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Silicon Valley AIDS Leadership Center Records
MSS.2011.10.10
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Title: Silicon Valley AIDS Leadership Center Records
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.2011.10.10
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
6.0 linear feet(approx)
7 boxes, 1 flat file drawer and 1 framed poster.
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1990-1996
Date (inclusive): 1989-2011
Abstract: The Silicon Valley AIDS Leadership Center (SVALC) Records (1989-2011) consist of administrative records, audiotapes, ephemera,
financial records, photographs, press clippings, and videotapes. The SVALC, which operated as a nonprofit agency from 1989
to 2011, raised money to benefit bay area AIDS resource centers through an annual "10k Walk for AIDS" event and other fundraisers.
As a result of the economic recession and external difficulties securing corporate sponsors, The organization disbanded in
early 2011.
Access to financial and youth volunteer records in Series I is restricted and may only be obtained with the explicit permission
of the Director of Special Collections at San Jose State University.
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 SJSU Special Collections & Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply
to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Silicon Valley AIDS Leadership Center Records, MSS-2011-10-10, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
Processed by: Mary Alexander. Reviewed by: Danelle Moon. Date completed: 2011. Archist Toolkit generated EAD. Date encoded:
2011
Scope and Content of Collection
The Silicon Valley AIDS Leadership Center (SVALC) Records (1989-2011) consist of administrative records, audiotapes, ephemera,
financial records, photographs, press clippings, and videotapes. The SVALC, which operated as a nonprofit agency from 1989
to 2011, raised money to benefit bay area AIDS resource centers through an annual "10k Walk for AIDS" event and other fundraisers.
As a result of the economic recession and external difficulties securing corporate sponsors, The organization disbanded in
early 2011.
The Silicon Valley AIDS Leadership Center (SVALC) was founded in 1989 as a beneficial agency to support Bay Area AIDS and
HIV-positive patients. SVALC was widely known for organizing the
Walk for AIDS and
Unmask the Mysteries fundraisers, which raised funds to benefit AIDS resource centers in the region. Major corporate sponsors included San Jose
software company Xilinx. For tax exemption purposes, SVALC formed a separate organization called the Santa Clara County AIDS
Coalition, later renamed AIDS Coalition Silicon Valley (ACSV), in 1999 to organize the
Walk for AIDS and
Unmask the Mysteries events.
The
Walk for AIDS event took place in downtown San Jose from 1989 to 2009. Sponsored participants walked a trail loop in Guadalupe Park that
began and ended at Discovery Meadow. The event attracted a diverse range of participants and volunteers from various age groups
and ethnic communities. At the peak of the
Walk's success in the 1990s, singer and activist Joan Baez made appearances at Walk events. She was promoted by her cousin Peter
Baez, a local activist. A small event called the
Warm up Walk for AIDS was also held at amusement park Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara. The AIDS Resources, Information and Services (ARIS)
organization, the Bill Wilson Centre for Living with Dying, and other beneficiaries of the
Walk fundraising reached over 30,000 people annually with AIDS education and information.
ACSV also organized a masquerade gala known as
Unmask the Mysteries, which ran annually from 2005 to 2008. One of the fundraising highlights was a silent auction for donors to purchase carnival
masks that had been decorated by celebrities and local artists.
Unmask the Mysteries was held at the Triton Museum in Santa Clara until 2007, and in 2008 it moved to the Rotary Summit Center in downtown San
Jose.
SVALC fell on hard times in the 2000s. Several sponsors, including ARIS, withdrew their support when director James P. Reber
was accused of discriminating against participating nonprofits and distributing funds unequally. He was eventually replaced
by Pat Duffy, who led the Center from 1999 to 2009. Unable to afford another year of
Unmask the Mysteries, the ACSV attempted one more fundraiser,
Taste of Silicon Valley in 2010. While successful, it did not generate enough money for the organization to continue, moreover, after losing corporate
sponsorship in the wake of the recession, the organization could no longer afford to stay open and disbanded in 2011.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Billy DeFrank Community Center
Mark Bonine, President of the Board of Directors, ARIS
Porsche, Mark
Sahl, Ted
AIDS (Disease) -- California -- Santa Clara County.
AIDS activists
Bay Area Nonprofit Organization
Fundraising
Walk-a-Thons