Newest articles and comments on The Sacramento Press written by Lesley Miller

Lesley Miller on "Sign of spring"

2011-04-21T18:17:38Z

Love this article, love ducks, love spring. Happiness.

Empty Bowls serves up soup to fight hunger

2011-03-02T02:01:35Z

Since stormy winter days have almost everyone thinking about soup, it's a good thing River City Food Bank's 8th annual fundraising event is just days away. As in previous years, Empty Bowls features some of the area’s finest restaurants serving up their best soups- all to raise awareness about hunger in the region.

Everyone who attends Empty Bowls chooses from among 1,500 bowls, hand-crafted by Sacramento students and professional potters. The bowls represent people across the region who don’t have enough to eat. As many as one in seven people report that they don’t always have enough money to provide their families with food. After picking a bowl, attendees choose soup from one of these restaurants: Café Bernardo, R15, Scott's Seafood Grill and Bar, Chops Steaks Seafood and Bar, Michelangelo's, Vizcaya, Lucca, The Broiler, Greek Village Inn, and L Wine Lounge & Urban Kitchen.

The Empty Bowls evening event, on Monday, March 7, is already sold out. A limited number of tickets are still available for Tuesday, March 8 at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Both seatings feature plenty of beautiful bowls, gourmet soups and desserts. Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased on River City Food Bank’s website. All events will be held at the Sacramento Masonic Temple, 1123 J Street.

River City Food Bank is the only Sacramento- area food bank open every weekday to anyone experiencing hunger from anywhere in Sacramento County. RCFB offers nutritionally-balanced 3-day emergency food, as well as compassion. In the wake of the food bank's October fire, this year's fundraising goals are ambitious. River City Food Bank hopes to raise over $100,000.

For more information, and to purchase tickets online, visit www.rivercityfoodbank.org.

Disclosure: Lesley Miller works for 3fold Communications, a local marketing agency. River City Food Bank is a client of 3fold Communications.

B Street Theatre Moves Confidently into 2011 with $200,000 Grant from Bank of America

2011-02-07T19:00:35Z

One of Sacramento’s leading theatre companies is enjoying some positive financial news during a time of economic uncertainty for the region’s arts scene. B Street Theatre was awarded a $100,000 check from Bank of America during the theatre’s weekly staff meeting last Thursday afternoon. The check is the first half of a $200,000 grant provided by Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative.

“We are pleased to support the B Street Theatre’s extensive outreach to children in our region. We selected B Street Theatre because of their professional leadership, thoughtful programming and the impactful work they do in schools and hospitals throughout our community, said Lori Rianda, Market Manager at Bank of America for the Sacramento region.

Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative has a multi-tiered program of support for the arts in neighborhoods around the globe. The organization believes that contributing to a climate where innovation flourishes will revitalize communities and help economies grow.

Buck Busfield, the theatre’s producing artistic director, said the money will be used to build staff and program infrastructure.

“Like so many other nonprofits around the country, we’ve had to operate on a very small budget the last several years. Money has been tight and we made cuts to programming as a result. Bank of America’s grant allows us to have better financial footing as we move into 2011,” Busfield said.

The theatre plans to resume a full slate of programs in 2011 including four family series productions, four shows in the B3 series, and seven productions in Mainstage.

The Bank of America grant is not the only thing looking up for B Street Theatre. Designs are complete for a new, two theatre building on 27th Street and Capitol Avenue. A capital campaign is currently underway to raise the remaining $9.2 million needed to begin construction in 2012. In the meantime, ticket sales at the current location have improved significantly since a year ago. This year the organization has sold over 350 Mainstage subscriptions compared to this time last year. The strong sales are indication the theatre’s 20th Mainstage season may be one of its most popular yet.

“Subscriptions are affordable yet the caliber of actors and the quality of the shows they select are surprisingly good and professionally done,” said Jaime Wilson, a B Street Theatre Mainstage subscriber. “We are always entertained, engaged and keep talking about the plays well after the final bow.”

