AIDS Memorial Grove Mailing Address:
National AIDS Memorial Grove
P.O. Box 2270
San Francisco, CA 94126-2270

AIDS Memorial Gove Office Address:
National AIDS Memorial Grove
870 Market Street Suite 965
San Francisco, CA 94102

info@aidsmemorial.org
(415)765-0498

In most instances, securities are sold within 24 hours of receipt (the business day following completion of the transfer) and the proceeds are deposited into the Grove’s account within a few days.

For complete instructions on completing a stock transfer, please download the following document: Stock_Transfer.pdf

Speaker Nancy Pelosi on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2009

“We are very, very happy about John coming on board as the new Executive Director,” stated Grove Board co-chair Marsha Raulston. “With both his wealth of experience and his awareness of the breadth of issues affecting those affected by and living with HIV, we are certain John will be an asset to the Grove and its mission.” Raulston continued “We did a national search for this position and out of the hundreds of applicants, many of whom were tremendously qualified for the job, John emerged as the clear choice for the agency.”

Late in 2004, breaking from its past organizational structure, the organization’s board, in an effort to reduce costs, eliminated the Executive Director position. Since then, the organization has relied on a single paid employee and the efforts of its dedicated volunteers.

“Having tried that approach for more than four years,” commented Gina Gatta, the Grove Board co-chair, “the board, after deliberate and careful planning, recently decided to re-institute the position of Executive Director. We know that, if we want this amazing memorial to be maintained and to continue, we need someone whose primary role is to not just focus on fundraising efforts, but more so to increase awareness of the National AIDS Memorial.”

According to Gatta and Raulston, one of the principal objectives for the new Executive Director will be to grow the memorial’s endowment to a level sufficient to ensure that the National AIDS Memorial Grove is maintained in perpetuity to inform future generations about the tragedy of the AIDS pandemic.

“John brings over 14 years of HIV-related work experience,” remarked Margarita Gandia, Board member and co-chair for the National AIDS Memorial Grove’s 2009 World AIDS Day Observance, “and in a number of capacities — as a board member, staff, volunteer, supporter and even advocate. One of the challenges any new Executive Director here would face would be how we maintain our relationship to our roots in San Francisco as we seek to make the National AIDS Memorial Grove more representational nationally. John is clearly well-suited to this task.”

“I am honored to have the opportunity to assume the Executive Director’s position for the National AIDS Memorial Grove” stated John Cunningham. “It is humbling to have been given the opportunity to be the steward of this powerful and personal memorial. I am struck by the fact that the AIDS Memorial Grove, which started out as a grass roots effort, today remains an entity that relies upon the generosity of the community, because without their help we would not be here. I look forward to working to ensure The National AIDS Memorial Grove will always be available to all who seek to remember and to grieve and to begin to find healing.”

Free tours of the Grove are available between 9:00 AM and Noon on the third Saturday of the month from March through October. Tours begin and end at the Main Portal, and are approximately twenty-minutes in length. If you wish to schedule an individual or group tour please call our office at 415-765-0497.

The National AIDS Memorial (NAM) was conceived in 1989 by a small group of San Franciscans who had lost loved ones to AIDS. Development of the Grove began in 1991. Located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the Grove is a 7-acre wooded dell historically known as de Laveaga Dell. Stone and wood gathering areas of the Grove include: Main Portal, South Portal, Dogwood Crescent, Fern Grotto, Meadow Overlook, Pine Crescent, and Redwood Circle.

The Grove is visited by people who have come from near and far to enjoy its natural beauty, to hold private services, and to volunteer at monthly maintenance Workdays.

The NAM is governed by a dedicated board of directors who have signed a 99-year renewable agreement with the City of San Francisco through the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department to maintain the Grove in perpetuity.

The NAM is a project of the Tides Center, a non-profit corporation dedicated to social service and stewardship of the natural environment.

For more information, please contact:
John Cunningham, Executive Director
The National AIDS Memorial
P.O. Box 2270
San Francisco, CA 94126-2270
(415) 765-0497

(Look on old site)
Please treat all submenu’s below as they currently exist

Submenu Names in the Grove – Presently laid out A-Z for search purposes. With out doing a lot of redesign this is probably ok for now.

