Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
The Founding of AIDS Project Los Angeles
In October 1982, the four founders of AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA)—Nancy Cole Sawaya, Matt Redman, Ervin Munro, and Max Drew—attended an emergency meeting at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center. The meeting featured a presentation by a representative from San Francisco’s Kaposi’s Sarcoma Foundation about Gay Related Immunodeficiency Disease (GRID), one of the early names for AIDS.
Because fears about the new disease were rampant, these four friends set up a telephone hotline to answer questions from the community. They gathered the limited information available and began hotline trainings, with twelve volunteers in the initial group. The hotline was operated from a closet in the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center, where volunteers answered a single telephone and read information from a one-page fact sheet.
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
The Founding of Aid for AIDS
Aid for AIDS was founded in 1983 by a small group of friends in the greater Hollywood area to help others in the community devastated by AIDS. By providing emergency rent, mortgage, and utility payments, AFA allowed people to die with dignity in their own homes.
Candlelight March
From its earliest years, efforts to influence public policy have been a core component of APLA’s mission. In May 1983, APLA sponsored a candlelight march at the Federal Building in Westwood that brought out a crowd of more than 5,000 people. The march was a turning point for community involvement in the struggle against AIDS.
First Brochure
In 1983, the agency also produced and distributed its first brochure on AIDS. It answered basic questions about the disease in English and Spanish. APLA has educated the community ever since to prevent new cases of HIV infection, to empower communities to stay healthy, and to improve the quality of life for people who are living with HIV.
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
Housing Services
From the beginning, the number of clients served by APLA grew at a staggering rate. In early 1983, there were five clients. At the end of 1983, there were 100, and by the middle of 1984 there were 200. APLA’s first client service began when early volunteers visited patients at their hospital beds. Support groups were also organized to help people with AIDS and their loved ones. When a professional social worker joined the small APLA staff in late 1983, Client Services became fully established.
APLA created new programs during the ensuing years to meet the growing needs of people with AIDS. A program to address housing needs, begun in 1984, has since become a comprehensive Residential Services Program.
Early Fundraisers
Many early fundraising events were held in gay bars and discos as the gay and lesbian community mobilized to fight AIDS. An early fundraiser at Studio One in March 1984, featuring Joan Rivers, raised $45,000 for APLA, L.A. Shanti, and Aid for AIDS.
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
Dental Services
APLA Dental Clinic founded to treat people living with AIDS who were denied services by other dentists.
AIDS Walk Los Angeles
APLA held the world’s first AIDS Walk Los Angeles event at Paramount Studios on July 28, 1985. The organizers of AIDS Walk Los Angeles hoped to raise $100,000 that first year, but instead a tide of more than 4,500 walkers raised $673,000.
Commitment to Life
APLA throws first “Commitment to Life” gala and raises $1.3 million with Elizabeth Taylor as host.
First Major Educational Campaign
The now-famous “LA Cares” ads were produced in conjunction with the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center. They featured a sweet and motherly character who taught her “boys” about safer sex. Comprised of billboards, public service announcements, and print advertising, the campaign included graphic safer sex guides for gay men titled “Can We Talk?” and “Mother’s Handy Sex Guide.” For a wider audience, APLA and the Center ran a “Southern California Cares” campaign, with the theme “Fight the Fear With the Facts.”
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
Necessities of Life Program
One of APLA Health’s most critically needed services, our Necessities of Life Program (NOLP), launches. NOLP’s origins began as a food pantry started by Ken and Alfia Hollywood, who ran a $35-a-week food voucher program out of their movie memorabilia store. In 1986, APLA Health worked with the Hollywoods to open the first Necessities of Life Program food pantry to for people with HIV/AIDS.
Government Affairs
APLA establishes a Government Affairs Division. Its goals were to increase state and local resources for AIDS prevention, education and care, as well as to promote fair and humane HIV/AIDS legislation.
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
Serra Project Founded
The Serra Project founded under the sponsorship of seven major Los Angeles County hospitals and the Catholic Archdiocese in response to the growing number of people left homeless by their battle with acute HIV/AIDS.
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APLA establishes a Government Affairs Division. Its goals were to increase state and local resources for AIDS prevention, education and care, as well as to promote fair and humane HIV/AIDS legislation.
