OUR IMPACT

REACH offers unconditional acceptance, safe community, joy, and trust to individuals and family members facing the challenges of living with HIV.  Because of harsh stigma and rampant misinformation, people with HIV face an impossible situation. They either carry a heavy secret alone, or they dread rejection and loneliness resulting from disclosure. HIV can become their defining characteristic. People fear them outright or keep a “safe” distance.

At REACH stigma is non-existent; people are seen for who they are, not the label. Their HIV diagnosis is something they must manage, yes, but never who they are. This embodied belief creates a unique judgment-free zone where participants experience life-giving relationships without fear. Each time a participant speaks up in support group and is listened to well, receives a bear hug at Thanksgiving, or gets volunteered for a silly camp game amidst cheers and chanting of their name, internal labels melt away. This transformation and renewing of the mind take time, repetition, reminders, and continuity; therefore, REACH journeys alongside for the long haul. Not only is safe community formed at REACH, sometimes it feels more like family.

Our faith motivates us to offer unconditional acceptance to all. Children, families, and volunteers from all backgrounds, religions, and philosophies have felt completely welcome at REACH because of our core value of acceptance.