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MEMORIALS
MCATF
Looses One of Our Own - Arlene F. Valentine
 CHAMPAIGN – A
celebration of life gathering for Arlene F. Valentine, 55, Champaign will be
Tuesday, July 31, 2007, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Heath and Vaughn Funeral Home,
201 N. Elm St., Champaign.
Friends will meet at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, 201 Kenyon
Road, Champaign, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Arlene passed away unexpectedly early Saturday morning, July 28, 2007.
Arlene, a longtime AIDS activist and advocate for social reform, was a valued
member of the Infectious Disease Division at Champaign-Urbana Public Health
District. Her major at the U of I was social welfare. She worked her entire life
fighting for equality and justice for people who were isolated, stigmatized or
discriminated against. She was a unique and selfless person with a curious mind,
an infectious laugh and an enormous heart.
She was born May 21, 1952, in Harvey.
She leaves behind a loving sister, Lynn R. Valentine, Chicago, and many grieving
friends and colleagues at CUPHD, the Illinois Department of Public Health and
the McLean County AIDS Task Force.
She will be especially missed by her best friend, colleague and collaborator,
Jeffery Erdman.
Arlene touched more lives than she could ever know.
Arlene was recently named one of "20 Outstanding Women You Should Know" in East
Central Illinois.
Arlene was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs but left home in her late
teens to attend the U of I, Urbana-Champaign. In the early 1980s, one of
Arlene's best friends from college began getting ill. News reports at the
time mentioned a new disease. Arlene and her friend began researching
information about the disease, which soon had a name: HIV and AIDS. Arlene took
some of the earliest training offered to teach about and attempt to prevent the
disease. She became a Red Cross instructor trainer in HIV, serving the entire
state of Illinois. She was also an instructor trainer in First Aid and CPR.
Her AIDS work brought Arlene to the newly formed McLean County AIDS Tasks Force
(MCATF). The organization was struggling at the time with the issue of whether
to serve people without public notice or to become very public with their
activities. Arlene and others prevailed to bring the issues and services forward
with public notice. Soon, a major fundraising campaign was needed by the
organization, and Arlene helped chair the first events: a
major "Dining with Friends" event, a Cabaret Concert and a significant bequest.
Once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initiated programs to begin
funding community-based organizations to conduct HIV prevention activities,
Arlene became involved in HIV planning for the state of
Illinois, and regionally through the Region Six Implementation Group, operated
out of Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. Through a statewide grant to
CUPHD, Arlene was hired to provide and develop HIV prevention for
gay youths throughout Illinois.
Arlene has presented at national conferences and received two statewide awards
for her HIV service, the last awarded in 2006 at the Illinois HIV and STD
statewide conference. Arlene stated that she felt she had received more than she
had given, as she acquired so many friends through her work and would never
trade never knowing those she lost to AIDS.
Arlene's important life lesson learned was to be nonjudgemental about the
choices people make as many times they are not choices at all. Lessening stigma
can change the course of AIDS.
Memorial contributions may be made to the McLean County AIDS Task Force, 313 N.
Main St., Bloomington, IL 61701; and The One Campaign, 1400 Eye St. N.W., Suite
601, Washington, D.C. 20005.
Arlene once said, "The current recognition (as one of the 20 Outstanding Women)
would mean the most to me if I knew that everyone reading this would embrace the
differences and diversity in their workplaces and among family
and friends. The rewards for you and the difference in the lives of those you
touch can be limitless!"
Condolences may be offered at
www.heathandvaughn.com.
Published in The News-Gazette on 7/30/2007.
Kevin Charles Butler Memorial Fund
 Kevin Charles Butler, a long-time member and
former Director-at-Large on the Board of Directors, passed away unexpectedly on
April 1st, 2006. As his life partner, I'm asking Kevin's friends & family,
in lieu of flowers, Kevin would have wanted you to donate your time or money to
the McLean County AIDS Task Force (a 501(c)3 non-profit community based
organization). As of today, Friday, April 28th, approximately $700 has
been raised in his name. The most recent addition to the fund was just
over $430 that was raised by the students, faculty & staff at Illinois Wesleyan
University during their most recent talent night contest, where Kevin served
annually as their 'celebrity judge.' For more information on Kevin, his
life, his passing, or to help in other ways, contact me, Kevin's partner for the
last 12+ years. You can reach me at:
EdBruner@mcatf.org or 310-8423 cell.
To donate your time:
Edward S Bruner, Chair - 827-2437 -
EdBruner@mcatf.org
To donate money, their are 3 methods:
1.) ONLINE - Click the donate button below.
You can donate on PayPal
PayPal accepts VISA, MasterCard, American Express,
Discover Card
2.) Stop By the Office - Call first @
827-AIDS (2437) to ensure our Administrative Assistant,
Robyn Folks, is available.
3.) MAIL CHECK - Mail your check to:
Kevin Charles Butler
Memorial Fund
McLean County AIDS Task Force
Client Services Division
313 N Main St, POX 304
Bloomington, IL 61702-0304
* A receipt will be sent to the address on the check,
unless otherwise noted *
Every dollar of your donation will go directly towards the needs of a local
person living with HIV/AIDS
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