Boston Living Center records

The Boston Living Center (BLC) is a non-profit community center that provides services to all people living with HIV regardless of race, ethnicity, class, sex, sexual orientation, religion, or handicap status. The Center aims to create a relaxing and uplifting environment to combat the negative physical and emotional effects of the virus. BLC strives to collaborate with the community and other organizations in order to eliminate the feeling of isolation prevalent among people with HIV. The Center provides over 50 programs and services, free of charge to its members.

The Center began as an idea in 1988 among people participating in the New England chapter of the AIDS memorialization and advocacy quilt project, The Names Project. Members of the New England Names Project, including Mel Reicher, Liz Hardy-Jackson, Natalie Provost, and J. R. McEvoy, met to establish an organization focused on assisting individuals with HIV/AIDS to experience life to the fullest, run by those with HIV/AIDS under the Massachusetts Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities. The peer-run aspect being important, the by-laws stated a minimum of 51% of the Board of Directors had to be HIV positive. The Center was formally incorporated in June 1990 and Leah Camhi was selected as Executive Director in 1992. Timothy Bennett became the first Chairman of the Board. The original staff also included two other full-time and four part-time positions including a meal coordinator, volunteer coordinator, office assistant, cook, intake counselor, and programming assistant. By 2006, 21 full-time and 7 part-time employees were part of the organization. From its first office on the 8th floor of the Clarendon Street YWCA, the BLC grew to be the largest peer-run community and resource center for people with HIV/AIDS in New England. In 1992, it had 750 members, 200-300 of whom were using the Center weekly. By 1997, the membership was over 1,000; by 2006 the total membership was 6,000 with 2,400 active members. In 1995, the BLC moved into its current location at 29 Stanhope Street allowing it extra space to provide additional services. Portions of the property were also sub-let to other organizations. In 1996, BLC became the first AIDS program in New England to provide services on weekends. A year after its incorporation, the BLC had only 70 volunteers; by 1997, it had 900.

Financial assistance to establish the Center was provided by the New England Names Project and the People with AIDS Coalition. In subsequent years, the Center was funded largely by the Ryan White CARES Act of 1990 (now known as Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act). The Ryan White Program Part A provides direct financial assistance to cities deemed Eligible Metropolitan Areas (EMAs) with a high HIV diagnosis rate. The Center reported in 2001 that it received 65% of its funds from federal, state, or city grants while 35% came from philanthropic donations from individual donations, fundraisers, and grants from outside organizations.

The Center has provided weekly meals since its inception. The Meals Program provides six hot meals a week in a community setting as well as nutritional supplements and consultations with a nutritionist. In 2000, an average of 2,500 hot meals were served a month. BLC is the only Greater Boston AIDS service organization to provide weekend meals as well as regular weekly lunches, and food “to go.”

The BLC offers numerous other programs to assist and support the HIV/AIDS community. Basic services include transportation, haircuts, and information regarding new clinical trials. Employment support services including career counseling, job referrals, and an internship program are available as medication advances allowed members with HIV to return to work. Legal, financial, and housing consultations are also available. Women's programming includes the Center's childcare program, called the Respite Childcare Center until 2001, when it expanded its offerings under the umbrella name of My Friend David's House after member David Stokes. The program offers workshops geared to parents, counseling sessions, and referral services for those who are both living with HIV and raising a family simultaneously.

In 1997, the Center enlarged its educational programs by offering over 45 Lifeline Workshops on various topics both educational and supportive through a Prevention and Education Grant from The Boston Public Health Commission. Lifeline Workshops provide members with access to professionals that provide information and methods to increase health and reduce risk behaviors. The workshops were offered with varying degrees of frequency depending on their topic. Topics include medication adherence, housing issues, group therapy, and healing techniques. The workshops also targeted specific sub-constituencies such as women, Latinos, African-Americans, deaf members, and long-term survivors.

