The Pediatric HIV/AIDS Program serves about 120 families having children with HIV and AIDS and infants born to HIV-infected mothers. In the past, the healthcare providers in the program have solicited donations of toys for kids of all ages, but the HIV program and clinic moved to smaller quarters in June and realized they couldn't accommodate the volume of holiday gifts that normally lined the hallways for 4-5 weeks. In addition, with the economic issues faced by so many of the families, they decided this year to solicit cash or gift card donations instead.

Sadly, only 4 weeks prior to the holiday party for about 200-300 children, request for cash and gift card donations seems to have back-fired. Usually they'd have hundreds of gifts promised to be delivered just before the party. Instead, they've only received a single $15 gift card from one sporting goods store and an 'in kind' gift: 4 tickets to a movie theater. Their hope and need was to have about $5,000, to give $50 to each of about 100 families. Tragically, they have almost nothing to give them now. Any and all contributions will be put to good use, mainly to fund the holiday party gifts and, if sufficient funds are received, to keep the program afloat so that the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Clinic can continue to provide comprehensive medical care to those very same children through the coming year.

Send any contributions in the form of a check written to "Pediatric HIV/AIDS Program" to the program's medical director:

Ann Petru, MD
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Department
Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland
747 Fifty-Second Street
Oakland, CA 94609-1809