Tim McGhee, chair of the DWF Committee, our committe members and for all of our volunteers, with out whom we would still be decorating.....

Thank you all!

Dining With Friends April 28, 2007

We were lucky enough to secure the Old Train Depot in downtown Myrtle Beach for the After Party Celebration. If you haven't been to a party at the Old Train Depot get ready. We are going to have a blast! It is a great location and venue!

We will need to order invitations soon and need your requests. Call our office today to let us know you are going to be a Dining With Friends 2007 dinner party host! 236-9000.

So, fire up the grill, get your dancing shoes polished and get ready for the party of the year! Thank you for your support! I can't wait to see you all there!

Johanna

Dining With Friends 2007

It is time again to start finalizing our plans for Dining With Friends 2007! We are excited about this year’s event and look forward to seeing all of you there. The After Party Celebration was such a great success at the Myrtle Beach Train Depot last year that we have reserved it again for this year’s event.

Mark your calendars now for April 28th.

As we watch our federal funding decrease, fundraising has never been more important. Our goal this year is to book 20 host parties. If we do that, we can easily raise over $60,000! So, we need you to call today to book your party. Dining With Friends has always been a great party and lots of fun. It is also a very important fundraising event. Do your part to help Careteam. We need your support. Call us today at 236-9000.

It is so easy. If you’ve never had a party before, here’s how it works. Careteam will supply invitations for your party that explains what Careteam is and that your dinner is a fundraising party. You send the invitations to your guests and start planning dinner. It does not have to be expensive, there are no requirements. And, it is a whole lot of FUN! We all have friends and if you’re like me, when you visit with friends it usually involves food. So, really this isn’t anything that you wouldn’t normally do anyway. You get to visit with friends and this time, they get to make a tax deductible contribution to a deserving, hard working agency. We ask that if at all possible, every host have their party on April 28th because at 8:30 that evening all the hosts and their guest will meet at the Train Depot for our After Party Celebration. That is when we will tally all the contributions from all the host parties to see how much money was raised.

If you have hosted a party for us in the past, please host again this year. We need everyone’s help and that includes you! We must order our invitations in the next two weeks so don’t wait, call today! 236-9000

Thank you again for your help and we’ll see you at the Depot!

Johanna

Urgent...please contact your representatives today!

Having the funds to pay for a medical care visit doesn't mean much when we can't get the patient to the appointmnet. Tranpsortation is a HUGE issue.
South CArolina's AIDS Service ORganizations incurred major funding cuts this year because funds were mandated to shift to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. That may be a priority in other states but not SC. We are one of the few states that has an adequately funded AIDS Drug Assitance Program because of confidential testing from the onset of this disease. SC has no waiting list. No one in the state has been denied medical treatment for HIV or medications to treat this disease.

The third issue in South CArolina is health care disparity. The working poor do not go to the doctor until they MUST because they can't afford it. That is how they were raised. As soon as they feel better, they stop going to the doctor and they stop taking medications. Keeping these patients on their medical regimes is a difficult task. One which requires ongoing behind the scenes encouragement and support. Case managers get patients to medical appointments and then keep them there, not physicians.

If you are supporting this reauthorization of the CARE Act then you are listening to lobbyist from other parts of the country not your own state. We need you to listen to us. We are doing the work here and you are tying our hands.

Senator Lindsey Graham
290 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5972 phone

Senator Jim DeMint
340 Russell
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-6121
Fax: 202-228-5143
Office Hours:
9am - 6pm (M-F)

Thank you for taking time for this very important need today.

Johanna Haynes
Executive Director
Careteam, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC

Thank you for a successful Dining With Friends 2006

In case you were not there let me tell you what you missed. The fabulous Holly Hunt was our Master of Ceremony. Great job Holly! We had lots of delicious cakes, the best coffee, dancing (music by Mackel Hickman), silent auction and entertainment. The cast of "The Bee Hive", a recent theater production from the Theatre of the Republic in Conway performed twice during the evening melodies from the musical. If you missed the play you missed out. If you missed the play and your second chance to hear them during the After Party Celebration, you really missed out. They were terrific! We had art donated from some of our beloved local artists Kim Clayton, Lon Calhoun, Robert Sadlemire and long time supporter Robert Lukey. A good time was had by all!

