The AIDS Resources, Information & Services (ARIS) Records, 1986-2003 (1990-2001), document the services, publicity efforts and internal functioning of the ARIS volunteer foundation which provided information, resources and support for AIDS & HIV positive patients in Santa Clara County. ARIS offered practical assistance to patients through a monthly food basket program that provided nutritional supplements, a 24-hour residential care facility, transportation services, and weekly emotional support groups. ARIS also provided public programs that informed the public about AIDS & HIV prevention as well as humanizing often stigmatized HIV-positive people. The records consist of materials documenting many different facets of the organization such as manuals and guides for volunteers, clippings documenting the impact of ARIS in the community, an archive of the monthly and quarterly newsletter the ARIS Pages, plaques and commendations given to the organization over the years, banners carried by ARIS volunteers in local parades, posters, t-shirts and stickers from AIDS prevention campaigns, and VHS tapes and documentaries related to the organization itself and AIDS awareness in genernal on both local and national levels. This collection is arranged into five series: Series I. Administrative Materials, 1989-2001 (1990-2001); Series II. Photographs, 1989-2002 (1991-2001); Series III. Newsletter, 1986-2002 (1988-2000); Series IV. Media, 1987-2000 (1989-1996); and Ephemera, 1987-2001 (1987-2001).

ARIS (AIDS Resources, Information & Services), a now defunct organization, was a volunteer non-profit organization founded in 1986 with the mission "to provide HIV/AIDS prevention and support services to the people of Santa Clara County." ARIS focused on the practical realities of the day-to-day needs of persons living with HIV or AIDS, as well as their emotional health and wellness. ARIS provided a variety of services that included weekly emotional support groups, transportation services, practical assistance through a monthly food basket program that included nutritional supplements, housing assistance including a 24-hour residential care facility and multiple housing locations throughout the county, and HIV prevention and community education through community outreach. These services were available to persons with AIDS or HIV-positive status residing in Santa Clara County as well as their families and loved ones. The services and programs of ARIS were not limited to the HIV-positive community, but they also provided Santa Clara County with public outreach, preventative-oriented educatoinal sessions to the public about the realities of HIV & AIDS during a period rife with misinformation.

17 boxes, 21.5 linear feet

Copyright has been assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

The collection is open for research.