Tag Archive for: HIV

New Labor Day Getaway Location

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Our REACH community is growing, as more and more people living with HIV join us. And we found a new Labor Day Getaway location that’s just the right size! It’s still in the “north of Seattle” region, but will be a brand new experience.

REACH staff visited the venue for an in-depth tour last week and got even more excited than we were before. The camp staff can’t wait to welcome REACH participants, and they share a similar heart for creating spaces for everyone to be accepted and flourish.

Whether you’re a potential volunteer or potential guest, we hope you’ll join us August 29-September 1! We will certainly be welcoming many first-timers and it will be a special year of Getaway.

Celebrating 30 years of support

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šŸŽØ Rock Painting: Join Tacomaā€™s Monkeyshines Tradition! šŸ’āœØ

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Have you heard about Tacomaā€™s beloved Monkeyshines tradition?Ā šŸ’āœØ

Every year around the Lunar New Year, a group of anonymous ā€œmonkeysā€ hide beautiful glass orbs and medallions throughout the city. What started as a secretive tradition has gained so much popularity that ā€œroguesā€ now join in, hiding their own creative treasures for others to find.

From jewelry and pins to painted rocks, marbles, and posters, Monkeyshines is all about serendipity, spreading joy, and bringing the community together which closely aligns with our REACH mission.

As a huge Monkeyshines fan for nearly a decade, I (Cecilia) have been lucky enough to find a few of the coveted orbs and medallions (pictures below).

Each year, I join the fun by making and hiding my own rogue creationsā€”this year, itā€™s jeweled keychains!šŸŽØ Iā€™d love for you to join the fun by creating your own rock art to hideā€”or keep as a personal treasure!

*Remember the Monkeyshines rules: If you find a glass orb or medallion, please take only one per year to ensure everyone gets a chance to share in the magic. For rogue treasures like painted rocks and trinkets, feel free to collect as many as you discover!*

Year of the Dog glass Orb and MedallionGlass Orb with pin and carrot rougeOrb commissioned by the Tacoma Port for the year of the tiger

About the Event

Come to our Creative Expressions Rock Painting Session and create something uniquely yours. Paint rocks inspired by the Lunar New Yearā€™s themeā€”this yearā€™s animal is the Snakeā€”or let your imagination run wild with your favorite designs.

Weā€™ll provide everything you need, including:
šŸŽØ Liquid acrylic paints
šŸ–Œ Markers for detailing
āœØ A varnish to seal your masterpiece and protect it from the environment

No experience? No problem! This event is perfect for beginners and seasoned artists alike.

Event Details:
šŸ“… When: Tuesday, January 21st, 12:00 PM
šŸ“ Where: REACH Ministries Office, Tacoma
šŸ“± RSVP: Email cbryan@reachministries.org or text 541-612-0616

We want to make sure we have plenty of supplies, so be sure to RSVP!

Join us for this creative and fun event to celebrate Lunar New Year, connect with others, and add your special touch to Tacomaā€™s magical Monkeyshines tradition.

Letā€™s make art, spread joy, and create unforgettable moments together! āœØ

Rock Painting for Lunar New Year

 

January 2025 Events at REACH Ministries

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Christmas party heightens joy and decreases heaviness for people with HIV

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The REACH holiday party took place on Zoom, making it accessible to participants all over the Northwest during this busy time of year. Last weekend 25 guests signed on from along the I-5 corridor as well as Eastern Washington, Oregon, and Montana. One even joined from a hospital room where she was keeping watchful care over her young child.

This party demonstrated that REACH people are getting comfortable on Zoom ā€“ the full hour was energetic sharing of anecdotes, comments, jokes, and traditions. The games we planned only fueled the fire of joyful storytelling and visiting. The quieter participants never had to worry about being ā€œcalled onā€ since the air space was already full!

Amidst the hilarity, our guest from the hospital room participated quietly, writing comments in the chat and playing group games via the shared white board. At the end, just before saying goodbye, we rallied around her saying we would be thinking of her and her child and those of us that pray would be praying. She visibly teared up.

Thankfully, two days later she let us know that her childā€™s lab work came back with signs of hope and healing for the first time since being hospitalized and quarantined four weeks ago with a concerning AIDS-related infection.

Isolation comes in many forms for our participants: Fear of rejection and stigma. Life alone in a new country. Or the literal four walls of a hospital room. REACH has the privilege of being a constant presence and a steady voice of encouragement, belief, hope, and care.

The ideal atmosphere for people affected by HIV

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Thereā€™s something that frequently happens at REACH gatheringsā€¦ but few other places. It could be called peace. Good vibes. A sense of coming home. Contentment. Whatever you call it, even our first-timers can sense it.

On Saturday, 32 people from the REACH community gathered for an early Thanksgiving meal. The night was rainy, and traffic was miserable as people trickled in the doors of the party. There were toddlers, children, teens, young adults, older adults, and people in wheelchairs or using canes. Food items were organized, nametags put on, and lots of introductions were made. At times food was dropped and drinks spilled; kids ran around; we played cup-flipping games, and a game called Medusa. All this might sound like a recipe for chaos, and yet that sense of peace remained.

Is it because REACH is trustworthy and confidential?

Is it because of our commitment to unconditional acceptance?

Is it because no one worries about judgment or rejection here?

Is it because of love? Godā€™s presence? Long history? Smiles? Hugs? Attention to detail?

Rather than try to figure out its precise source, so we can ā€œbottle itā€ or replicate it, weā€™ve learned to just notice it and enjoy. ā€œItā€™s happening again,ā€ we tell each other with a smile.