Your gift will help fund the monthly Workday program, keep our small office open and responding to inquiries, increase awareness about the Grove, and handle day-to-day business. Most importantly, it will continue building the endowment so that the Grove will be maintained in perpetuity. Find out how you can be a part of this country’s only official national memorial site honoring all those whose lives have been touched by AIDS
There are many ways to give to the National AIDS Memorial Grove. Donations are received in memory of or in honor of loved ones. Others contribute by becoming Workday sponsors. The Grove’s Ensure Remembrance Campaign provides gift and recognition opportunities for individuals, corporations and organizations helping to finish site improvements or to reach the endowment goal for the perpetual care of the Grove.

• CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
• CRESCENTS
• WORKDAY SPONSORSHIP
• SPECIAL PROGRAM—Donor & Remembrance Opportunities
• PLANNED GIVING
• MAIL-IN GIFTS
• STOCKS OR SECURITIES

“Kathi was very good with people, kind, and not judgmental,” says Ellen. “She was well-liked and lots of fun. And she loved her dad unconditionally.”

Married at age 20, Kathi began to develop problems with alcohol early in her adult life. Her mother remembers it was “a battle she just could not win – but she really did try.” Later, Kathi drifted in and out of relationships while raising a son. She had been living with a man who later developed AIDS when, at age 38, she learned that she, too, was infected with HIV.

“When Kathi was at her lowest and very depressed,” her mother recalls, “I would remind her of the one bright spot: Jason.” (Her son Jason, now married, grew up to attend law school in Texas.)

“When Kathi died, it was so sudden. No one expected her to die so soon, not even the doctors,” says her mother.

“All of a sudden, the family realized how fragile life is. A lot of good comes out of [a tragedy]. Now we all keep in touch. We say I love you. No more petty resentments.”

The grieving family came to believe that something more than merely scattering Kathi’s ashes at sea was necessary to honor her life. Ellen remembered spotting an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about the AIDS Memorial Grove nearly a decade before Kathi’s death. Kathi’s sister Julie was dispatched to locate and explore the Grove. Soon the family was in agreement that this was the perfect site for remembering their beloved daughter and sister.

“All of us really enjoy gardening. We love being in the dirt and growing things. So we attended the September 2000 Volunteer Workday,” says Ellen. “It turned out to be the annual Volunteer Appreciation Day.” People who understood the family’s grief, and had found a way of expressing it, suddenly surrounded them.

“Now we look at all the wonderful people we have met at the Grove. They have been an inspiration to us!” Ellen says she is especially moved by the monthly Workday ceremony called “Healing Circle,” when everyone gathers and calls out the names of their lost or ailing loved ones.

“The silence beforehand seems like the collective prayer of all these people who have loss in common. It’s very powerful, and it has really meant a lot to us,” Ellen says in reflection. “I feel there is such serenity in the Grove, even when it’s full of people. I think it’s a little holy – inspirational, like a walk in any forest can be.”

Not long ago, Kathi’s father, Harry, decided to place his name in the Circle of Friends, alongside his daughter’s. Perhaps it was his way not only of honoring her life but of returning Kathi’s unconditional love. Meanwhile, Ellen’s children felt so strongly about the impact the Grove had made on their mother that they secretly added her name to the Circle, as well.

On Volunteer Appreciation Day 2001, a year after the family’s initial involvement with monthly Workdays, Ellen was surprised and overjoyed to see her name unveiled, too – between her daughter’s and her husband’s.

With support from family and friends, a lot of good can indeed come from tragedy. Perhaps the example of the Shepherds points to an important pathway in healing, a path of renewal leading through the Grove.

— Paul D. Hufstedler, Grove volunteer

MUNI BUS
Copyright 2000 Map Quest

Take any of the following buses west from downtown: #5, 7, 21, 71, or 73. (For more information, call 415-673-MUNI.) Get off at the stop at the intersection of Stanyan and Haight directly across the street from McDonald’s (just south of the panhandle of the park).

Enter Golden Gate Park through the Stanyan Street gates just north of the bus stop. Follow the nearest path down to the left, through the tunnel that passes beneath Kezar Boulevard, on through the meadow, staying to the right as the path splits on the other side of the tunnel. Soon, you will see the tennis courts. Follow the path around to the left of the tennis courts and out to Bowling Green Drive. The Grove is right across the street at the intersection of Bowling Green Drive and Middle Drive East.

MUNI N-JUDAH
On the underground N-Judah streetcar, come west (away from downtown) to the intersection of Carl and Arguello, about 6 blocks away from the place where the MUNI cars exit the tunnel on the west side of Buena Vista Park. Get off at Arguello.

