The March 9th meeting will be back at the Crowne Plaza as usual and we will have a fascinating speaker. Albertina Nyatsi is an activist, living with HIV who was tested and diagnosed after having been diagnosed with Tuberculosis.

She is trained as a school teacher, and is now using her life to educate and train others about issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, especially as they pertain to women. She also wants to demonstrate that you can live openly with HIV/AIDS. She has worked directly with communities through groups such as Swaziland AIDS Support Group and Positive Women Together.

She has been quoted in the media numerous times and participated in SAfAIDS Strengthening Community Capacities in Prevention, Care, Support and Treatment of HIV and AIDS program, and provided testimony at the launching of the Swaziland Stop TB partnership, among other activities. She currently works with the Swaziland National Network of People Living with HIV/AIS.

"It was the head teacher of the school where I taught who first told about my HIV," teacher Albertina Nyatsi, 28, recalled. "Two weeks later, he told me not to come back. He didn't use HIV as the excuse. He didn't give any reason. I went to the Ministry of Education. I was their employee, and the employee of any particular school or head teacher. But they reassigned me to another school."

To read more about Albertina Nyatsi click here!

Special Event:  March 9th, Food Drive

Our next special event will culminate on March 9th at Jewish Family Services Food Bank, located at 5402 Arapaho Road (across from Walmart). We will be collecting food at our meeting on the 9th. We would like for everyone to collect a minimum of 10 cans/food products. Please e-mail Tracey with a confirmation that you will do this. If you need a flyer, please contact Tracey. The JFS has a matching grant for March and for each can of food they receive they will get $1 donated to the Food Pantry.

The Food Pantry needs:

Staples:

Pasta, rice, dry potatoes, mayonnaise, jelly, jam, oil, tomato sauce, canned fruits, canned tuna, peanut butter, chili, soup, beans, salt-free and sugar-free products

Beverages:

Coffee, tea, fruit juices, fruit drinks,

Kosher products

Personal Care Items:

Shampoo, bar soaps, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, diapers, feminine hygiene products

Paper Goods:

Tissues, toilet paper, paper-towels

Household Goods:

Laundry detergents, soaps, all-purpose cleaners

What CANNOT be used:

"Exotic" foods, such as caviar, marinated artichokes, hearts of palm, open containers of any kind

ALL FOOD NEEDS TO BE IN DATE!

Look for more information in next week's newsletter and Tracey will be talking about it at the meeting on Tuesday. If you would like more information, please e-mail Tracey 

Raffle:  Every Week!

Show me the money!  We will have a “BIG JACKPOT” raffle drawing every week.  Here are the rules.

-          The drawing will be held every week after the speaker concludes.  Tickets can be bought up to that time.  $1 for 1 ticket, $5 gets 6 tickets.

-          A ticket will be drawn at the end of the meeting.

-          But the weekly winner, will not automatically get the jackpot.  To ensure we have a BIG JACKPOT, we then ask the winner to draw the “winning card” from a standard deck of 52 cards.  If they pull the “winning card”, they get the BIG JACKPOT.

-          How do we determine the “winning card”?  After the jackpot is won, we will draw one card from a standard deck of 52 cards.  That card becomes the “winning card.”  It is reinserted into the deck.

-          If a non-winning card is drawn by the weekly drawing winner, that card is discarded.  This means the odds of drawing the “winning card” will improve every week as the BIG JACKPOT grows.

-          The jackpot is rolled over every week until the “winning card” is drawn.

-          The value of the BIG JACKPOT will be reported in the newsletter.

-       Half of the winning pot goes to the Addison Midday Rotary Foundation.