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. (more…)
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
Wednesday, January 28 @ 7:30-9:00pm - RLA Leadership presents an evening with Justin Early, author of StreetChild: An Unpaved Passage
Friday, February 20 @ 10pm-1:30am - RLA’s Fire & Ice Skate Party @ World on Wheels
Saturday, February 21 Oakwood School Glove Affair
Saturday, July 25 OVAHNESS 4
REACH LA was selected to be a beneficiary of Macy’s Passport Fund. On September 26, REACH LA staff,G2G and Ovahness leadership teams and volunteers headed out to Barker Hanger in Santa Monica to participate in Macy’s Passport: Fashion Inform night. The REACH LA team facilitated activities that taught youth about HIV/AIDS, STDs and risk reduction. Armed with “rub-on” tattoos, REACH LA discussed how HIV can be transmitted thru sharing needles.
Others manned the “Fishing for Answers” game, where youth threw pingpong balls into brightly colored fish bowls that identified either a HIV, STD, pregnancy prevention, or substance abuse questions. REACH LA Volunteers from Oakwood School proudly ran the popular “Tongue Billards” game that helped players learn the importance and ease of barrier use. All game winners were awarded with “Macy’s Bucks” that were redeemable for a variety of prizes. All of REACH LA’s volunteers were rewarded with the opportunity to see the Macy’s Passport fashion show complete with fashions by Ed Hardy- Christian Audigier, Ben Sherman, Levi and Calvin Klein. REACH LA rode in style to and from the event in the Power 106FM provided their “party bus.” (more…)
Battling Scarecrows… “Stephanie Mills Dorothy” vs. “Diana Ross Dorothy” were some of the battles that took place at OVAHNESS Ball 3 - Welcome to the Emerald City.” The festive green glow was highlighted by the yellow runway where 450 youth gathered to see the hottest voguing, twisting and posing on the westcoast. Jack Mizarhi shared the commentating with Enyce Chanel who encouraged all to just “ease on down, ease on down the road.” LA favorite DJ Ben provided the beats. Representatives LA, Oakland, Atlanta, and New York battled for $1,000 in prize money. REACH LA staff and volunteers provided one-on-one risk reduction counseling to 65 youth throughout the night while AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Bienestar and LA Gay and Lesbian Center’s POW program provided free HIV testing and STD screenings until midnight. Ovahness Program Manager Tyrone Carter said “WOW, this night was a great success! The Ovahness Leadership team should be proud - all their hard work in marketing and promoting really paid off. They did a great job in planning this thing and bringing all the elements together.” (more…)
This Saturday night get ready to channel your inner Dorothy, Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow at the OVAHNESS Ball 3 - Welcome to the Emerald City. Saturday, July 26, 2008 at GAM Art Center - 4975 W. Pico Blvd. LA 90019.$20 before 11pm, $25 after. All youth under age 24 are eligible for complete refund before 11pm just talk with a REACH LA volunteer to learn how. All proceed will go to the OVAHNESS Young Men’s Health Program to continue its work in HIV/AIDS prevention education and leadership development.Doors open at 9pm. Free HIV Testing from 9pm-midnight will be provided by AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Bienestar and LA Gay and Lesbian Center. Ball will begin at 10pm and conclude at 1am. Tables for the event are still available for $50 by contacting Sean Milan Infinity at 213-622-1650 x103. Go to myspace.com/ovahness for event details.
Last night over 75 youth came to the Pre O3 Party held at the offices of REACH LA. Staff and volunteer counselors met one-on-one with 61 youth to discuss sexual health, risky behavior and benefits of HIV testing. Twenty youth took advantage of the free HIV counseling and testing services provided by Bienestar. As youth waited for their risk reduction session, they ate chinese food and pizza, watched movie “The Wiz”, got re-aquainted with REACH LA staff, and hung out with their friends. “Everytime we do this event I get to catch up with all the kids & house parents who have been a part of the REACH LA family” boasts Executive Director Martha Chono-Helsley, “We have a great time checking in with each other.”
The evening also marked the debut of REACH LA’s Peer Health Advocates Devaughn Sherman, Justin Yoshida and Stacy Alford, newly trained and certified community youth who work within their social networks to get sexually active youth to test for HIV. (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.