B Street Theatre is currently showing The 39 Steps by Patrick Barlow on Mainstage, and their newest family series show production, The Young Abe Lincoln. Written by B Street veteran, Jerry Montoya, The Young Abe Lincoln presents the adventures and trials that shaped the childhood of the 16th president of the United States of America. Ticket prices and show times are available at www.bstreettheatre.org.

Disclosure: Lesley Miller is the Director of Public Relations for 3Fold Communications. B Street Theatre is a client of 3Fold.

Lesley Miller on "RVs 4 Preemies Makes Sutter Memorial Parking Lot a Home for Preemie Parents"

2011-01-25T01:45:57Z

This is a fabulous story. Very heartwarming and well reported.

Lesley Miller on "Oak Park Residents Debate Benefits and Problems Of Proposed McDonald's"

2011-01-11T17:32:52Z

Here's what we know: lower income communities have a harder time accessing fresh and healthy food. As a result, the people who live in those communities struggle with health issues such as obesity. Let's get a Fresh and Easy in there--not a fast food restaurant!

Lesley Miller on "Dine Downtown: Kupros Bistro "

2011-01-11T17:27:16Z

The gelato photo is outstanding!

Lesley Miller on "Fave moms mag stops presses"

2011-01-11T17:25:27Z

I'm not a mom but I'm sad to read about Kidaround's end. I found this magazine to be well written, nicely designed, and extremely creative. Thanks to all the writers and to Barbara for pulling together such a great magazine for five years.

Lesley Miller on "River City Food Bank opens door to new location"

2010-12-02T17:37:29Z

I agree Lisa--so many people in the community have responded from nonprofits to individuals to schools, and more. There have been so many it's tough to keep track. I think RCFB would like to publish a complete list of donors once there's time to organize the list. For now, just the major sponsors (over $5,000) have been individually thanked.

Lesley Miller on "Councilman walks out of chicken discussion"

2010-11-17T17:49:58Z

I agree- thanks Cohn for taking a stand. I have friends and family in Los Angeles counties who keep legal chickens. Here we are in the middle of aggie land, and no chickens are allowed? Doesn't make sense...

Lesley Miller on "Sister and brother filmmakers work to make second film in Placerville – Utilize new fundraising site for grassroots artists"

2010-11-03T17:52:38Z

I love that we have projects like this happening in Sacramento. I wish the Kreutz siblings a lot of success.

Lesley Miller on "The French Hen to close"

2010-11-02T16:37:27Z

This is really sad news. Between The French Hen closing and Le Petit Paris...we've lost two great local stores.

Local Organizations Step-In to Help River City Food Bank Recover From Massive Fire

2010-10-22T00:37:56Z

Local organizations are coming forward to help River City Food Bank after a massive fire destroyed their building early on Thursday morning.

Sutter Health is donating $30,000 and holding an employee food drive to help raise the 8,000 lbs of food lost in the fire. The food bank has also received a $5,000 donation from the Golden 1 Credit Union, seven PC computers from Western Health Advantage, and office furniture from Ruland’s Used Office Furnishings. The community has also responded with generous monetary donations.

“This morning’s fire is a devastating loss for thousands of people in Sacramento who rely on River City Food Bank for nutritionally based emergency food,” said Eileen Thomas, Executive Director at River City Food Bank. “We are very thankful for the community’s generous support, as its imperative we are up and running again before the busy holiday season hits.”

Ways the public can help:
• River City Food Bank is accepting donations of all kinds. Online monetary donations are preferred at www.rivercityfoodbank.org
• A list of immediate needs can also be found on at www.rivercityfoodbank.org
• Goodwill Industries is accepting donations of canned and non-perishable food items. Donations can be made at any of 47 Goodwill Donation Xpress locations, all of which are listed at www.goodwillsacto.org.

Information for people who are hungry and need food:
• The food bank has temporarily suspended services but hopes to be operating from a temporary location by sometime next week.
• People in need of food should go to Central Downtown Food Basket or Sacramento Food Bank. Both food banks are prepared to receive an influx of people.