If you know anyone with HIV who could use a place to relax their shoulders, slow their breathing, settle in and be safeā€¦ make sure you tell them about REACH.

REACH participants with HIV experience holistic well-being

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At REACH we are keenly aware of the judgment, stigma, and isolation facing people with HIV. The issue might seem more distant to those who donā€™t have weekly connections with people with HIV. Weā€™ve even had individuals ask, ā€œIsnā€™t HIV a solved problem?ā€ The answer, of course, is that while treatment has come a long way, and our participants donā€™t live with an ever-present fear of deathā€¦ the problem of HIV has not been solved.

Individuals with HIV in the U.S. have a doctor they spend less than 15 minutes with every 6 or 12 months. Mostly, the doctor makes sure the virus is still undetectable and sends them on their way with renewed or updated prescriptions. Some individuals with HIV also have a case manager who helps them with social services if they find themselves needing transportation vouchers, switching doctors or dentists, or even facing homelessness. Both ā€œrelationshipsā€ serve important purposes in the life of someone with HIV, but is that all they need? Medicine and physical resources?

At REACH we know that someone living with HIV needs much more. They need a safe place to talk about their status and how it impacts them. They need joyful smiles and bear hugs. They need friends who donā€™t require HIV education before they can be knowledgeable and supportive. They want to meet other people living with HIV. They need the compassionate listening ear of a friend without having to make an appointment.

For many of our participants, before finding REACH, their only safe setting to discuss HIV was the occasional, hurried conversation in the sterile office of their health care provider. This is not a space for them to tell their story, describe their relationship challenges, talk about their emotions, or get a response that sounds like, ā€œI get that! It happened to me too.ā€ Those things only happen for them at REACH.

Care providers refer people to REACH because they know their patients need more than what they can offer, and people who are a part of the REACH community are more likely to adhere to their medical regimen and stay healthy, physically and in other equally important ways.

“Allison’s” safest place is REACH

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As a teen with complex special needs, “Allison” (name changed for confidentiality) has not had an easy life. She and her HIV-positive mom, “Keira,” and her caregiver grandmother, “Dee,” connected with REACH immediately after moving here from another state in early 2024. They attended both Spring and Labor Day Getaways together. The grandmother exclaims about how valuable these experiences are for Allison and Keira.

For Allison, the activities get her outside in the fresh air, exercising her unstable legs, and surrounded by people who love to chat with her and enjoy her teasing sense of humor with no stigma or judgment about her disabilities.

When we first met Keira she told us “I need to make friends with HIV!” and in almost every support group (online or in person) she shares the story of the traumatic circumstances surrounding her HIV diagnosis years ago. She can be talkative, but the participants are gracious and kind. They know the value of listening to her experience and offering care. Keira comments often about how much people at REACH smile.

Dee delights in seeing her daughter and granddaughter engaged in such healthy and supportive activities and admits that she too gets a lot out of the themed breakout sessions, as fulltime caregiving is not easy.

At Labor Day Getaway Allison felt so safe and comfortable that she decided to perform a song, something she had never had the opportunity to do before. It was a spontaneous decision during the ā€œtalentā€ portion of campfire and her grandmother immediately grabbed her phone to record this novel event saying, ā€œI canā€™t believe sheā€™s doing this! I donā€™t know who she is. Iā€™m so shocked at how outgoing sheā€™s being. She comes to REACH and just comes alive.ā€

Many around the fire sang along to the classic love song, swaying and waving their phone flashlights back and forth like they were at a concert. While the performance would be unlikely to win an awardā€¦ Allison felt like a superstar as she tiptoed back to her seat amid boisterous cheers and applause.

Labor Day Getaway Creates Family

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Despite being brand new to Labor Day Getaway, “Asha” had banked several experiences with REACH over the last year. She first met us at our Thanksgiving celebration in Tacoma, despite her drive being much longer than the event itself! Later that month she joined a wreath-making connection event that REACH hosted at her case management site. Three of the participants that day joined REACH staff for lunch afterwards and Asha was the life of that party, talking about all the foods she loves from her home country, cracking jokes, and playfully teasing her new friends. Throughout the following months she joined many ladies zoom chats and positive adults support groups. She naturally took the role of caregiver within each group, often starting comments to fellow participants with the phrase, ā€œJosephine, my dearā€¦ā€ or ā€œMartha, my dearā€¦ā€ offering encouragement and support.

This summer Asha made sure to request the necessary days off of work to attend Labor Day Getaway. She bonded immediately with another first-time participant, and they trekked to the pool every day for a refreshing swim and enjoyed attending the groups and breakouts together. She loved dancing at the ā€œBoogie Woogie Round-upā€ Sunday evening, and learning the silly campfire songs. When she was called on to demonstrate a dance move at campfire, she laughed heartily while showing off her move. After all this joy and enthusiasm it caught us by surprise when she took the mic during the closing campfire on our final night and began to weep. She choked out her grief, saying, ā€œI havenā€™t seen my babies in two years!ā€ Then, ā€œBecause of REACH I now have family in America. I have never felt so loved by people I never met.ā€

For most of the year with us, Asha effectively hid the anguish of leaving her young adult children back home as she seeks asylum in the U.Sā€¦ but in the safety of a REACH getaway, she let down her guard. No doubt she will continue to be the nurturer at group, but she also understands that she can safely be vulnerable and continue to be loved and accepted at REACH.