spotlight

In 2006, Cathy Blackstone had her hands full at work, but it wasn’t enough to keep her satisfied. She wanted to volunteer in her spare time, and she wanted to make a difference with an organization that served the LGBT community and advanced civil rights. When she went online and started looking for opportunities to serve on a nonprofit board, ALRP became the beneficiary of her boundless energy.

Whenever ALRP client Stokes first enters a space—the hallways of his apartment building, a city bus, a restaurant—only one thing crosses his mind. “Is this space safe for me?” In addition to being HIV-positive, Stokes suffers from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Exposure to perfume or cologne causes him nausea, headaches, and difficulty breathing. Ironically, safe access to medical facilities has been one of his biggest challenges.