Facts about the fire:
• A cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
• The building has been heavily damaged by flames, smoke and water and will need to be re-built.
• Many people have asked about the food bank’s resident cats. One of cats, Mac, did not survive the fire. The other cat, Cheese, is still missing.
• Approximately 8,000 to 10,000 pounds of food were lost.

Facts about River City Food Bank:
• The food bank has been operating for 40 years, and provides three-day packages of nutritionally based emergency food.
• Clients represent every age and income group living in urban and suburban neighborhoods throughout Sacramento.
• The food bank serves around 3,000 individuals every month, or approximately 100-150 people every day.

As soon as any new information becomes available it will be posted on www.rivercityfoodbank.org or www.facebook.com/RiverCityFoodBank.

Lesley Miller on "Sixth annual Operation Backpack campaign under way"

2010-07-14T01:30:21Z

Thank you, Barry, for getting the word out about how our community can help children in need. While everyone has different opinions about solutions for homelessness, I don't think anyone can argue that children need school supplies in order to be properly educated.

Lesley Miller on "Local Journalists Lead "Paying for Content" Panel "

2010-06-29T18:33:28Z

Thank you for this great article. I wasn't able to attend the panel but this article filled me in with the main details.

Residential housing program proves homeless individuals can turn their lives around

2010-05-28T18:02:34Z

Last week, 15 formerly homeless individuals were recognized for their transition off the streets during Cottage Housing’s semi-annual graduation ceremony. The honorees, seven men and eight women, tearfully but eloquently told the audience about the struggles to get into the two year program, and the success which has resulted from their time there.

Tom Pratt, a 2010 graduate of the program, started his stay at Quinn Cottages in January 2008.

“I came with very few possessions, no job and eight months of sobriety. I didn’t know a lot about Quinn Cottages, but I was determined to use my time here to get back on my feet and return to society as a tax payer and not a tax taker,” said Pratt.

Pratt has followed through with his goals. He is now married and working full time for the State Franchise Tax Board, a job he worked hard to obtain over the last year.

“What Quinn did for me was afforded me the time to pursue my goals and work towards a bright future which I now have,” Pratt added.

“When I came to Quinn Cottages I didn’t have more than the clothes on my back, but I had a lot of hope, commitment and determination and they were behind me all the way, said another participant, David Donnelly. “When you come here with nothing, and leave with something, it means a lot.” (Watch Donnelly’s full speech on Facebook.)

Residents at Quinn Cottages spend up to two years living in one of the program’s 60 midtown housing units. While there, the residents commit to maintaining sobriety, pursuing self-defined personal development goals and volunteering regularly in the community. Cottage Housing’s program has resulted in over 400 graduates since its opening in 1997.

Quinn Cottages is one of two residential housing units operated by Cottage Housing. Serna Village, located at McClellan Park, has 83 apartments which serve over 100 recently homeless adults and more than 200 children.

For more information about Cottage Housing, including how to volunteer or donate, please visit www.cottagehousing.org or visit on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/cottagehousing.

*Full disclosure: Writer works for a marketing agency. Cottage Housing is a paid client of 3fold Communications.

Lesley Miller on "Volunteers revamp Zapata Park, video of ceremony"

2010-05-21T21:51:58Z

This was such a fabulous event for the community. When I stopped by in the morning, I was extremely impressed by how well organized it was. So much was going on--tree planting, cement mixing, hammering, painting, digging, moving sod, etc. So happy for downtown Sacramento have a great new place for kids to play.

Lesley Miller on "Tower Cafe Turns 20"

2010-04-22T00:29:47Z

I really enjoy Tower Cafe as well. I went on Sunday for breakfast. The place was packed out at 8:30am! Congrats to Mr. Seyman. It's great to see local businesses thriving!

