Awards & Honors

A Great Night At Black-Tie GayBINGO

Ronda B. Goldfein, executive director of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, was honored by the Philadelphia AIDS Fund as Favorite Straight Person of the Year at Black-Tie GayBINGO on Saturday, April 5.


The AIDS Law Project wins the Alexander D. Forger Award for Excellence in HIV Legal Services and Advocacy from the American Bar Association AIDS Coordinating Committee.

The committee recognized us for our “record of commitment and effectiveness in the fight against HIV and AIDS.”

The award, established in 2012, was presented at the ABA HIV/AIDS Law & Practice Conference on February 28th in Atlanta.


Executive Director Ronda B. Goldfein, Esq., is runner-up for the Philadelphia Gay News Person of the Year 2012 award

Ronda was cited for her work on the Milton Hershey case and, in her role as chair of the Police Advisory Commission, on the Nizah Morris homicide investigation.

Activist Jaci Adams also was honored as a runner-up. Adams, a friend of the Law Project, was praised because she “focuses on both HIV and trans-health issues yet doesn’t preach from a podium; rather, she gets involved in on-the-streets, one-on-one outreach.” Our congratulations to them both.

Read more: PGN: The Philadelphia Gay News – Person of the Year runners up


AIDS Law Project receives Kuromiya Award for “fighting fearlessly”

The AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania is proud to announce that its staff has been awarded the 2012 Kiyoshi Kuromiya Award for Justice. The award, sponsored by Philadelphia FIGHT, was presented at the AIDS Education Month opening reception on May 31, 2012, at the College of Physicians in Philadelphia. Named for the longtime HIV and civil rights activist who died of complications from AIDS in 2000, the award honors the AIDS Law Project’s staff “for more than 20 years of fighting fearlessly for the legal rights of those living with HIV, educating thousands about AIDS-related issues, and working on multiple levels of government to achieve fair laws and policies for those living with and affected by the virus.” Details can be found at www.fight.org/aem.


Goldfein honored as “hero” by Delaware Valley Legacy Fund

On June 3, 2012, Executive Director Ronda B. Goldfein, Esq., was honored as the “Straight-Ally Hero of the Year” by the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund (DVLF), which strives to increase philanthropy and grantmaking to support the community needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI) and straight-allied communities. According to the Fund’s website, Heroes are “people or organizations striving to change the status quo and make equality a reality for all members of the LGBTI community. … Through the Heroes program, DVLF seeks to honor those citizens and organizations whose efforts and actions have the greatest impact on the Delaware Valley LGBTI community and beyond.” Congratulations to Ronda!


AIDS Law Project Leader Receives Award at Outfest

Executive Director Ronda B. Goldfein, Esq. received the 2011 “Outproud Friend” award, given by Philly Pride, organizers of the PrideDay Parade and Festival, OutFest and other Philadelphia Pride events. The award recognizes contributions made by allies on behalf of the LGBT community. Ronda was formally presented her award on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011, at Outfest, held in Center City.


AIDS LAW PROJECT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND A FORMER BOARD PRESIDENT ARE NAMED TO NATIONAL “TOP 100” LIST OF HIV/AIDS ADVOCATES

AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania Executive Director Ronda B. Goldfein, Esq., and former AIDS Law Project board president David Acosta were both named to the 2010 list of the POZ 100, recognizing the top HIV/AIDS activists in the country. POZ is a magazine and website for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. The POZ 100 noted that Goldfein “battles for HIV-positive people by fighting against stigma, discrimination and ignorance.” Acosta, prevention coordinator in the City of Philadelphia’s Health Department and a writer/activist for health care reform, “uses art and conversation to address cultural social change and undo the ties – and tongues – that bind,” the listing said. Acosta served on our board in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The AIDS Law Project congratulates Goldfein and Acosta, and joins POZ in celebrating their achievements in their respective fields. The POZ 100 and an accompanying story are available on the Web at: http://www.poz.com/articles/POZ_100_HIV_2546_19399.shtml.


AIDS LAW PROJECT INTERN HONORED BY BAR ASSOCIATION

Earle Mack School of Law student Yuan Tang, a member of the school’s Civil Litigation Field Clinic at the AIDS Law Project, was honored during the Third Annual Awards Ceremony of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Public Interest Section on Dec. 9, 2010. The award recognized Yuan’s commitment to providing equal access to the law.


