MISSION STATEMENT

  Red Ribbon Friends is an organization to assure the Gay & Lesbian Community that HIV/AIDS will not be forgotten. We will not forget those lives that have been touched by HIV/AIDS.

 We will create awareness and support for those FRIENDS in need.

  Red Ribbon Friends is a volunteer/membership organization formed to offer assistance and support for friends and families whose lives have been touched by HIV & AIDS.

  Red Ribbon Friends will be a "Not for Profit" organization and will have no paid employees or officers. All funds raised will go directly to help those friends in need. Red Ribbon Friends will strive to educate, assist support, and unite the Gay & Lesbian Community.

Red Ribbon Friends/CARETEAM Grant Fund 

The Red Ribbon Friends/CARETEAM Grant Fund was established in 2001 to help pay for expenses incurred by gay men and lesbians living with HIV and/or AIDS in the Waccamaw Health District (Horry, Georgetown, and Williamsburg Counties). Expenses that can be paid out of the fund include, but are not limited to:  rent, utilities, food, transportation, and funeral expenses.

Red Ribbon Friends (RRF) has raised thousands of dollars for this fund through the quarterly talent shows put on by Red Ribbon Friends members, friends, and families, along with the generous contributions made by TimeOut! owner Ken Eschenbach, in addition to other local businesses.  But it is with the cash donations made by members of the gay community in Myrtle Beach and the surrounding area at our fundraisers that have enabled the RRF to provide the bulk of funding of last resort as a safety net for local gay men and lesbians.  For all of our local support we will be forever grateful.

The Fund was established through CARETEAM for a number of reasons, chief among them being that CARETEAM has the tools necessary to verify expenses submitted for payment, as well as access to other sources of funding available to persons with HIV/AIDS.  CARETEAM works with its clients in a totally confidential manner, something that we as members of the Red Ribbon Friends could not guarantee people applying for monies from our fund directly from us.  To date, the cooperation of CARETEAM and its staff has been excellent, and we are thankful that they have been able to help RRF accomplish its most important mission.