Newspapers / Community Connections (Asheville, N.C.) / May 1, 1992, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of Community Connections (Asheville, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
COMMUNITY CONNE C TIONS Asheville Gay and Lesbian Information Line: 253-2971 A project of the Asheville Goy end Lesbian Community Council To report anti-gay/HIV + discrimination/violence: 253-1656 U.S. Department of Justice toll-free: 1-800-347-HATE Asheville, NC Serving the Southern Appalachian Gay/Lesbian Community Vol. IV, No. 5 May 1992 Bill Bednarek Succumbs to AIDS William (Bill) Bednarek The gay/lesbian and HIV communi ties suffered a tremendous loss when Wil liam (Bill) Bednarek passed away March 31, 1992. Bill served untiringly as AIDS educa tor for the Western North Carolina AIDS Project, a position he held until his illness prevented him from continuing. In that capacity, Bill did all he could to ensure that others did not get the disease. He was co founder and an active member of the Moun tain AIDS Coalition. He was also an active member of CLOSER. He was instrumental in helping lay the groundwork for the WNC HIV/AIDS Consortium. Bill was a member of the Episcopal AIDS Task Force, f REMEMBER: IN THE PRIMARIES, EVERY VOTE COUNTS 4 OR 5 TIMES (BECAUSE ONLY 20-25% OF PEOPLE VOTE) VOTE MAY 5 See story on page 3 as well as a member of RAIN, a support system for people with terminal illness. The following was written by Bill’s life partner, Tim Edwards. I won’t try to put into words the devastation Bill and I felt when he was diagnosed with AIDS, but Bill refused to fall prey to the devastation. Instead, he channeled his energy toward mak ing Asheville a better place for gays and PWA’s. Many good things came as a result of his work and devotion, but I don’t have to tell the gay and HIV communities how wonderful he was; he showed it in his works. Bill’s suffering was a very private thing to him; therefore, I won’t write of his last days. I love all of you who An Open Letter from the Board of Community Connections Community Connections needs your help. NOW. If we don't raise $5,000 by the end of May, this may be the last issue that you read. Are we prepared to let that happen? Every month Community Connections brings us local, regional and national news. Every month Community Connections keeps us informed of events going on in the area. Every month Community Connec tions gives expression to our varied voices. In short, every issue of Community Con nections weaves separate gay and lesbian organizations and individuals into a won derfully diverse and cohesive regional com munity. And every month, it does it reli ably and timely, without fail. To produce a paper of Community Connections' quality takes money. For every issue that we bring to you, we record expenses of approximately $2500. Over the last two years, Community Connec tions has met its expenses through adver tising revenues and CLOSER and SALGA contributions, supplemented by small fundraisers organized by the Board and staff. But the single greatest financial sup port for the paper came in the form of a $10,000 contribution in the Spring of 1991, made by an anonymous donor who is not a shared in his and my pain. Like Bill, those days were filled with caring and compassion. Thank you all! I can’t express how much I appreci ate the support the gay and HIV com munities showed me by attending Bill's memorial service. It was wonderful of each of you to come and pay respect to Bill. I know we all loved him and miss him so much. I only want to say one personal thing. Every night that goes between his death and the present I feel the loss a little more. Contributions can be made in Bill’s name to Mountain Area Hospice, P.O. Box 16, Asheville, NC 28802. member of the gay and lesbian community. That grant was meant to last only through last Fall, but thanks to good management and much volunteering, it has lasted twice as long. It is now, though, almost gone! The Board and staff are hard at work on a fundraising strategy that includes increased advertising revenues, fundraising events, organizational and private founda tion support, and an individual donor plan. But make no mistake, no matter what approach we take—advertisers, foundations, etc.--it all comes back to us: the readers! Advertisers will pay more for their space if readership increases. The very few private foundations that support lesbian and gay projects will expect subscribers to make up their start-up contributions on an ongoing basis. So, the ball is in our court! If each Community Connections subscriber (in cluding CLOSER/SALGA members) con tributes at least $15, we can meet our goal of $5,000 to keep the paper going. Because the situation is so urgent, the Board has decided to follow up this public appeal with phone calls. In early May, a Commu nity Connections volunteer will be calling each subscriber (and even non-subscrib ers) that we haven't heard from as of that NC D.A. Drops CAN Charges by Clint Werner North Carolina gays and lesbians were surprised and encouraged by the decision of Carl Fox, district attorney for Orange and Chatham counties, not to prosecute two gay men on charges of committing a crime against nature. The men were ar rested for allegedly engaging in oral sex in an automobile that was parked at an aban doned Western Sizzler restaurant. continued on page 3 time. In return for your support at this crucial time, we promise to work even harder not to have this campaign again for at least six months. Community Connections is a unique paper. For example, it publishes a monthly calendar and a list of local, regional and national resources. It accepts no "900" or sex ads. But most unique of all, Commu nity Connections is owned by all of us—the lesbian and gay community of these moun tains! We don't have owners or publishers who benefit from the paper's profit (or who absorb its losses). We are here only to serve our community—nothing else! We need to think of Community Connections like we think of public radio or public television, but unlike public radio and television, which have government and corporate support, Community Connec tions has only us to count on! So, it really is up to each of us. A contribution of $15 will keep the paper going. Of course, we will be grateful for more if you can, or less if you can't. Whether or not you read us again depends on you. Please ACT NOW! Sincerely, The Board: Carlos Gomez, Michelle Greenspan, Ron Lambe, Karen Lockee, Amy Springer, Barry Ward V
Community Connections (Asheville, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
May 1, 1992, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75