Go north (to your right as you face west), down the hill two blocks, and across Kezar Drive at the intersection with Martin Luther King Drive. Follow MLK for one block and then turn right on Bowling Green Drive. Follow Bowling Green two blocks until you see the National AIDS Memorial Grove on the left side, at the intersection with Middle Drive East.

The Main Portal of the National AIDS Memorial Grove is represented by a red star.

AUTOMOBILE
Copyright 2000 Map Quest

DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO THE NATIONAL AIDS MEMORIAL GROVE

From the East Bay
Take I-80 West across the Bay Bridge into San Francisco; Exit at 9th Street. (the exit actually puts you onto Harrison Street westbound);
Go west on Harrison Street ONE block to 9th Street ;Turn right onto 9th Street (one way Northbound) and move into the left-hand lanes; As you cross Market Street the left-hand lanes of 9th Street turn left and feed onto Hayes Street (westbound); Travel west on Hayes to Gough Street;
Turn left onto Gough Street and move to the right-hand lane; Turn right onto Fell Street (one way westbound); Follow Fell Street to Golden Gate Park (before you reach the main park you will notice the Panhandle on your left for several blocks). As Fell crosses Stanyan Street and enters the park, move into the far right lane. This lane will turn off to the right and put you on JFK Drive;** At the first stop sign, turn left onto Middle Drive East;
Follow Middle Drive East to the first intersection and park. You are at the National AIDS Memorial Grove

**NOTE: On Sundays and holidays, JFK Drive is closed to traffic. Please use these alternate directions on those days.

As Fell crosses Stanyan Street and enters the park, move into the left lanes. The road makes a hard curve to the left and then a hard curve to the right; At the first traffic light after these curves, make a right turn onto Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive; At the first stop sign, make a hard right turn onto Bowling Green Drive; Follow Bowling Green Drive as it winds past the bowling greens on your left and right, then park. The National AIDS Memorial Grove will be on your left.

From the South Bay (Hwy. 101 or I-280) or San Francisco International Airport

Take Highway 101 north from San Jose to the interchange with I-380, just north of the SF International Airport. (If coming form the airport, follow the signs to I-380); Follow I-380 west to the interchange with I-280; Move to the right and take I-280 North toward San Francisco; Follow I-280 north to the interchange with Highway 1/19th Avenue. The highway splits here so move into the left lanes and follow the signs toward 19th Avenue;
Follow 19th Avenue until you reach Golden Gate Park; As you enter the park, make a right turn at the first intersection (just inside the entrance of the park) onto Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive; Follow MLK Drive east to the SECOND stop sign (about 1/2 mile); Turn Left at the second stop sign onto Middle Drive East; Follow Middle Drive East to the first stop sign (Bowling Green Drive) and park your car nearby. The main entrance to the National AIDS Memorial Grove will be on your right as you approach the stop sign.

From the North Bay

Cross the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco and follow the signs to Lombard Street, Take Lombard Street east to Divisadero Street and turn right onto Divisadero; Follow Divisadero south to Fell Street and turn right onto Fell Street; Follow Fell Street to Golden Gate Park (before you reach the main park you will notice the Panhandle on your left for several blocks); As Fell crosses Stanyan Street and enters the park, move into the far right lane. This lane will turn off to the right and put you on JFK Drive;** At the first stop sign, turn left onto Middle Drive East;
Follow Middle Drive East to the first intersection and park. You are at the National AIDS Memorial Grove.

**NOTE: On Sundays and holidays, JFK Drive is closed to traffic. Please use these alternate directions on those days.

As Fell crosses Stanyan Street and enters the Park, move into the left lanes; The road makes a hard curve to the left and then a hard curve to the right; At the first traffic light after these curves, make a right turn onto Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive; At the first stop sign, make a hard right turn onto Bowling Green Drive; Follow Bowling Green Drive as it winds past the bowling greens on your left and right, then park. The National AIDS Memorial Grove will be on your left.

WALKING OR BIKING
Copyright 2000 Map Quest

Please refer to the San Francisco Bike Coalition’s Bike Map and Walking Guide for detailed paths and instructions on how to get to the Grove.

The Grove is located near the east end of Golden Gate Park, just a couple of blocks west of where the Park’s Panhandle ends at the intersection of Fell/Oak and Stanyan Streets.

Download the Bike Map and Walking Guide. This file is approximately a megabyte in size so it may take a few minutes to download

We encourage individuals and organizations to use the Grove as a gathering place for appropriate occasions. To find out more about scheduling an activity in the Grove, please contact our office at 415-765-0497.

