Too often I'm posed with the same questions; “Do you work at Artists For Charity (AFC)? Are you there full time?” The answer is no on both counts. Most of the time people assume that AFC is run by full time staff members. This couldn't be further from the truth. AFC is a 100% volunteer based organization. These questions have made me realize that people work harder and with more drive when they’re passionate about something and when they truly care.

Our staff volunteer members have busy lives. Just like you, we are working full time, we are mothers and fathers, we are daughters and sons, we are students, we are professionals, we are like everyone else wishing for extra hours in the day. But one thing that remains the same in our lives, no matter how hectic things get, is the uncompromising commitment we have to AFC.

What does Artists for Charity mean to me? To other volunteer staff members? AFC has been a personal commitment of mine since 2007, when I volunteered at the home for the summer during my junior year in college with my friend Bethel Tsegaye, who is also a part time staff volunteer. (All AFC staff volunteers share a similar story, they have travelled to the home, they've spent time with the kids and have returned with a bond, a commitment to the home and organization.)

Since we've returned from that trip we've had a holiday benefit and art auction every year in Washington, DC, along with other part time staff volunteers who have returned with the lasting commitment to make AFC succeed (Anne, Cera, Shane, Katrina and many more). AFC is a great cause, a social innovation, using donated artwork to auction off at a benefit event to fund the livelihoods of 16 beautiful kids, who live with the HIV virus. AFC has always been a place where you left humbled and forever changed. As we've grown into a more established and credible organization, AFC has become more than just a cause, more than just a group home, or just a charity, it has become a vehicle for a larger community, a community of do-gooders who are emotionally invested in AFC.

AFC wouldn't be possible if it weren't for the donors, volunteers, artists and sponsors that come out every year to support, to help and to grow with our family. AFC is impressive not just because we're taking care of children with HIV, but because we've been able to do so with so many of you. It has never been solely about the artists, or the volunteers. It's now about the individual AFC supporter, the one that comes out to help, the one that volunteers to set up, clean up, host etc. the supporter that tells friends about AFC and brings them out to learn more about what we're doing. All of this without ever stepping foot into the AFC home or expecting anything in return. This says a couple of things about us: first, we're credible but second and most importantly, it shows the kind of human connection AFC has with its supporters.

Every year while organizing the event, my team and I get busy and we work hard on making the event as wonderful as it can be. But the day of, the actual moment where we look around and see a full house of supporters who are kind and generous not just with their pocketbooks, but their hearts and their minds, I stand and marvel. I'm so impressed by the energy and the level of support we receive, I, like the rest of my team, am touched.

I express this feeling, with all of you AFC supporters, to really extend our gratitude. You may not buy the most expensive piece of art work, you might not donate art work, you might not even volunteer, but you show up. You purchase your ticket, you meet with our volunteers, and you extend your positive energy just by attending and for that we thank you. Thank you for caring, thank you for wanting to learn, for being aware of the HIV epidemic and the children it victimizes. Thank you for considering those less fortunate. As we gear up towards our Holiday Benefit, I can't express how taken aback we are by the idea of hosting our 5th annual fundraiser. If it weren't for people like...