LAGUNA BEACH : AIDS Help Group Gets Cash Infusion

The Irvine Health Foundation has awarded $15,000 to Laguna Shanti to assist the organization through its dire financial situation.

“IHF was the first organization to answer our plea for much-needed funding,” said Judith Doyle, director of Laguna Shanti, an AIDS service organization in Laguna Beach. “This donation, along with other funding secured, will allow us to keep our doors open until the end of the year.”

Ed Kacic, director of the Irvine Health Foundation, said the organization made the grant because of Laguna Shanti’s importance to the community.

“If Laguna Shanti were to close its doors, a large segment of the HIV population would not receive critical AIDS-related services,” Kacic said.

Laguna Shanti is South County’s only AIDS service organization and currently provides care for 103 people infected with the AIDS virus, Kacic said.

Laguna Shanti delivers food to AIDS patients in Orange County, organizes emotional support groups and transports patients to and from doctors’ appointments. The group also recruits volunteers to clean patients’ houses and shop for their groceries.

In 1991, Laguna Shanti’s informational programs reached thousands of people in the community.

The Irvine Health Foundation is an independent, nonprofit foundation that supports county health and health-related programs.