The BLC also focuses on artistic expression through art classes including drawing, painting, photography, sculpting, and writing. The Center has sponsored many art exhibits including a traveling photography exhibit in 1994, entitled A Day in the Life: Living with HIV/AIDS, which spent two weeks in Boston City Hall before traveling around Massachusetts. The Art of Living exhibit in 1997 featured visual art and writing by BLC members and was published as a book to raise funds for the Center.

The Center produces two publications, Centerpeace and Lifetimes (called Cornerstone for a short time). These newsletters focus on the Center's members and donors respectively. Centerpeace is a monthly newsletter written by members and staff and includes information about new therapies, volunteer opportunities, upcoming events, and provides a space for members to engage in creative writing. Lifetimes reports on the use of donor contributions (including the annual report), new programs, services, and achievements.

Social events and community outings offer a chance to get together with other members. One of the Center's most significant events is the Celebration of Life Thanksgiving Dinner, an outgrowth of Peter Clark's 1987 Celebration of Life Thanksgiving Dinner of HIV positive friends in the midst of the AIDS crisis. Peter Clark started hosting this event at the Roxy Club as a way for HIV positive individuals to celebrate the holiday together at a time where the stigma attached to the disease might keep them from celebrating elsewhere. The event continues to bring in large crowds and celebrity servers who assist as part of TIP Teams. The TIPS for Living Program is a fundraising concept built into the Celebration of Life Thanksgiving Dinner where the volunteer wait staff's “tips” are used as donations for the Center. As part of the dinner, the Peter David Clark Award is presented to an individual who has helped further AIDS awareness.

The Center has successfully partnered with over 10 other organizations in the Greater Boston area to increase its services and impact. The Boston Living Center partnered with the Justice Resource Institute to provide mental health clinicians onsite, with Parents in a Pinch to provide on-call childcare, and Deaf Incorporated to provide American Sign Language interpretation. Other partnerships have included the AIDS Action Committee, Men of Color Against AIDS, Women of Color AIDS Council, and the North Shore AIDS Project, often referring members to these organizations' services.

In 2000, Cathy Morales succeeded Leah Camhi as Executive Director, followed by Valerie Tebbetts from 2009 to 2010. Financial issues in 2008-2010 almost closed the Center; it was kept open by an emergency fundraising drive and the leadership of Larry Kessler, founder of the AIDS Action Committee, who came out of retirement to help re-establish the organization. In 2012, the Boston Living Center merged with Victory Programs, a 40-year-old Boston non-profit that provides health and housing services to the homeless, though the BLC continues to utilize its own space.

1987

Peter David Clark hosts the first Celebration of Life Thanksgiving Dinner at the home of Kevin George.

1988

The idea for the Boston Living Center is formed by members of the New England Chapter of The Names Project.

1989

Initial kick-off function at Zanzibar.

1989

The first issue of the newsletter Centerpeace.

1989 Nov 15

Grand Opening

1990

The Boston Living Center is incorporated and resides on the 8th floor of the Claredon Street YWCA.

1991

First Board of Directors Election

1992

Leah Camhi selected as Executive Director

1992

Peter Clark passes away and the Boston Living Center takes over the Celebration of Life Dinner.

1993

The Celebration of Life moves from The Roxy/Silverado Club to the Hynes Convention Center.

1994

A Day in the Life: Living with HIV/AIDS photograph exhibit.

1995

The BLC moves to 29 Stanhope Street.

1995 Sep 18

Grand Opening

1995-1998

Lifetimes, a donor-geared newsletter, is produced.

1996

Meal program expanded to include weekends.

1997

The first Lifeline Workshops are held.

1997

The Art of Living exhibit and book are produced.

2000

Dog Day Afternoon fundraiser.

2000-2006

The donor-geared newsletter is revived under the name Cornerstone.

2000-2009

Cathy Morales succeeds Leah Camhi as Executive Director.

2001

Dedication of My Friend David's House, an umbrella name for programs tailored to families with children.

2007

Cornerstone is renamed Lifetimes.

2008-2010

Valerie Tebbetts serves as Executive Director.

2012

Boston Living Center mergers with Victory Programs.