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Welcome!
Dear Friends:
Welcome to the web site of AIDS Services of North Texas. Our hope is that by perusing our web site, you will get to know us a little better.
ASNT is a team consisting of Staff, Board members, donors, volunteers and clients. Together, we make a difference in the lives of the people we serve every single day. It never ceases to amaze me what our team can do.
Our Staff members have a passion for this work and the clients know it. We have some of the best professionals in Texas with one thing in common: they all have huge hearts!
They all know they can make more money elsewhere, but that is not their motivator. Our Staff are here to help our clients stay alive. What can be more important than that?
The clients have ownership of the agency too. When they talk to me, they talk about OUR agency, so it is obvious that they feel they are an integral part of the agency too. Also, many of our clients volunteer to help the agency in their spare time.
This too brings us to our volunteers. I had a volunteer tell me that she felt bad that all she could do was answer the phone. She wanted to donate dollars to help us grow programs. I pointed out to her that she WAS donating dollars. ANYTHING that a volunteer does to help, whether helping us proof a document, typing or answering the phone, saves the agency dollars as we don’t have to pay someone to do those things. This frees up the dollars we would normally have to pay for those administrative tasks to purchase medications, groceries or therapy for a client. Our volunteers help us reach many more people than we would be able to reach otherwise.
Our donors too are special as they help directly fund the programs of the agency. Our federal funds and other grants help a lot. What they don’t fund in any given year are the many new clients we have found through referrals, word of mouth and our HIV testing programs. These new clients need new dollars and our donors step up to the plate to make a difference in the lives of these clients. Also, there are some programs that just aren’t covered by traditional funding sources. We had a client that was told two years ago that he would never walk again due to his severe neuropathy. Our Staff put together a program which included Chiropractic Medicine and Acupuncture, both of which are un-funded procedures. Our client today is walking without a cane. Once again, our donors helped us make a difference.
Our Board of Directors is our vision and support system. At any one time, we have 20-25 hard working professionals who take time out from their busy lives to help the agency make a difference. The Board helps us see where we need to be going and then they roll up their sleeves and help us get there. The ability of this agency to minister to the needs of our clients is directly related to our ability to connect in our communities, access needed funds to enable us to provide needed services, and to become visible and accessible to the people who need us. What makes this Board different is its ability to enable this agency to save lives. What can be more powerful than that? If we can keep our clients alive long enough for a cure to be discovered, we have accomplished our mission. And, through our education, prevention and outreach efforts, we help HIV negative teens and adults stay negative.
We have our work cut out for us. Nationally, the number of HIV+ adolescents is doubling every 14 months. Another fast growing category is women. This is no longer a disease of a few – it is a disease of all of us. If you feel you would like to help, call me personally at 940-381-1501. We need you. Jump on board!
Ronald G. Aldridge, Ph.D.
Executive Director