Who Benefits?

Douglas Carter Scholarship Fund

The 2005 City South Leadership Class created a legacy of gifting scholarships to graduating Seniors from Harlandale, McCollum and South San High Schools. Leadership scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to Seniors who demonstrate outstanding potential for leadership or civic duty. One or more non-renewable scholarships of $1000.00 each will be offered.

The original Scholarships were created as the City South Leadership Scholarships, but in 2006 were renamed The Douglas H. Carter Scholarships in honor of the City South Leadership Class Committee Chair, Douglas Carter. Douglas has been the driving force behind the continued success and growth of the Leadership Class for the past several years and although he will no longer Chair the Leadership Committee he will remain a vital part of the South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.

San Antonio Aids Foundation

Mission & Philosophy

The San Antonio AIDS Foundation (SAAF) has a dual mission — to provide compassionate medical care and social services to people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and to help prevent the spread of HIV through education and testing.

We are guided by the belief that HIV/AIDS is a disease and those affected by this disease should receive compassion and understanding. We are committed to providing medical care for persons with HIV/AIDS, and education and testing to help prevent the spread of HIV. SAAF advocates a harm reduction philosophy believing that all individuals with HIV need compassionate services, including food and shelter, irrespective of their individual services and practices.

History

The San Antonio AIDS Foundation began in 1986 as a volunteer staffed hospice in the back room of a Broadway-area bar. Local bar owner Robert Edwards, a.k.a. "Papa Bear," opened his storeroom and his heart to seven souls dying of AIDS-related complications. Word spread quickly and soon "Papa Bear" transformed his bar into the "Casa de Care" AIDS hospice.

SAAF has since relocated to a larger building on East Grayson able to house up to 33 residents. "Papa Bear" retired in 1991 but his mission and philosophy carry on. Licensed by the State of Texas as a Special Care Facility and Residential AIDS Hospice, SAAF currently provides compassionate medical care and social services to nearly 1,000 individuals annually.