The National AIDS Memorial provides this list as an informational resource only and is not responsible for the content of the sites listed. Inclusion on this list does not constitute an endorsement by the National AIDS Memorial.

“Forget Me Not”:
Documentary Film being made about the National AIDS Memorial, Open Eye Pictures

National AIDS Memorial Design Competition Winners
The Living Memorial

AIDS History
The History of AIDS
So Little Time—An AIDS History

General Information on HIV/AIDS
AIDS Education Global Information System (AEGIS)
AIDS Treatment Data Network
The Body HIV/AIDS site
HIV and Hepatitis
Internet Resource and AIDS treatment news
HIV InSite (University of California, San Francisco)
International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care
JAMA HIV/AIDS Information Center
Johns Hopkins University AIDS Service
Kaiser Family Foundation daily HIV/AIDS news
National AIDS Treatment Advocacy Project
Project Inform
StopAIDS Project

Clinical Trials Information
AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service
AmFAR Clinical Trials Database (via Treatment Directory)
CenterWatch
Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS
Clinical Trials Search

HIV/AIDS Community Organizations
AIDS Emergency Fund
AIDS Health Project (UCSF)
AIDS Legal Referral Panel
AIDS Project Los Angeles
AIDSWalk
Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center
Critical Path AIDS Project
Gay Men’s Health Crisis
Glide Memorial United Methodist Church
Lambda Legal Defense Fund
NAMES Project
National Association for People with AIDS
National Minority AIDS Council
National Pediatric AIDS Network
Project Inform
San Francisco AIDS Foundation
Shanti
StopAIDS Project

HIV/AIDS Government Organizations
AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP)
Bastyr University (complementary/alternative medicine)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse
HIV/AIDS Treatment Information Service
National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases
National Institutes of Health
United National Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS Medical Publications
The AIDS Reader
AIDS Treatment News
BETA
Focus (AIDS Health Project)
HIV Plus
The Hopkins HIV Report
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
The Lancet
Medscape HIV/AIDS Journal
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
National AIDS Memorial Grove Newsletter
Nature Medicine (TOC and abstracts)
New England Journal of Medicine
PI (Project Inform) Perspective
PRN Notebook (Physician’s Resource Network)
Research Initiative/Treatment Action! (RITA!)
Women Alive

HIV/AIDS Memorials
AIDS Memorial Quilt
AIDS Memorial Ring
Columbia University AIDS Memorial
Key West AIDS Memorial
International AIDS Candlelight Memorial
The Wall-Las Memorias Project

HIV/AIDS Research
AIDS Treatment Data Network Drug Glossary
Food and Drug Administration Drug Information
HIV InSite Drug Database
Test Positive Aware Network Drug Guide

Libraries/Reference Sources
AMA HIV/AIDS Database
James Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center
Medscape Database
National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE)
San Francisco Public Library (Main branch)
San Francisco Public Library Branches

Media Publications
A & U Magazine
Frameline Film Festival
Frontiers Magazine

Mental Health Information
Medscape Psychiatry
My Health Channel.com

Mental Health Providers
California AIDS Hotline
Gay Life Counseling Services
Gay Men’s Health Crisis

Treatment Information
San Francisco AIDS Foundation
Summary Sheets on HIV/AIDS Treatments

Treatment Providers
AIDSMeds.com
Alternative Therapies
San Francisco Department of Public Health
University of California San Francisco

General Information/National Memorials
National Park Service
U.S. Department of Interior
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Library
Vietnam Veterans War Memorial, Washington, D.C.

San Francisco Information and Locations for Visitors
California Academy of Sciences
City and County of San Francisco (SF CitySpan)
A Complete National Travel Site
De Young Museum (Golden Gate Park)
Friends of Recreation and Parks
The Gate (San Francisco Chronicle)
Golden Gate Park by Bicycle
Japanese Tea Garden
Morrison Planetarium
Natural History Museum
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
San Francisco City Departments
San Francisco City Guide
San Francisco City Hall
San Francisco City Search
San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau
Steinhardt Aquarium
Strybing Arboretum & Botanical Garden
Virtual Gardens Walk

Volunteer Opportunities
Craig’s List
San Francisco Volunteer Center
VolunteerMatch

The National AIDS Memorial Grove signifies that the global tragedy of AIDS will never be forgotten.

The National AIDS Memorial Grove is a living tribute to all whose lives have been touched by AIDS. Our mission is to provide a healing sanctuary, to increase awareness of this national treasure, and to promote learning and understanding of the human tragedy of the AIDS pandemic.