REACH LA NEWS

Ovahness Ball 4: L’ Acte Finale brought out the best talent and showman/womanship from all points of the United States. The audience of 400 watched the grand prize battle between the House of Mizrahi and the House of Xtravaganza bring the message of HIV prevention to a new level. Lead by Icon and Ballroom Hall of Famer Mother Carmen Xtravaganza, the House of Xtravaganza took the $1000 Grand Prize back to New York City.
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SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, July 25, 2009

Categories are posted on myspace.com/ovahness

REACH LA is proud to announce that Francisco (Frank) Armenta, 20, REACH LA’s own Ovahness Leader, has received the 2009 Courage Award by the Colin Higgins Foundation. Frank is one of three national winners who will be honored at the Trevor Project Gala in New York City on June 29, 2009.

Battling homophobia on a daily basis in East Los Angeles, Frank was routinely called a “faggot” throughout high school. After being kicked out of class by a teacher for “gay” artwork on his binder, Frank called a parent-teacher meeting, only to learn that his Mexican-Catholic family would not stand up for him due to their embarrassment that he was gay. This experience fueled him to become an activist, spanning from collaborating with the GSA to design a new web-based campaign, ”Be An Ally”, to support gay youth at his predominantly Latino high school, to becoming the youngest certified HIV Counselor and Tester in LA county. Through his activism to increase youth HIV testing, Frank has been able to provide invaluable recommendations to key policy makers on best practices for treating queer youth of color during the testing process. Currently, Frank works at REACH LA as a Social Enterprise Assistant and Peer Health Counselor, and continues to fuse his passion for graphic art design with his activism by creating all the electronic and print media for the Ovahness program serving queer young men of color. He also helps support other community LGBT youth groups such as Connect to Protect by creating original designs for their marketing materials and media campaigns.

Ana Lopez, REACH LA’s former Outreach Coordinator, also received the Courage Award honor in 2006.

Women & Girl’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was celebrated with a teach in , resource fair and free HIV testing on Friday, March 13, 2009 at the El Camino College Compton Community Educational Center. Around 150 women and girls took part in a variety of workshops, including topics such as the global and local issues on HIV, sex and sexuality from a cultural perspective, race and gender identity, prostitution, partner abuse, female anatomy, birth control, emergency contraception and self- esteem. Voluteer presenters from Black Women for Wellness, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, YWCA GLA Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Women’s Leadership Project, Pacific Institute for Women’s Health and Charles Drew University generously donated their time and expertise to educate others at the event. In resource square, AIDS Research Alliance, Black Women for Wellness, National Council on Alchol and Drug Dependence. Planned Parenthood LA, South Bay Family Healthcare, Tarzana Treatment Center-Long Beach, Women Alive, Women at Risk and YWCA of Greater Los Angeles provided resource information to the event attendees. (more…)

REACH LA staff, leaders from the Ovahness Team , G2G Leadership and volunteers educated 150 youth at this year’s Oakwood School HIV/AIDS fundraiser, “The Glove Affair.” The REACH LA youth manned HIV/AIDS prevention games like “Tongue Billiards,” “Condom Races,” “Fishing for Answers” and “Sexopoly.” Volunteer Tim Ochoa conducted Fortune Telling all evening while Warren High School volunteers Jair Mayorga, Emily Helsley, Diego Avalos and Alec Foskerino educated attendees about clean needles and tattooing. Many thanks go to the tireless efforts of our Leadership team members Lance, Darrin, Kayla, Desiree, Rosa, Jasmine, Melle, Shannon, Melissa, Vanessa & friend.

REACH LA Presents
Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Event@ El Camino College Compton Community Educational Center (formerly Compton College)
1111 Artesia Blvd, Student Lounge
Compton, CA 90221
Friday, March 13, 2009
Noon-7pm

REACH LA and the G2G Leadership Program will be hosting this all-day event featuring a series of HIV & Health workshops, resource fair, films, HIV counseling and testing for women and girls this Friday at El Camino College Compton Community Educational Center (Compton College Campus). The workshops for women, from noon-3pm, range from Global to Local issues and HIV, Sex and Sexuality from a cultural perspective, sex for hire, partner abuse and HIV. Later in the afternoon, from 4pm -7pm, there will be express workshops geared towards youth, ages 12-24, with an emphasis on basic HIV 101, female anatomy, Birth Control, Self-Esteem and Sexual Bartering – understanding Boundaries. From 12 noon-6pm in the Student Lounge will be the health resource fair and “Quick Counseling,” a service manned by local HIV/AIDS prevention specialist to provide one-on-one consultations about HIV/AIDS, testing and risk reduction. From 3pm-4pm in the Student Lounge, the local YMCA will have a women’s self defense demonstration and REACH LA will facilitate a variety of HIV/STD games for prizes. Free HIV Testing and STD screening will be available by AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the Drew Mobile HIV/STD Testing Unit. This event was funded in part by a grant from HHS and the Office of Women’s Health, the Liberty Hill Foundation/Pobladores Fund and the James Irvine Foundation.

For more information contact Kafi Battersby at 213-622-1650 x102.

The OVAHNESS Fire & Ice Skate Party on Friday, February 20th was a huge success! Two-Hundred youth participated in REACH LA’s HIV risk reduction counseling sessions to gain free entry the event. REACH LA Peer Advocates helped youth obtain free HIV and STD testing while they waited for the doors to open. Free testing was provided by the LA Gay and Lesbian Center’s POW Mobile Testing Unit. DJ Ben rocked the house with a great mix of sounds.
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A REACH LA OVAHNESS EVENT

FIRE & ICE Skate Party
Friday, February 20, 2009

World on Wheels
4645 1/2 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
Event begins at 9:00pm
General Admission $10
First 200 Youth under age 24 are eligible for a FREE admission - Ask at the door
Free HIV Testing provided by LA Gay and Lesbian Center

Friday, February 20th, 2009
Event Begins at 9:00pm
@ World on Wheels
4645 1/2 Venice Blvd.
LA, CA 90019

Admission is $10.00
The first 200 youth under the age of 24 are eligible for free admission – ask at the door.

FREE HIV TESTING provided by LA Gay and Lesbian Center
For more information please contact Tyrone Carter at 213-622-1650 x104

REACH LA has received generous grants from The Collin Higgins Foundation and The National AIDS Fund to support the prevention outreach efforts and leadership development of the OVAHNESS Young Men’s Health and Leadership programs. “This funding comes at a critical time when public service funds are being cut and agencies are closing their doors,” said Executive Director Martha Chono-Helsley, “we are extremely grateful for their support.”