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From Coast to Coast: AHF Celebrates MLK Day With Purpose |
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U.S. mobilizers in Texas honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a powerful message: "Racism is a public health issue." |
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Celebrated annually on the third Monday in January, AHF staff, volunteers, and mobilizers commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day across the U.S. with powerful advocacy and service initiatives.
From thought-provoking panel discussions in Philadelphia to community dialogues in Georgia and vibrant floats in MLK parades in Texas and Mississippi, AHF teams showed up to uplift communities and drive change. |
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AHF Ohio joined the nation’s largest MLK breakfast, celebrating 40 years of honoring Dr. King’s legacy. |
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AHF mobilizers led a youth roundtable on strengthening unity and community progress in Louisiana. |
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Teams in Florida engaged the public at another MLK Parade, promoting HIV prevention and distributing nearly 800 condoms. In Baltimore, Maryland, AHF participated in the Empower Men – Navigating Mental Health event, bringing awareness to crucial wellness issues. Meanwhile, 150 volunteers in Oakland, California, united in maintaining the East Bay AIDS Memorial Garden. |
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AHF partnered with Big Homie Lil Homie for a service day supporting youth and seniors in South Carolina. |
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AHF at the Adodi Southern Region Winter Summit in North Carolina, supporting Black LGBTQ+ men. |
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Due to the wildfires, the Los Angeles Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade has been postponed until Feb. 17 – President's Day in the U.S. Stay tuned for a special feature from the event coming soon. |
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AHF mobilizers are regional AHF advocates who lead efforts to mobilize community support in their geographies for our campaigns. |
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AHF Mobilizes for Wildfire Relief |
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Food for Health staff provided over 10,000 hot meals to firefighters battling the flames. |
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As wildfires ravaged Southern California, AHF’s Food for Health (FFH) and Out of the Closet teams stepped up to support evacuees and first responders with 1,000 meals daily (nearly 60,000 total) and clothing, blankets, pillows, and emergency bedding for those displaced. |
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Click to see AHF relief efforts at the Pasadena Convention Center. |
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Beyond the fire lines, FFH extended aid to displaced veterans at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center and forest service teams fighting the Eaton and Hughes fires.
“Our first priority was to ensure that both first responders and evacuees had access to hot meals and a sense of support during this incredibly challenging time,” said Carlos Marroquin, National Director of Food for Health.
As emergency shelters close, FFH remains committed to helping communities in Altadena and Pasadena rebuild. The organization is shifting its focus from crisis response to long-term recovery, launching a weekly free farmers market to provide fresh produce and essential resources for families still struggling. |
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“The most powerful change happens when community partners come together,” said Marroquin. “This is about more than food—it’s about rebuilding lives, fostering resilience, and strengthening connections that will sustain these communities long after the fires are extinguished.” |
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Olga Stoyanova: Finding Hope Again |
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UKRAINE |
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Olga Stoyanova is an AHF client advocate. Her story is next in our "I Am AHF" series featuring remarkable staff, clients, and partners who are doing what's right to save lives everyday. |
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Olga Stoyanova, 42, an AHF client advocate, turning life’s challenges into empowerment. |
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Everyone has a moment in life when it becomes divided into "before" and "after." For me, that moment came at the age of 18. I was five months pregnant when I was diagnosed with HIV.
I was full of hope, feeling like the whole world was at my feet—after all, life had just begun. A baby was on the way, and I was doing routine health checks. I had no health problems, and it made no sense why I would need to travel across the city for a repeat HIV test after receiving the initial results. Surely, there must have been some mistake. The doctors explained the situation to me, but I couldn’t believe it—it was impossible, especially now, at five months pregnant. |
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I was comforted by the thought that sometimes test results during pregnancy could be mistaken. I was prescribed some pills, which I took. No one knew about this situation except my husband, who reacted rather calmly. After a conversation, we simply started using condoms. However, he refused to take an HIV test himself. |
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Girls Act Goes beyond the Classroom to Empower Girls |
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Girls in Nuevo Porvenir, Guatemala joined Girls Act for their fourth session on reproductive health. |
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Girls Act Guatemala members recently led an educational session for 90 girls from low-income public schools, covering key topics like reproductive and menstrual health and the prevention of HIV, other STIs, and unplanned pregnancies. |
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The sessions empowered young girls with knowledge, helping them make informed decisions about their health. By creating a safe and supportive environment, Girls Act is ensuring that these young women have access to information that is often lacking in their communities.
Beyond education, the event also provided practical support, offering shoes, school bags, and menstrual hygiene products. |
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A full International Condom Day global recap is coming soon! |
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