Every Penny Counts

In November 1987, Fred Skau, a bartender on Polk Street, put an empty glass
jar on his bar with a sign asking for donations for people with AIDS. In the
following month leading up to Christmas, other bars joined the effort and
over $10,000 in coins was collected. The Every Penny Counts project was
born. Over the next several years, AIDS Emergency Fund's Every Penny Counts
expanded exponentially. Over 500 jars were placed in restaurants, bars,
retail stores and small businesses. An army of volunteers canvassed the
neighborhoods emptying jars and bringing the coins to AIDS Emergency Fund.
Other volunteers sorted, counted and bagged the coins.

In 1995, the Every Penny Counts Campaign began teaching Bay Area School
children about the importance of giving back by collecting spare change. In
addition to helping people who are battling AIDS pay their rent and medical
bills, students learn about the financial struggles faced by people fighting
AIDS. So each school year, between September and February, Bay Area schools
challenge each other to collect the most change in jars in their classrooms.
The campaign culminates each year around Valentine's Day, when several
schools are hand picked to receive special recognition and cash donations
from Wells Fargo.



Request Your Own Jar!

To request your own jar for your home, office or business, please contact:
Kelly Rivera Hart
Every Penny Counts Coordinator
415-558-6999
penny.merchants@aef-sf.org

Volunteer for Every Penny Counts

To volunteer as an Every Penny Counts Project volunteer please email:
volunteer@aef-sf.org

Re-Organization Retreat Coming Soon

We are currently coordinating a weekend retreat in the SF Bay area for members and supporters to gather and discuss UTOPIASF's future. Please stay tuned for further details. If you are interested in attending, please contact Sedrick at svanisi@gmail.com to include your name on the list of attendees.

UTOPIA Celebrates 2010 Pride In The Big Apple

This year, members from UTOPIASF & UTOPIAHawaii will join UTOPIANYC in the NYC Pride Parade Celebration. Please stayed for further details. You can also follow this event via facebook.

Gay Asian Pacific Alliance Offering Capacity Building Workshop

Gay Asian Pacific Alliance aka GAPA, is a non profit outreach organization based in San Francisco, California. Recently, the organization received a grant from Horizons Foundation this year to create capacity building workshops. As part of that grant, GAPA has offered to put together one or two leadership trainings that are open to the queer API community.

The organization is soliciting feedback from the UTOPIASF and its GLBT Polynesian community at large regarding courses or professional development that may help strengthen UTOPIASF.
GAPA has been meeting with CompassPoint about doing the training. The following link is to the course catalog. https://www.compasspoint.org/onevent/topic.php?tid=6

Currently, GAPA is considering perhaps a one day or maybe even two one-day courses with a registration fee of $20 for GAPA or UTOPIASF members(consideration to extend invitation to other organizations to participate is pending) and $50.00 for non-members(The courses are typically $155+).

There are two classes GAPA feel maybe most beneficial to the community which is a one-day
combined Board Governance and Fundraising Class. And possibly a Volunteer
management class.

UTOPIASF agrees with GAPA that this is a great opportunity to invest in some leadership development in our community and also build some more bridges between our organizations.

For more information, please contact Sedrick Vanisi at svanisi@gmail.com

Malama Pono

2009 Holiday Season Social

This event is to thank the volunteers,friends and families that came out this year in support of the GLBT Polynesian community as advocates for repealing California's proposition 8 denying same sex couples the right to legally. Your support and dedication has been a great inspiration to the community. We hope you will continue to stand beside us as we work together to over turn this discriminating policy. Please join us in celebrating your support and the holiday season with appetizers, desserts,beer, wine with holiday music and cheer at the a.Muse art gallery in San Francisco.

Note: To avoid exceeding the maximum capacity, the event will be invitation only on a first come first serve basis. Please contact Sedrick Vanisi for details on making reservations. (svanisi@gmail.com)