PRESS

1217 Spring Garden Street * 1st Floor * Philadelphia, PA 19123 *
(215) 769-3561 [p] * (215) 769-3860 [f] * www.bebashi.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 6th, 2005
Contact: Joni Bishop - Director of Development & PR

BEBASHI'S ANNUAL HOLIDAY GIFT DRIVE
Help BEBASHI make the holiday brighter for children infected & affected by HIV/AIDS

Philadelphia, PA - BEBASHI – Transition to Hope is accepting donations of new unwrapped toys for its 2005 Annual Children's Holiday Gift Drive, until December 16th. Last year, our Gift Drive served over 160 children between the ages of 6 months and 17 years, who are infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. All donations are tax deductible, and a receipt will be provided.

BEBASHI – Transition to Hope, has been significantly impacted by the disproportionate increase of new AIDS cases in African American women, most with children. This mirrors the national trend of African American women serving as the fastest growing group for HIV infection. Each year hundreds of thousands of low-income families, and single mothers struggle to make the holidays a little brighter for their children. A donation will bring a smile to the face of a child living with HIV, or who has at least one infected parent.

BEBASHI is located at:
1217 Spring Garden Street, 1st Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Donation Drop off hours: Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri-8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Thurs. 8:30 am - 7:30 pm

BEBASHI – Transition to Hope, was founded in 1985, in response to the alarming increase of HIV/AIDS in the African American community of Philadelphia. BEBASHI provides street outreach, HIV, STD and pregnancy testing and counseling, Prevention Education, Case Management, Housing Counseling, Care Outreach, Support Groups, Food Cupboard, to over 15,000 Philadelphians annually. All of our services are free of charge. Our mission is to provide culturally sensitive health related information, direct service, research, and technical assistance to the urban community. This year, we proudly commemorate our 20th Anniversary as the first minority based AIDS service organization in the United States!

For more information, please contact: Joni Bishop, Director of Development, by calling 215-769-3561 x 140 or emailing at joniabishoip@gmail.com. For more information on BEBASHI please log onto www.bebashi.org.