Becoming Charitable
I did some research and found a charity that I wanted to volunteer with – the Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry. I actually worked with them last year; I adopted a family through them for Christmas. I talked to some representatives from the agency at the Arlington County Fair this year and decided to look into what programs them have. I’m applying for their mentor program but I also offered to help out with their other programs, as well.
The mentoring thing makes sense. It’s a good use of my time. I could go two ways. On one hand, I’m a mathematician by day. I have a Masters. I could easily work with a kid that likes science or math, no problem. On the other hand, I’m a comic book and graphic novel editor by night. A pretty successful editor, too, I’d say. I could help a kid that likes to write and/or draw. Take him (or her) to the comic shop, go to museums, and maybe make a mini comic. The latter sounds like more fun, but the former would be more practical. Let’s face it, I’d love to quit my day job but I don’t see it happening anytime soon…
Anyway, NOVAM is just a perfect fit. I’ve had quite a bit of experience with HIV and AIDS before. There were two early deaths in my family – one that I actually just found out about recently, my Uncle’s sister. I was young when she died, however, and the disease was new so it makes sense that I didn’t know the full story until now. I learned a distant cousin died from HIV-related complications after-the-fact, as well, and even then it was very hush-hush in the family.
My cousin Steven was the first one that we rallied behind, as a family. I was sixteen at the time, he was eleven. He received a bad blood transfusion as a kid that came back in a bad way. We had about six months with him before he passed on and we tried our hardest to make it a good six months. He got to meet his hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger – I really couldn’t top that. I mainly brought him comics and I was there for his brother RJ all the way, I think he appreciated that. He was such a loving kid – loved his family so much. His love was infectious – we pulled ourselves closer. It’s kind of amazing how something so tragic could bring the whole family together like it did.
My Uncle Alex also died from HIV-related complications. He was a heroine user when he was younger but he moved out to Arizona, got cleaned up, started a family, and became the very definition of a Good Man. His past caught up with him, however. It wasn’t fair at all. I didn’t know it was HIV until after he died. I was so upset that no-one told me until I realized that hardly anyone knew. My dad, I believe, was the only one of his siblings to know. My dad told me Uncle Alex didn’t want anyone to know unless they asked. He didn’t want anyone to worry about him. Everyone knows the life he lived, if they really wanted to know about his disease they’d ask. It was such a powerful thing – realizing that someone would be so selfless that he’d voluntarily live with an awful illness and not let anyone else shoulder some of his grief. I try to get sympathy when I have a cold, I couldn’t even fathom my uncle’s decision (but I could certainly appreciate it).
I did some AIDS-oriented volunteering in college. I worked in a soup kitchen for individuals infected with HIV. I also volunteered for an HIV-centric “Meals on Wheels” program. A couple of AIDS walks and then last year with NOVAM. But, as discussed in my last post, it’s time to do more. I really hope it works out.
The mentoring thing makes sense. It’s a good use of my time. I could go two ways. On one hand, I’m a mathematician by day. I have a Masters. I could easily work with a kid that likes science or math, no problem. On the other hand, I’m a comic book and graphic novel editor by night. A pretty successful editor, too, I’d say. I could help a kid that likes to write and/or draw. Take him (or her) to the comic shop, go to museums, and maybe make a mini comic. The latter sounds like more fun, but the former would be more practical. Let’s face it, I’d love to quit my day job but I don’t see it happening anytime soon…
Anyway, NOVAM is just a perfect fit. I’ve had quite a bit of experience with HIV and AIDS before. There were two early deaths in my family – one that I actually just found out about recently, my Uncle’s sister. I was young when she died, however, and the disease was new so it makes sense that I didn’t know the full story until now. I learned a distant cousin died from HIV-related complications after-the-fact, as well, and even then it was very hush-hush in the family.
My cousin Steven was the first one that we rallied behind, as a family. I was sixteen at the time, he was eleven. He received a bad blood transfusion as a kid that came back in a bad way. We had about six months with him before he passed on and we tried our hardest to make it a good six months. He got to meet his hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger – I really couldn’t top that. I mainly brought him comics and I was there for his brother RJ all the way, I think he appreciated that. He was such a loving kid – loved his family so much. His love was infectious – we pulled ourselves closer. It’s kind of amazing how something so tragic could bring the whole family together like it did.
My Uncle Alex also died from HIV-related complications. He was a heroine user when he was younger but he moved out to Arizona, got cleaned up, started a family, and became the very definition of a Good Man. His past caught up with him, however. It wasn’t fair at all. I didn’t know it was HIV until after he died. I was so upset that no-one told me until I realized that hardly anyone knew. My dad, I believe, was the only one of his siblings to know. My dad told me Uncle Alex didn’t want anyone to know unless they asked. He didn’t want anyone to worry about him. Everyone knows the life he lived, if they really wanted to know about his disease they’d ask. It was such a powerful thing – realizing that someone would be so selfless that he’d voluntarily live with an awful illness and not let anyone else shoulder some of his grief. I try to get sympathy when I have a cold, I couldn’t even fathom my uncle’s decision (but I could certainly appreciate it).
I did some AIDS-oriented volunteering in college. I worked in a soup kitchen for individuals infected with HIV. I also volunteered for an HIV-centric “Meals on Wheels” program. A couple of AIDS walks and then last year with NOVAM. But, as discussed in my last post, it’s time to do more. I really hope it works out.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home