The Launching of Test Positive Aware
A revisited note from the founder
by Christopher S. Clason
Editor’s note: Chris Clason was the founder of Test Positive Aware Network (see the November/December 2000 issue of Positively Aware). This letter to the membership ran in the September 1987 issue of the Test Positive Aware Newsletter. His vision of growth has been realized. Chris Clason died in December 1991, but his spirit lives on in the organization he founded, and in the hearts of his friends and family, and even those who—like myself—never met him.—Enid Vázquez
When Test Positive Aware (TPA) began its weekly fellowship meetings last June, there was a list of 20 interested people and a broad-based proposed agenda for the group. Over the summer, the membership has more than tripled. The weekly meetings have addressed a wide spectrum of issues and concerns and have provided a wealth of information about AIDS and HIV exposure. Thanks to the input, energy, and interest of its membership, TPA is fast becoming one of the most comprehensive and thorough information networks on issues that affect HIV-impacted people in the Midwest, if not the country.
TPA has become more than a data exchange. Members have expressed needs on many levels and TPA’s agency is tailored to address personal, social, and political concerns as well as medical and scientific issues. We have learned that there is more to life than T-cell counts alone. We are discovering inner strengths and the courage to face head-on all aspects of HIV infection. We have begun to explore new avenues of personal growth: to open our minds to all possibilities; to open our hearts to people who share our concerns, if not our beliefs, experiences, or desires.
If there is one thing I have discovered within the circle of familiar and new faces that gather each week—something I am certain many others have discovered as well—it is that rather than limiting ourselves to the perimeter of the circle, each meeting of TPA is a further expansion of self, of discovery and of healing. There is room here. Room to learn, room to share, room to grow. TPA will grow. I hope that you will be a part of the growing process.
TPA’s plan for organization is now underway. Over the summer, we have had the luxury of minimum structure and a relaxed, informal forum. We want to maintain that casual and comfortable ambiance, but to ensure that the group continues to be effective and members’ needs are being met, some management and planning systems have to be established. In other words, the honeymoon is over. There is work to do. I hope that we can depend on your involvement to help TPA reach its full potential.
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