Cascade AIDS Project Awarded $25,000 From Yahoo!

Portland, OR | November 18, 2015 – For the second year in a row, Cascade AIDS Project(CAP) has been awarded significant support from the Yahoo Employee Foundation. This year’s grant $25,000 supports two important programs, Positive Force Northwest and Camp KC, which aim to help families living with HIV replace isolation with self-efficacy, confidence, and promote wellbeing through community building.

Positive Force Northwest is a quarterly gathering of individuals living with HIV with three areas of focus: community service, advocacy and outreach and educational opportunities. When members of Positive Force gather for community service or to advocate publicly, they wear red tee shirts identifying them as HIV positive. Thus, simply by appearing in public, they encourage other people to see them as normal, valuable, nonthreatening individuals rather than as a disease.

Camp KC gives up to 50 HIV-affected and -infected children from across Oregon the opportunity to enjoy a week camping on the Oregon coast. At Camp KC, children dealing with HIV themselves or in their family can feel “normal” knowing that every other child at camp understands their situation. Camp KC differs from other camps in a few ways. First, the camper-to-staff ratio is about two to one rather than the eight-to-one ratio in an average camp. This ensures that each camper is showered with attention and acceptance. Also, Camp is free for the campers, which is the only way most are able to attend.

“We are extremely gratified that the Yahoo Employee Foundation continues to support CAP in such a significant way” said Tyler TerMeer, CAP’s Executive Director. “Both of the programs work with some of the most vulnerable members of our community and help them achieve empowerment and self-sufficiency through community building.”