Volunteer Opportunities for Western Connecticut

In partnership with United Way of Western Connecticut

Interfaith AIDS Ministry of Greater Danbury, Inc. (IAM) offers critical support services to families faced with the nutritional, physical and spiritual challenges of living with HIV/AIDS while providing vital education programs that respond to the greater community.

Description:
IAM's Direct Care Services Department provides essential services for people infected with/affected by HIV/AIDS. These services include food delivery, emotional support, and financial assistance to meet daily basic needs not covered by other agencies and coordination and service linkage with other service providers in the region. IAM operates the Living Pantry, the only food/personal care item pantry in the region that seeks to meet the specific nutrition needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and the only pantry that provides fresh foods and a nutritionist offering assessments, education and counseling to pantry recipients. The Living Pantry provides bi-weekly food pick-up (with extended service hours) and delivery services.

IAM's Education Department provides prevention training and resources targeted to youth in the Greater Danbury area. (IAM) Staff facilitates Red Cross certified trainings in area school classrooms (elementary through post graduate) and our award winning program Youth Reacting to AIDS (YRTA). YRTA is a peer education youth group, co-sponsored by the Western CT. Chapter of the American Red Cross. YRTA provides culturally competent peer AIDS education and coordinates community services and social events for people living with HIV/AIDS. In 1994, YRTA sponsored Connecticut's first youth-oriented, youth originated AIDS conference that celebrated its 11th anniversary last year with close to 200 attending.

IAMpowerment and Projeto VIHDA (Project Life) are innovative programs funded by the CT. Department of Public Health which seek to prevent HIV/AIDS in the Brazilian and Greater Danbury community through increased awareness, knowledge and empowerment to reduce risk. Danbury is home to the largest concentration of Brazilian immigrants and persons of Brazilian descent in all communities within the northeastern United States.

History:
Interfaith AIDS Ministry of Greater Danbury, Inc. is a (501-C-3) tax-exempt, non-profit United Way organization and is run predominately by volunteers. IAM's financial support comes from over 30 local congregations of various faith perspectives, individual donations through fund-raising events and our major-donor campaign, and from various grant sources.

Interfaith AIDS Ministry was formed in 1989, as a logical outgrowth of monthly prayer and healing services offering support for people affected by AIDS that were held at St. James' Episcopal Church in Danbury beginning in 1987. (Rev.) Carole Johansen was IAM's first director. Under her guidance, IAM developed strong pastoral and spiritual support in the community.

Lucille Donahue became IAM's second director. Chaplain Donohue developed the region's first formalized in-home assistance program for people living with AIDS in the form of IAM Care Teams, in April of 1990. Tom Nerney was IAM's third director. Under his leadership IAM began paving the way for United Way membership. A United Way grant allowed the hiring of IAM's first paid Care Team Coordinator, Martha Montana. Fred L Hammond, IAM's fourth director, achieved our full inclusion into the United Way. With the stabilization of funding sources, the Executive Director's position became a full time one.
In 1994, in conjunction with the Western Connecticut Chapter of American Red Cross, and (Danbury's) Wooster School, IAM helped form and co-sponsor Youth Reacting to AIDS (YRTA), a multi-high school youth group offering peer AIDS education and community service projects. This involvement led to IAM's co-sponsorship of Connecticut's first youth-oriented, youth-originated AIDS conference.

In 1995, IAM was awarded a Connecticut state grant to co-ordinate youth AIDS education with four of the region's youth service bureaus and YRTA. The awarding of this novel grant allowed the hiring of Tom Andrews and Edwin Rivera as our first Youth AIDS Educators. A second Youth AIDS Education Conference was held on World AIDS Day 1995 with over 100 of the region's youth in attendance.

Also in 1995, IAM was successful in securing funding to create a part time position for our second Care Team Coordinator, Ivana Butera. Under Ivana's direction, IAM was able to provide in-home, non-medical assistance to 19 people living with AIDS. All our programs combined allowed IAM to serve 59 people with AIDS in 1995.
In January 1996 IAM moved to new offices located at 155 Main Street, Danbury CT. On February 23rd, 1996 we held an open house, inviting the public to help us celebrate our new surroundings. At the open house, we presented our first COMPASSION AWARD; the recipient was Danbury Mayor Gene Eriquez.

During 1997, we moved further forward, expanding the scope of our service programs, and modestly adding to our office space to assist in meeting the increased demand for the food services program. A third Youth AIDS Education Conference was held at Western CT State University, drawing attendees from throughout the state. Our Second Compassion Award was presented to Saint James' Episcopal Church for its role as founder and early guiding influence, for the continued offering of their chapel for the monthly Prayer and Healing Services, and in thanks for having housed the ministry's office while we struggled hardest in those early years.

In July 2000, IAM moved to it present quarters at 46 Main Street in Danbury. Here we have better access to IAM's various program staff and to the Food Pantry.

In 2003, Interfaith served 64 people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. Our longest serving Executive Director, Fred Hammond, left IAM for Chicago in order to pursue further education which will culminate in his ordination as a Universalist Unitarian minister.

On March 1, 2004, IAM welcomed its fifth Executive Director, Melinda Storey, who comes to us from Madison, Wisconsin where she most recently served as Director of Wisconsin Interfaith in Action (WIFA) and Caregiver Program Specialist for the South Central Wisconsin Area Agency on Aging in Madison. Melinda has served as a Leadership Trainer for The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Communications Coordinator and Editor for the Wisconsin Council of Churches, and Program Director for older adult programs affiliated with the National Corporation for Community Service. She holds a master's degree in education and a bachelor's degree in public relations and economics. She has owned retail and consulting businesses. Storey is an avid volunteer and served as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children) in Madison.

IAM's Board of Directors are very active in fund-raising. Several events are held annually and are becoming more and more successful as the Board has been actively courting community participation.

Contact person: Lucy Clementi, Executive Director, (203) 748-4077, (email)
Office fax number: 203-748-2841

Address:

39 Rose Street Danbury, CT 06810 (See a map)

Directions:

If you are traveling by car from I-84. Go south on Main ST. untill you get to the Rail Road Tracks. Cross over the Tracks and take your next Right. That right is Rose ST. Continue down Rose ST. for. . . (more)   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Danbury, CT.,   Walk distance (in minutes): 5-10   Nearest Bus Stop: Kennedy Bus Stop, 1-5 minute walk