Susan Terry. (Photo courtesy the Susan Terry Foundation)
TAMPA | CAN Community Health has officially launched the Susan Terry Foundation, a charitable arm dedicated to empowering people affected by HIV.
The nonprofit is named after the late AIDS advocate Susan Terry, who died in 2009 at 53. A “visionary leader in the fight against AIDS in Sarasota at a time when stigma and fear surrounded the epidemic,” her work led to CAN’s formation in 1991.
The health care organization is now headquartered in Tampa and serves over 22,000 people in Florida. They also work to empower wellness in five other states.
The foundation will help those affected by HIV “to live full lives through community collaboration, addressing social determinations of health, and promoting education and awareness,” CAN shared this month. They said the nonprofit will build upon Terry’s “enduring legacy of empathy, service and commitment to health equity.”
“Susan Terry’s name is synonymous with compassion,” CAN Community Health President and CEO Rishi Patel says. “This Foundation honors her by helping patients overcome real-life obstacles, because true wellness means meeting people where they are and being there when they need us.”
The foundation will support organizations that empower those affected by HIV utilizing three main pillars. The first is community collaboration.
“Because no single organization can address all the barriers faced by those living with HIV, we foster collaboration among individuals, groups and organizations to address barriers and create a stigma-free future,” the foundation’s website reads.
The second is by funding community organizations that provide essential health services. These range “from mental health and substance abuse counseling to housing and transportation assistance to medical support.”
Third, the foundation will offer support to education programs that “dispel myths and misconceptions about HIV.” Its website says that “by increasing public awareness and understanding, we reduce fear and prejudice that continue to threaten the HIV community.”
The foundation is led by Executive Director Ray Carson, former CEO of The ALS Association Florida Chapter. He also served in various capacities at the American Cancer Society for over 19 years.
Leading an organization at its onset appealed to the advocate, who strongly believes in the foundation’s mission to help those affected by HIV lead full lives free of stigma.
Carson says the foundation launched “to bring together individuals, corporations and foundations interested in helping to create a future where individuals living with HIV are celebrated for their resilience, embraced without prejudice and empowered to achieve their dreams.”
The foundation is expected to announce its first grant recipients soon. Carson says their work will primarily focus on Tampa Bay and Sarasota but like CAN, he hopes services will expand to other regions.
“We believe in the power of community and the importance of supporting those who work tirelessly to make a difference,” Carson notes.
For more information about CAN Community Health and the Susan Terry Foundation, visit CANCommunityHealth.org and SusanTerryFoundation.org.
