Well over a year ago in this column, I wrote about the financial mismanagement going on at Auntie Helen’s. I reported how the County Board of Supervisors had demanded their government grant back because of mismanagement fraud; how Auntie Helen’s executive director was caught using this AIDS agency’s money at casinos for personal dinners and partying – all reported in a Union Tribune major article. Other activists and former Auntie Helen’s board members also sounded the alarm about the years of financial mismanagement and how the executive director was using this AIDS agency as his own personal bank account.
Well what happened? Nothing. Any LGBT publication that had Auntie Helen’s as a paid advisor never covered or investigated the growing scandal, only the straight media did! Even worse, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence continue to hold fundraisers for Auntie Helen’s as well as some of the Leather title holders. Bars continue to let Auntie Helen’s hold benefits at their establishments and even some of our elected gay officials continue to look the other way and still associate with the agency.
Yes, many in our community just looked the other way and the thievery just continued. This is not the first time this has happened in our community. It happened at A.P.I.C.A.P., an Asian Pacific Islander AIDS agency that closed its doors some years ago. Its executive director got away with misappropriation of well over $100,000 of AIDS donations including thousands of dollars ear-marked for a Tijuana AIDS Hospice. Then A.P.I.C.A.P. president, Jeffrey Thom quickly resigned as did the entire board and Thom quickly moved out of town when it was discovered that he allowed his personal signature to be made into an ink stamp which allowed the then executive director to embezzle even more. Well, this scandal was also swept under the rug. The executive director fled to Mexico, though he is now living back in San Diego. Once again, no LGBT media covered the financial scandal while the mainstream media did.
Now everyone is talking about the Auntie Helen‘s scandal which has blown into a full financial mess these past few weeks. This past Wednesday, the “interim” executive director gave an update about the disastrous situation at Auntie Helen’s: There is only $27 left in the checking account, all but one of the members of the board of directors have resigned and almost all of Auntie Helen’s financial records are missing.
The interim executive director also confirmed at a meeting at The Center this past Wednesday that the years of drug abuse at Auntie Helen’s was all true! The executive directors of two respected San Diego AIDS agencies were in attendance to hear this official update. Auntie Helen’s started out in the 1980s as a then badly needed laundry service for people with AIDS. The question now is do we really need Auntie Helen’s if it’s former director is to be prosecuted by the law as promised at last Wednesdays meeting?
But those who knew what was going on at Auntie Helen’s all these years and looked the other way … shame on you. Your silence as far as I’m concerned made you also responsible for what happened. Period.
Annual Christmas Wreath Auction: Dec. 8
Every year a big crowd shows up at Martinis above Fourth’s annual Holiday Wreath Auction that this year will be on Monday Dec. 8 at Martini’s at 6 p.m. It is all a benefit for the Eddie Conlon Youth Fund directed by The Center and the Imperial Court.
Every year, hundreds of youth benefit from this badly-needed fund. Among the Christmas wreath makers will be Mayor Kevin Faulconer who might be stopping by.
Nicole Murray Ramirez has been an award-winning columnist since 1973, and a Latino and gay activist for more than 45 years. He is currently a city commissioner and has served the last seven mayors of San Diego. He is also a national board member of the Harvey Milk Foundation and chairman of the International Court Council of the USA, Canada and Mexico. In 2013 Murray Ramirez was named “Mayor of Hillcrest” by a City proclamation. Nicolemrsandiego@aol.com
Many people have asked me the name of the APICAP director. His name was Jesse San Roque.
Reading this news has made me extremely sad. For all my years of fundraising for this charity while a CA resident was a VERY BAD BLOW for the entire community. Bravo to Nicole for bringing this AGAIN to our attention.
In Service,
Blair Michaels
While there is certainly a lack of investigative reporting within the LGT community, particularly the non-profits and their fundraising, there also greater need to remember, learn from and not rewrite our history.
While Nicole is forever the innocent bystander, she is the first to throw others under the float when things go south. Please note the following cheerleading done by Nicole in regards to APICAP before the funds, and the principals, disappeared.
http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/?id=10029&terms=apicap
http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/?id=1040
http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/?id=459&terms=apicap
Perhaps, as the (unelected) Mayor of Hillcrest, she can explain exactly what happened since she always tells us how well-connected and influential she is… Like why did San Roque get a Nicky Award and who was Casa Nicole named for… sounds like lots of conflict of interest.
PS: Rumor has it that Jeffrey Tom (ask HIM about Uptown Partnership) is now working as barista at an undisclosed location (no, it’s not Harvey Milk’s) so there is some divine justice for gay folks ripping off their own… just wish there were more!
Also, the picture above to rename Florence School smells like a bribe and no good will come of it cause guess who sits of the Harvey Milk Foundation board?
my husband died in 1991. We used in to Helen’s a lot prior to that. I moved back home to Michigan in 1994 and I’m sorry to hear about AUntie Helens. it used to be a good charity.