Fundraiser has new presenting sponsor, but some local agencies still won’t participate after proceeds weren’t accounted for in 2012
Auntjuan Wiley
With a new sponsor and name, organizers expect this weekend’s AIDS Walk South Dallas to make money for its beneficiaries and move beyond its troubled past.
“All the bills are paid,” AIDS Walk Chair Auntjuan Wiley said.
He said costs are low, but some expenses like permits, police and printed materials are unavoidable.
The nonprofit organization staging the 2013 walk is C.U.R.E., a Collin County-based AIDS education group. C.U.R.E. founder Roseann Rosetti said her organization is all-volunteer and will take no money from the event. “The money is staying in South Dallas,” she said.
Wiley called C.U.R.E. the event’s banker, making sure the books stay in order. That was important for this year’s event after no accounting was released last year and no funds were distributed.
The 2012 South Dallas AIDS Walk began falling apart less than two weeks before it took place, when it was revealed that the Anthony Chisom Foundation, the event’s presenting sponsor, had lost its nonprofit status months earlier. After the walk, despite repeated promises from Chisom Foundation founder Anthony Chisom to the event’s beneficiaries, no accounting was ever made of money raised.
Most of the money brought in from walkers and sponsors was assumed to have been eaten up by expenses — and no criminal investigation was opened. At the time, a spokesman for the IRS said since there was no valid nonprofit organization, Chisom would simply have to report proceeds from the walk as personal income.
Wiley, who chaired last year’s walk but said he had no access to its bank account or books, picked up the pieces, reorganized the event and found a different nonprofit sponsor organization to continue the work of spotlighting HIV in South Dallas. He said one thing that attracted him to C.U.R.E. is that group has overseen the accounting for other entities in the past. Rosetti said C.U.R.E. provided that service last year to North Texas Pride in Plano. She said her organization agreed to partner with AIDS Walk South Dallas primarily because of Wiley’s reputation.
“For the past couple of years, we’ve gotten to know Auntjuan really well,” she said. “We’ve built a trust between us. We agreed to do this because of Auntjuan.”
She said C.U.R.E. will take no management fee and is not a beneficiary.
C.U.R.E. is an AIDS awareness organization based in Collin County founded 12 years ago. Much of its outreach and education work is with displays of panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
Despite the changes this year, a representative from one of the beneficiaries of last year’s event said he’s still not comfortable participating.
“I have an issue with a majority organization from Plano having a walk in South Dallas,” said Kirk Myers, CEO of Abounding Prosperity. “My concern is having a walk in South Dallas and no beneficiary in South Dallas.”
Two beneficiaries have been named for the walk — AIDS Interfaith Network and Kidscapes Foundation. AIN is situated near downtown on Stemmons Freeway and Kidscapes Foundation is on McKinney Avenue in Uptown.
Myers said this year his organization is supporting AIDS Arms LifeWalk, which takes place in October in Oak Lawn.
“We know where the money is going,” he said, referring to LifeWalk. “They do good work and have a proven track record.”
AIN Development Director Travis Gasper said he was approached by the walk to become a beneficiary and accepted the offer. He’s putting together a team for the walk and hopes a number of his agency’s South Dallas clients will participate.
Gasper said he has a good working relationship with C.U.R.E. Most recently, they joined forces at the World AIDS Day event downtown.
“They’re collaborative,” he said. “They stepped in to be helpful.”
Wiley said this week vendors are still coming in and will be accepted through the day of the event. Walkers and teams may register at the walk.
Zach Thompson, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, and Deciding Moments campaign spokesman Otis Harris Jr. will speak before the walk.
A pre-walk party takes place at House of Blues Foundation Room at 6 p.m. on March 15. A $20 donation includes free hors d’oeuvres and a drink coupon. Dezi 5 entertains with DJ Tino Valentino until 9 p.m. All proceeds benefit the walk.
AIDS Walk South Dallas starts at St. Philip’s School and Community Center, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. March 16 at 10 a.m. Registration opens at 8 p.m. $25. Information at AIDSWalkSouthDallas.com.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition March 15, 2013.
