Bread & Roses Finds There Are Angels Among Us

By Shannon Hicks

BETHEL — “AIDS is not going away,” said Ann Reeves on July 16, addressing those who had gathered at Emerald City Café for a fundraising event and an afternoon of socializing. The Greenwood Avenue eatery was the latest location for an ongoing series by Bread & Roses, a Stamford-based non-profit organization dedicated to helping those with HIV and AIDS.

The afternoon event, “Angels Among Us,” brought together friends and strangers all concerned with helping those with the disease that continues to devastate people around the world.

“But,” Ms Reeves continued, “people are becoming complacent and it’s harder to get dollars for any programs.” Ms Reeves is the director of Bread & Roses’ board of governors. B&R’s mission, she said, is to walk alongside people with AIDS.

Bread & Roses is a non-profit organization that supports and works to empower people who struggle to live well with HIV or AIDS. The organization supports 6,000 people each year. The majority of that number represents clients from Fairfield County, but the group also helps those throughout Connecticut and New York State.

For the sunny Sunday afternoon, restaurant owner Warren Hardman opened his eatery and welcomed those who had purchased tickets for a silent auction event that was accompanied by gourmet hors d’oeuvres. Chef Marge Foster had been working for hours in advance, and her efforts – along with those of kitchen crew Bryan Dueysen and Chris Fredericks, as well as the hard work by members of the restaurant’s wait staff and volunteer servers – were well received by the crowd that turned out for the event.

Tables were set up under a tent outdoors just outside the restaurant. A buffet table offered a variety of scrumptuous fare, from pitas with fresh humus, baskets of fresh vegetables and dips, to platters of fresh nacho chips and salsa. Equally delicious dessert selections were brought out later in the afternoon, servers continually showed up with trays of corn fritters and maple dipping sauce, beef Wellington, crab cakes, chili and cheese wontons, and more.

The interior of the restaurant had been turned into an exhibition of artwork featuring local artists. A clay sculpture by Elizabeth Hershon, plaster castings by Ira Bruce Reines, black-and-white photos by Benjamin Soto, a hand-colored black-and-white photo by Laurie Klein, and paintings from a number of members of Bethel Arts Junction were among the nearly 100 offerings.

There were also items and gift certificates from myriad area restaurants and businesses. Lauree’s Kitchen had an attractive tin with homemade cookies, Bethel Food Market was offering vouchers for $100 worth of groceries, and even host Emerald City Café was offering dinner for two. Silent bids were taken all afternoon on all of the items, with proceeds going to the non-profit organization headquartered in Stamford (with five satellite offices in Fairfield County).

Also happening was a pair of book signing events. Trudy Griswold, the author of the Angelspeake series of books, was meeting fans all afternoon. She was selling a number of her books, fulfilling any autograph requests, and even offering “angel readings.”

Monroe resident and author Joan Verniero also participated in “Angels Among Us.” Ms Verniero’s first book, You Can Call Me Willy (A Story for Children with AIDS), was published in 1995 and has been critically acclaimed ever since. The picture book is geared for children ages 4 to 8 and gently tells the story on an eight-year-old girl with AIDS who wants to play Little League Baseball.

The book  offers children a look at how other children can have best friends, a loving family, and yes, even play baseball with such a frightening illness always over their head. The book was selected in 1999 to be included in ABC-TV’s Good Morning America Millennium Time Capsule, the only children’s book to be so honored.

Fundraisers such as the recent event in Bethel are carefully planned, and the results are positive not only for the amount of money raised but also in the way Bread & Roses employees use the money. Bread & Roses has an excellent financial track record: Eighty-four cents of every dollar donated to the organization goes to the direct care and support of people with AIDS.

“This money goes directly to the care of people,” Mrs Reeves said Sunday afternoon. “We keep our administrative costs as low as possible.”

Bread & Roses is perhaps best known for its eight-bed guesthouse in Georgetown. “Our residence is home-like, not at all hospital-like,” Ann Reeves reminded people.

The award-winning home is the only family-style residence between New York City and New Haven dedicated to 24-hour care for people seriously ill with AIDS.

APAC, a B&R_drop-incenter,  offers wellness education, alternative therapies, transition management, and job re-entry services; The Seed Fund  makes up for medical, physical, or emotional needs existing social service agencies sometimes lack funds to provide.

Shadow Buddies are specially designed dolls given to children with HIV and AIDS by B&R,   used as therapeutic and educational tools for children who attend special needs camps such as Amerikids and Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.

B&R’s seminar series presents concentrated classes by B&R staff to nursing assistants, home health aides, and nurses. Similar public education to schools and community groups offers AIDS education to 3,000 people each year.

“It was a huge success,” Andrea Berry, a special assistant at Bread & Roses, said this week. Her mother, Karen Vernonica, is the executive director and was the founder of B&R.

“We topped our numbers from last year’s similar series,” she added. The final event of this year’s Weekends of Dining series was an afternoon tea hosted at a private home in Weston on July 15.

“We had a great turnout in Bethel, both with new volunteers for the house and those who signed up for our golf tournament in September. Emerald City Care was a huge success both financially and for our onboard volunteers. The volunteer input has been the heart of Bread & Roses for the ten years we have been in existence.”

For more information, Bread & Roses can be contacted at its Stamford office by calling 203/388-0188. The golf tournament mentioned by Ms Berry will be on September 11 at Griffith E. Harris Golf Course in Greenwich. Contact Ms Berry at the Stamford office for information on volunteer opportunities.