Lesley Miller on "A Celebrity Chef With No Kitchen"

2010-04-22T00:27:22Z

Great article, Scott. I have enjoyed getting to know Kristy, but this is the first time I've really read her full story. I'm sure she'll impress everyone at the Celebrity Chef event. Good luck to you, Kristy!

Lesley Miller on "Local API Coalition Works for a Complete Count"

2010-03-18T00:30:20Z

Great article. Thanks for covering this important issue. I'm hoping people in all minority groups will be educated on why the Census is especially important for them to complete.

Lesley Miller on "St. Patrick's Day Block Party to be livestreamed all day Wednesday"

2010-03-17T18:35:31Z

I'm loving these interviews. Thanks Sac Press!

Lesley Miller on "DeVere's is Balding"

2010-03-17T18:33:10Z

This is a great article and pictures. Kudos to De Vere's and the Keaton Raphael Memorial for putting together such a creative event.

Lesley Miller on "Hundreds of homes to be built at West Sac's riverfront"

2010-02-23T21:35:06Z

Really excited to hear about this new development. West Sacramento needs homes on the riverfront.

Lesley Miller on "Harlem Globetrotters Getting Silly at Midtown Ice Rink"

2010-01-07T18:49:46Z

I'm happy to see this article posted on Sac Press. I hadn't heard about this event anywhere else, and I think it's great exposure for both the Globetrotters and the ice rink. I'll probably walk down and take a look.

Lesley Miller on "A Christmas Carol"

2010-01-07T18:45:43Z

Just stumbled up on this article and wanted to mention that B Street has a Yelp page. I help with their marketing efforts and know that we'd love to see more reviews there. The link is: http://www.yelp.com/biz/b-street-theatre-sacramento

Lesley Miller on "Resident finds sanctuary in historic alley digs"

2009-12-28T23:22:13Z

Bravo to the writer for this fabulous article. I haven't read anything about alley living anywhere. Nicely done.

Lesley Miller on "Ask the Readers... What do you want from local small businesses on social media?"

2009-12-10T17:29:55Z

I work for 3Fold Communications, a small business in Midtown. We're a creative agency, so it was important for us to not only understand, but starting using social media. We dove in over a year ago and have found huge opportunities for engaging our clients, and getting to know vendors and competitors in the area. I follow many other small businesses in the area including several marketing agencies. They provide great insight that challenges my thinking and keeps me on top of my game. I hope I am doing the same for them. While many of us are competing for the same business, I think we've all seen that there is plenty of room to collaborate and help one another out. To me, this is what social networking is all about.

Lesley Miller on "Parade of Lights attracts hundreds"

2009-12-07T18:23:24Z

We tried to watch the parade from inside the L Wine Lounge. The out of town guests I brought were just as annoyed as I was that L Street was still open to cars. Talk about a lawsuit waiting to happen! I hate to be a downer, but these pictures make the parade look much more impressive than it actually was.

Ginger Hahn shares cupcake secrets

2009-12-07T18:18:30Z

Ginger Hahn of Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates may be best known as the area's chocolate connoisseur but if her cupcake classes are any indication, she may need to add a wing to her popular Midtown shop.

I stumbled upon Hahn's class thanks to an article in a (not to be named) Sacramento paper several weeks ago. My mom was planning a visit to Sacramento, and as anyone with family outside the area can attest, Old Sacramento loses its luster after multiple visits. I wanted to show my mom the Midtown I'm proud of. A cupcake making class in the L Street Lofts Penthouse seemed like the best way to show off our city's great views and culinary treats.

After a sold out chocolate making class several weeks ago, Hahn decided to open two cupcake lessons on Saturday to accommodate demand. I attended the two hour afternoon class, which covered four cakes and four frosting demonstrations.

The class started with instructions on how to bake Doughnut, Spiced Pumpkin and Chocolate Cupcakes. Once the cakes were baking, she demonstrated how to make Vanilla American Butter Cream, Espresso Orange Cream, Peppermint Swiss Butter Cream and Cream Cheese Frosting. Hahn may be young, but she certainly knows how to teach. She kept a steady pace throughout the class, answering questions with ease, cracking a few jokes (and plenty of eggs) while moving around the room to show those in the back rows a better view of her mixing bowls.