Ok, here is where I really step out in faith to make sure I thank everyone who helped make this evening possible. I want to thank everyone who worked so hard from our sponsors to our volunteers. It takes a lot of work to make such a fun and successful evening possible and we had lots of help! Thank you, thank you. This year we also had more cash sponsors of the event than ever before. These wonderful supporters allowed us to come into the event debt free with several thousand dollars left over. That kind of help is so important and we thank you. Those cash sponsors were Waccamaw Cardiology, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of SC, Responsivce Solutions, Carolina First Bank,the Red Ribbon Friends, Roche Pharmaceuticals and Abbot Laboratories. Our advertising sponsors have been with us for years and we appreciate them as well. They help make sure that everyone knows when our events take place. Thank you GS Magazine, Alternatives News Magazine, Quantum Radio of Myrtle Beach, Easy 105.0/94.5, Cool 104.9/100.1 and Traffic Patrol. To our volunteers who supplied the man/woman power to set up and break down the event, the Red Ribbon Friends, CLAWS, (especially Tim McGhee and Charles Foster who strung all of those fabulous lights!)and many, many behind the scenes volunters, thank you. To the Trestle Bakery and Pastries who suplied the delicious cakes, to Personal Touch Floral and Gifts for the flowers, Star Bucks who supplied the coffee, Theatre of the Republic who supplied the talent for our show, Better Brands for the beer, Pepsi Cola Bottling Co. for the non-alcoholic drinks, and Seaboard Signs thank you.

This year Angelo's and Gator 107.9 (Quantum Radio of MB)partnered to sponsor an evening Dining With Friends event on Tuesday the 25th. Gator sold tickets and reservations over the air and Angelo's donated 100% of the dinner ticket cost to Careteam! Thank you Angelo Antonucci and Gator!

A very special thank you goes to the group of hosts this year who raised over $9700 at their party alone, John Covington, Robert Lukey, Joseph Foster, Clark Vereen and Brad Woodbury. And last but certainly not least, to the Careteam staff and Board of Directors, without whom none of this would be possible, and to our brave clients for whom this is all necessary, thank you.

I appoligize in advance for anyone who I have over looked. There were so many people who deserve recognition I could not have mentioned you all. Thank you!

Now, mark your calenders for Dining With Friends 2007, April 28th! Start planning your parties now!

Johanna

World AIDS Day December 1st Stop AIDS - Keep the Promise

LOCAL EVENTS

Coastal Carolina University Dec. 1st
Activities are being planned now for HIV education, testing and a memorial service. Please check back to see specific times and activities sponsored by the University.

St. Michael's Catholic Church Dec. 1st, 7pm
Located in Garden City, St. Micheal's Catholic Church AIDS Ministry is hosting an ecumentical memorial service and Candle Light Vigil at 7pm. Please feel free to join us in remembering those lost to this diease no matter your religious preference!

Red Ribbon Friends Dec 3rd, 10pm
Candle Light Vigil at Nance Plaza, downtown Myrtle Beach.

Red Ribbon Friends Dec 3rd, 11pm
Careteam benefit, Time Out Bar.

Bethel AME Church, Georgetown Dec 4th, 10am
Worship Service devoted to World AIDS Day.

Please do your best to attend at least one of the activities planned that help to remind us all of the loved ones we have lost and, that this epidemic is still a National Health Care crisis for us in the United States and right here at home.

In June, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Altanta released new data that estimates the number of people living in the United States with HIV has surpassed 1,000,000. So far 30 million people have died of AIDS in the two decades since the epidemic began and 40 million more people are currently infected.

To bring this number closer to home. The Waccamaw community of Horry, Georgetown, and Williamsburg counties has confirmed over 1,300 HIV positive residents.

The World AIDS Day Campaign seeks to raise awareness about, and help address, the many issues associated with HIV/AIDS. Please join our efforts.

DWF a tremendous success...thanks to YOU!

Congratulations to the Mad Hatter's Party hosted by Clark Vareen, Joseph Foster, John Covington and Robert Lukey, who won the trophy this year for party raising the most donations. They collected over $8500!

Those who attended our after party this year found out quickly that having the event at a "church" hall was not a problem in the least. In fact, we have had numerous requests to use that facility again. And, we will! I have posted some pictures of the event for those of you who attended to remember how much fun you had and, for those who didn't, to show what you missed. We hope you will join us again next year. Plans are already underway. And, as I promised at the event, DWF will be April 29th next year. No more back yard parties in August. Way too hot for that! The heat index for Saturday was over 110. Those of you who came and had fun anyway are certainly to be commended.

I ask now that you remember our Sponsors and special contributors this year and, thank them by patronizing their businesses. Thank you all again, our sponsors, donors, volunteers, staff and friends who gave so much to make this one of the best events so far.

Johanna