On September 4, 2010 The SHARP Foundation was presented a $50,000 cheque from The M·A·C AIDS Fund as a grant for our newest project. Project Kathleen?s very essence is to help vulnerable women living with HIV. This project targets women who are faced with complex medical and psycho-social challenges. Our inspiration for this project was Kathleen herself; she was one of many vulnerable HIV + women needing the care and support of SHARP. She had an appetite for life and a zest for freedom larger than life itself. She was street-wise and had a "in your face" approach to life and people. Kathleen was a great family person whose only wish was for a strong united and loving family. Her only desire in life was to be loved as much as she loved.
However, like many of these women, Kathleen?s life was filled with a history of sex-trade and substance abuse. She initially arrived at Beswick House needing focus on medical care, but as she became stabilized, she lived for life. She challenged the staff and volunteers to be adaptive and to re-think how we provide non-judgmental care - accepting her for who she was and the many challenges presenting from her life experiences. Beswick House became her home, and with the support of our care giving team, we were able to establish an environment of trust and respect. At the age of 43, Kathleen passed away peacefully at Beswick House from an AIDS related illness.
The impact of Kathleen?s life journey continues today as we build programs, services and supports for other highly stigmatized and marginalized women. The complex medical and psycho-social issues including living with HIV/AIDS precludes many women from receiving sustained treatment, housing or support within existing programs as these programs are not designed for, nor have the capacity to address the unique needs and challenges of these individuals. Many are unable to protect themselves or others from the spread of HIV through unsafe sex or drug use, presenting increased transmission risk related to addictions, social issues and/or mental health concerns.
Project Kathleen provides a number of interventions including housing, counselling, life skills development, esteem building and medical management. Our anticipated outcome is that the participants will be more empowered to manage their own health and wellness. The SHARP Foundation?s focus is the provision of a safe environment, free from stigma and discrimination related to their HIV, other health-related diagnosis, their life styles, or their socio-economic status - providing care and support by a non-judgmental team of professionals.
SHARP is grateful to M·A·C and its employees for their ongoing support and for their continual service to people of all ages, all races and all sexes affected by HIV/AIDS. The M·A·C AIDS Fund partners with the bold, the visionary and the brave who confront this epidemic in countries and communities where people are most neglected, off the radar, and at highest risk. The M·A·C AIDS Fund works by donating every cent of the selling price of their Viva Glam lipstick and lipglass to this fund. M·A·C continues making a difference, one Viva Glam lipstick at a time. This grant will allow SHARP to take another positive step towards enhanced services for increasingly diverse and complex clients. Grant funds will be used to commence the first phase of Project Kathleen – detailing the plan, building partnerships and securing further additional funds. We are excited to be part of something revolutionary that has never been done before in Alberta and Canada.
The SHARP Foundation has been continually providing support for people living with HIV/AIDS for 20 years in Calgary. As a non-profit charitable organization with only 21 per cent of funding coming from the government SHARP depends on private donations by individuals and companies in order to continue doing what we do. At SHARP our mandate is to provide a „wholistic? (medical, physical, psychosocial and spiritual aspects) continuum of care to some of our community?s most marginalized and vulnerable citizens. We believe that each person living with HIV/AIDS should and will have the support they require to meet his/her needs. Our philosophy is to maintain or enhance the quality of life by providing non-judgemental care and support with compassion.