While some people might argue that a live cooking demonstration is unnecessary with access to so many television cooking channels and interactive recipe websites, I'd argue the opposite. Hahn allowed all participants to sample her creations as the class progressed, making it easier to understand the varieties in butter creams and cake density. My favorite creation was the doughnut cupcake, which could best be described as a Snickerdoodle in cupcake form. Hahn came up with the recipe after modifying a favorite morning muffin she grew up eating.

Hahn also offered numerous baking hints I'd never learned before. Several of her best hints are:

• Flour choice will greatly impact the density of your cake. When a recipe specifies the type of flour, it's important to follow the recommendation.
• Silicone molds work fine for baking, but traditional aluminized steel work best for flavor.
• To achieve the perfect cupcake shape, use a #20 ice cream scoop from restaurant supply stores. This tip made our entire class buzz with excitement.
• Making your own vanilla is easy and worth it for cost savings and flavor.

Hahn's very best decorating trick revolved around cost saving tips for making your own sprinkles. But, it wouldn't be a secret anymore if I shared the trick here. You'll have to sign up for her 2010 classes to soak up her talent and sweets for yourself. In the meantime, stop by her store at 19th and L Streets. Maybe, if you're lucky, she'll have a tray of cupcakes baking.

Sacramento marks World AIDS Day by advocating for drug funding; memorializing lives lost

2009-12-03T00:14:12Z

Millions of people from around the globe marked World AIDS Day on December 1. In Sacramento, local HIV/AIDS organizations worked hard to make the day about not only remembering lives lost, but also advocating for the 34,000 Californians who have HIV/AIDS. Many of those people are currently at risk of losing funding for their medications.

As California continues to face a state budget crisis, HIV/AIDS organizations statewide are fearful of more cuts to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). Funded by the federal and state government, ADAP provides essential anti-HIV medications to low-income people who are uninsured or underinsured. The potential cuts to ADAP come after Governor Schwarzenegger already eliminated $85 million in state funding for other vital HIV/AIDS services earlier this year, including many prevention, education, and counseling programs.

CARES used the annual day to call on the State Legislature to work with the Governor’s Administration and members of the California congressional delegation to devise a plan for averting the public healthcare crisis.

“There are 5,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the Sacramento region. Many of them are low-income people who will lose access to essential life-prolonging medications if our Governor eliminates ADAP funding,” said Bob Kamrath, Executive Director at the Center for AIDS Research, Education & Services. “ADAP keeps people alive – that is clearly non-debatable. This issue is not about dollars and cents, it’s about lives that will be lost if full funding is not maintained,” he added.

Many people who have already seen friends and family members die from the disease gathered for a city wide event at Tower Theatre. Speeches remembered countless lives lost, discussed the present epidemic, and focused on ending new HIV infections in the greater Sacramento area.

“I think science has stripped our hearts…We have lost sight of our young people. The vast majority of dollars spent are on drugs, with less than five percent being spent on prevention. My fear is that we’ll continue to see deaths,” said Dr. Donna DeFreitas of CARES.

A current patient at CARES joined Dr. DeFreitas in asking the community to take a stand against HIV. “People who have HIV need to step up to the plate and make a difference,” said Miguel Diaz, who has been infected with HIV for over 25 years.

Attendees were each given a wrapped red carnation with a space to write the name of a person they wanted to remember. After the event many stayed to view portions of the National AIDS Memorial Quilt, the largest community art project in the world. The panels contain names of people from the Sacramento area who have passed away.

Lesley Miller on "Area employers learn low cost ways to help employees stay healthy on the job"

2009-07-20T18:24:53Z

I completely agree. I ride to work at least 2-3 days a week (depending on the weather) and have found its faster, cheaper and better for me than a car or public transit. At this event, several employers talked about installing bike "garages" for their employees, and offering on-site showers to encourage people to bike.