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
First Group Home
In 1988, the Serra Project opened the first group home in the City of Los Angeles to later be state licensed as a Residential Care Facility for the Chronically Ill (RCFCI). The home continues to serve destitute, AIDS-impacted adults in need of assisted living and hospice care.
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APLA establishes a Government Affairs Division. Its goals were to increase state and local resources for AIDS prevention, education and care, as well as to promote fair and humane HIV/AIDS legislation.
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
“Best in Drag Show”
The first iteration of “Best in Drag Show” (known then as “Battle for the Tiara”) launched as a privately organized event with funds benefiting Aid for AIDS.
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APLA establishes a Government Affairs Division. Its goals were to increase state and local resources for AIDS prevention, education and care, as well as to promote fair and humane HIV/AIDS legislation.
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
West Hollywood Memorial Walk
Aid for AIDS partners with the City of West Hollywood to unveil the West Hollywood AIDS Memorial Walk on Santa Monica Boulevard between Fairfax Avenue and Doheny Drive. Bronze plaques pay tribute to lives lost to HIV/AIDS.
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APLA establishes a Government Affairs Division. Its goals were to increase state and local resources for AIDS prevention, education and care, as well as to promote fair and humane HIV/AIDS legislation.
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
APLA Dental Clinic
APLA Dental Clinic moves to Good Samaritan Hospital in downtown Los Angeles.
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APLA establishes a Government Affairs Division. Its goals were to increase state and local resources for AIDS prevention, education and care, as well as to promote fair and humane HIV/AIDS legislation.
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
David Geffen Center
APLA relocates David Geffen Center to 611 South Kingsley Drive in Mid-City.
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APLA establishes a Government Affairs Division. Its goals were to increase state and local resources for AIDS prevention, education and care, as well as to promote fair and humane HIV/AIDS legislation.
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
NOLP Expands
Additional NOLP sites open in South Los Angeles and Long Beach.
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APLA establishes a Government Affairs Division. Its goals were to increase state and local resources for AIDS prevention, education and care, as well as to promote fair and humane HIV/AIDS legislation.
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
The Global Forum on MSM & HIV
By the end of 2005, APLA had begun its first international partnership, a project with India-based AIDS service provider YRG CARE. The initiative offered multilingual HIV care and prevention services to women in Tamil Nadu, one of India’s regions hit hardest by the epidemic.
APLA subsequently continued to expand its international efforts with an HIV prevention program for gay men in China; prevention, research, training, and advocacy efforts in Latin America; and a nutrition initiative in South Africa. In 2006, APLA became the secretariat to the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF). Guided by a Steering Committee of 20 members from 17 countries around the world, MSMGF worked to promote MSM health and human rights worldwide through advocacy, information exchange, knowledge production, networking, and capacity building.
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APLA establishes a Government Affairs Division. Its goals were to increase state and local resources for AIDS prevention, education and care, as well as to promote fair and humane HIV/AIDS legislation.
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
South Los Angeles
APLA continued to expand on its commitment to serve the diverse South Los Angeles community. In 2009, the agency opened its S. Mark Taper Foundation Center, a freestanding dental clinic and food pantry on the Martin Luther King Jr.-Charles Drew University campus in South Los Angeles.
AHH is Formed
Aid for AIDS merges with the Serra Project to create Alliance for Housing & Healing (AHH).
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
APLA Health & Wellness Center
In 2011, APLA opens the APLA Health & Wellness Center in Baldwin Hills, bringing together HIV prevention services, economic development programs and social activities for gay and bisexual men and transgender individuals of color.
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Aid for AIDS merges with the Serra Project to create Alliance for Housing & Healing (AHH).
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
New Services
In April, APLA expands health services by implementing STD screening and treatment at the Health & Wellness Center.
Federally Qualified Health Center
In the fall, APLA Health & Wellness is awarded a federal New Access Point grant by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) and becomes a federally qualified health center focusing on healthcare services for low-income LGBT people.
Realizing that funds were needed to educate the community and prevent the spread of the disease, the founders enlisted the help of other friends (who became many of APLA’s early volunteers) and held a Christmas benefit. The party raised more than $7,000, which became the seed money for a new organization. Recognizing that AIDS was not just a gay disease, the founders named the organization AIDS Project Los Angeles. The first board of directors was elected on January 14, 1983.