AIDS LAW PROJECT ATTORNEYS RECEIVE SUPER LAWYERS®  DISTINCTION

Congratulations to Asha Ramachandran, Esq., our Public Benefits Attorney and to Sarah R. Schalman-Bergen, Esq., of counsel  for selection as a “Pennsylvania Rising Star.” Asha is recognized for her work in the field of Social Security Disability, and Sarah for her plaintiff-side employment litigation practice.  Asha and Sarah are listed in the 2010 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine, which recognizes the top attorneys in the Commonwealth. Sarah was also awarded an “Unsung Hero” award by The Legal Intelligencer, Pennsylvania’s legal newspaper. The awards, announced on May 25, 2010, go to “attorneys across Pennsylvania who dedicate themselves to helping their communities through pro bono service, but [who] do not get the thanks and recognition they deserve,” the newspaper wrote. Sarah won for her work on the Bernardo case, in which a financial-services company awarded a deceased gay man’s retirement benefits to his ex-wife, rather than his longtime partner who was named as his beneficiary.  The case is described in more detail in our press release, available by here.


MAYOR NUTTER APPOINTS AIDS LAW PROJECT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO POLICE ADVISORY COMMISSION 

Congratulations to Ronda B. Goldfein, Esq., our Executive Director, on her recent appointment to the City Of Philadelphia’s Police Advisory Commission! Ronda was appointed to the Commission by Mayor Michael Nutter. The Police Advisory Commission is the official civilian oversight agency for the Philadelphia Police Department. Its mission is to improve the relationship between the police department and the community. See news story on her appointment.


NAACP NAMES FRENCH LOLLIS AS AN INFLUENTIAL BLACK WOMAN IN PHILADELPHIA

AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania Managing Attorney Yolanda French Lollis, Esq., was honored as one of 100 Influential Black Women in Philadelphia by the Philadelphia NAACP on March 30, 2008.


AIDS LAW PROJECT RECEIVES A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

In the Spring of 2007, Ja Eun Huh and Esteban Perla from ASIAC (AIDS Services in Asian Communities) present the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania with a gift of 1,000 paper cranes as a symbol of gratitude and appreciation for the work that we do. An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. The crane in Japan, along with the dragon and tortoise, is one of the mystical or holy creatures, said to live for a thousand years. In Asia, it is said that folding 1,000 paper origami cranes makes a person’s wish come true. The Thousand Origami Cranes has become a symbol of peace through the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who tried to stave off her death from leukemia as a result of radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II by making one thousand origami cranes. She folded only 644 before she died, but her friends completed and buried them all with her.


LAX CENTER HONORS ADVOCACY

At a tribute in November 2007, Ronda B. Goldfein, Esq., chair of the Philadelphia FIGHT Institutional Review Board and executive director of the AIDS Law Project, was honored by the Jonathan Lax Treatment Center for her years of tireless advocacy on behalf of people living with AIDS.  The distinguished award was presented by Jane Shull, executive director of Philadelphia FIGHT.


AIDS LAW PROJECT OF PENNSYLVANIA IS THE 2005 RECIPIENT OF THE CECIL B. MOORE AWARD

The AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania is proud to have received two service awards during the month of April 2005 — from the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia AIDS Consortium (TPAC). The Barristers’ Association, citing the AIDS Law Project for “continued and selfless service to the Philadelphia community,” gave the AIDS Law Project its Cecil B. Moore Award. Barristers’ Association president Damon K. Roberts, Esq., presented the award at a gala dinner April 23 at the Westin Philadelphia. Accepting the award on behalf of the AIDS Law Project, Rodney Cunningham, Esq., supervising attorney of the family law unit, said, “It is inspiring to be acknowledged for the impact we make on an underserved community.” Also attending the ceremony were Yolanda French Lollis, Esq., and Brenda Canales, Esq., of the AIDS Law Project staff; and Kahiga A. Tiagha, Esq., and Kimberly Y. Chainey, Esq., of the board. The late Cecil B. Moore, for whom the award is named, was a fiery civil-rights lawyer and president of the Philadelphia NAACP in the 1960s. Among his achievements was a seven month picketing campaign that forced the integration of Girard College.


AIDS LAW PROJECT OF PENNSYLVANIA RECEIVES THE 2005 PROVIDER’S CHOICE AWARD

From among 48 member organizations, TPAC selected the AIDS Law Project to receive its annual Providers’ Choice Award. The criteria for choosing a winner are: innovative approaches to prevention, care and outreach; culturally and linguistically competent services to minority communities; consumer satisfaction; demonstrated leadership in empowering consumers; effective client advocacy; strong, positive and productive attitude and working relationships with all colleagues in the HIV/AIDS delivery system; and the highest standard of professional ethics, performance and client care. The award was presented at a dinner at the Academy of Natural Science.