Lesley Miller on "Slow Food educates, raises awareness on Urban Ag Day"

2009-07-17T00:33:02Z

Wish I could have attended the event. I love what all these groups are doing for our region. River City Food Bank is another nonprofit that gives out 3 day supplies of fresh food to the working poor and homeless. They are always in need of produce donations.

Area employers learn low cost ways to help employees stay healthy on the job

2009-07-17T00:28:35Z

Last week, the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA) announced that California’s obesity rates have nearly doubled in the last six years, costing the state an estimated $41 billion a year, and $1.7 billion in Sacramento alone.

While the statistics are discouraging, several local organizations are working to change people’s eating and exercising habits through low-cost programs in the workplace. Today, close to 100 employers from throughout the region gathered for a free seminar on why worksite wellness strategies are important, and how they can be implemented for little to no cost.

Organized by Wells Fargo Insurance Services, the Network for a Healthy California—Gold Country Region Worksite Program and the American Cancer Society Workplace Solutions, the event kicked off with a keynote by Dr. Tom Hopkins. Hopkins, a local physician and Chief Medical Correspondent for KCRA, gave the audience a clear picture on how an unhealthy workplace can negatively impact a company. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, about 2% of capital spent on workforce is lost to disability, absenteeism, and presenteeism caused by chronic diseases; and an equal amount is spent on the direct costs of healthcare.

“Keeping people well saves money,” said Hopkins, who went on to provide tips employers can use to empower employees to stay healthy. His advice included education, intervention, screening and tracking progress. He emphasized tracking progress as a key component to long term success, and the most commonly forgotten element by many employers.

During the event, several other presenters offered their advice on how employers can transform their workplaces.

Lynnette Kaminski, Director of Service Excellence for Wells Fargo Insurance Services, advised attendees to start small. According to her, many individuals and companies attempt to make huge changes in small amounts of time, resulting in no long term change. “Your first objective should be…don’t get worse,” she said.

She also advised workplaces to make their wellness activities team oriented. “In order for behavior change to stick, it must have a social connection.”

Companies desiring a more turn-key approach to offering worksite wellness programs were also offered several options during the two-and-a-half hour seminar. Vita Sarginson, Corporate Relations Manager for the American Cancer Society Workplace Solutions, and Mai Linh Thompkins from the Health Education Council, each spoke about the many free resources available online or through their websites.

"We have the power to save lives,” Thompkins said as she reminded the audience that employees spend 1/3 of their day in the workplace. By making even a small investment at work, employers could see large payoffs in their staff’s overall health and the bottom line.
Thompkins shared details about the Network for a Healthy California’s Fit Business Kit, now implemented at over 125 California businesses. Tools inside the kit include a customized action plan, instructions on starting a wellness committee and walking club, along with details on produce deliveries, healthy vending machines and starting the Take Action! 10-week challenge.

Maria Mariscol from SupHerb Farms in Turlock, spoke about her experience using the Network’s Take Action! Wellness challenge. Their employees, while resistant at first, came to enjoy the free nutrition classes, healthy food demonstrations and vending machine choices, and physical activities such as on-site yoga. The company also recently built a new gourmet demonstration kitchen, which is sometimes used by staff to cook healthy lunches and hold healthy cooking demonstrations.

Representatives from the City of West Sacramento, Sutter Connect and Pacific Coast Building Products Inc. also attended the seminar, speaking on their own challenges and successes implementing wellness programs.

Companies interested in implementing a wellness program at their place of work can contact Mai Linh Tompkins at (916) 556-3344 x 122, or visit www.healthedcouncil.org.

**Full Disclosure: Lesley Miller works for 3Fold Communications, a full service marketing agency in Midtown, Sacramento. The Health Education Council is a paying client at 3Fold.

Lesley Miller on "Michael Pollan: Not all "food" is food"

2009-06-12T20:20:43Z

Thanks for the great article. I wasn't able to attend the lecture, and hoped someone could give me a "debriefing" on what was discussed. I just got back in the office from visiting a community farm stand in Mather Field. The stand takes EBT cards. Other farmer's markets in the area don't have this ability. The program, called In the Grow, brings fresh fruits and veggies to the people who need it most. Just one way that our local community is putting Pollan's thoughts into action.

Lesley Miller on "Protesters Rally at the Capitol to prevent HIV/AID budget cuts"

2009-06-11T21:26:30Z

Thank you Tina for such an in-depth look at yesterday's rally. I love Carina Aguilar's quote the best-- "I am worth it and so are you."

Sacramento Nonprofit Announces a Plan to End HIV in the Region

2009-06-05T22:21:10Z

Sacramento’s largest HIV/AIDS nonprofit announced a plan last night that could potentially change the face of HIV in the city. CARES, the Center for AIDS Research, Education and Services, has partnered with community leaders, churches, politicians and hospitals to develop a five year campaign that will strive to eradicate all new cases of HIV in the region. The organization revealed the prevention and outreach strategies during their 20th Anniversary Gala on June 4 at the Radisson Hotel.

The campaign is called “Are you the difference?” and uses ambitious HIV/AIDS prevention and outreach strategies focusing on five key areas: getting people to know their HIV status; reducing new infections; ensuring sustainability of services; building a compassionate community; and improving health outcomes for people with HIV/AIDS.

“On a local and national level there is too much complacency about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The reality is we’re seeing climbing numbers of new infections each year mainly because people don’t understand the seriousness of this disease,” said Bob Kamrath, Executive Director at CARES. “With creativity and hard work, we believe it’s possible for Sacramento to become the first city in America to end all new cases of HIV.”

Between 800 to 1,000 people in Sacramento are unaware they are HIV positive. CARES hopes to identify 200 of these people each year, from 2010 to 2015, by increasing outreach in particularly hard hit African American and Latino populations. Other ways CARES plans to end the spread of HIV include: partnering with local churches to end the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, advocating for HIV testing as part of a routine health exam, developing aggressive marketing towards at-risk youth, creating a community wide HIV/AIDS volunteer program to increase community awareness, distributing over 30,000 condoms and lube each year promoting safe sex, and continuing the increase education in local schools.

CARES began developing the plan in fall of 2008 by gathering a steering committee that includes notable people such as Rick Cole, the Senior Pastor at Capital Christian Church; the Honorable Roger Dickinson of the County Board of Supervisors; Dr. Glennah Trochet, Health Officer for the County of Sacramento; The Honorable Darrell Steinberg, Senate President Pro Tempore; The Honorable Doris Matsui of the House of Representatives; along with several well known media figures, business leaders, and leading doctors at area hospitals.

From June 2009 to January 2010, CARES is garnering community support and raising funds for the five year campaign. The nonprofit kicked off their efforts by debuting a short video during the Gala which showed famous faces from around the region who are backing the effort. A region wide marketing campaign will soon follow, including billboards, a new website, building banners, print and radio advertisements, e-blasts, and targeted handouts, will drive people to the campaign’s new website, www.areyouthedifference.org. Once on the site CARES makes it possible for individuals, businesses and community organizations to register to “advocate” “volunteer” or “donate.”

“While CARES is leading this five year initiative to end HIV in Sacramento, we realize we can’t do it alone. That’s why we’re spending the remainder of 2009 sharing the plan and getting the community excited,” said Kamrath. “We hope that other cities will take notice by creating their own strategies to end HIV. Together, we can end this disease.”

Before the evening concluded, approximately 400 attendees signed a large charter pledging their support.

For more information about “Are You the Difference?” please visit www.areyouthedifference.org. For more information about CARES, visit www.caresclinic.org.

Disclosure: Lesley Miller works for 3Fold Communications as a copywriter, public relations director, and social media coordinator. The Center for AIDS Research, Education & Services is a client of 3Fold Communications.