The Living AIDS Memorial Garden, Inc. was organized in April 1998.  The organization is a membership organization.  Financial statements are filed with the Secretary of State and are available for review. The IRS has determined that we are a nonprofit charitable organization according to § 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 

            The mission of our organization is to establish and maintain a garden in memory of those who have died of AIDS, to provide a place of reflection for those who are living with AIDS and for those who are survivors. 

            The main elements of the Garden consist of a brick walkway that winds through the Garden, a Wildflower Garden, a Rose Garden, an irrigation system and two large granite boulders with bronze plaques.  One boulder sits near the center of the Garden and bears a bronze plaque from the Charleston AIDS Network; the other boulder was placed at the entrance of the Garden and bears a bronze plaque with the name of the Garden and the Mission Statement.  The walkway consists of red paver bricks that are imprinted to reflect a donor's wish.  Imprinted tan bricks are also available for the Wildflower Garden and the Rose Garden.

            In 2001, the West Virginia Legislature gave the Garden $8,000.00 to install the Walkway.  Special requests on behalf of the Garden were made by Senator Brooks McCabe, Senator Vic Sprouse, Delegate Carrie Webster, Delegate Bonnie Brown, Delegate Sharon Spencer, Delegate Ray Keener and Delegate Bobbie Hatfield.  Senator Larry Rowe gave the Garden an additional $2,500.00 out of his personal allocation.  In 2003, the Legislature gave the Garden $3,500.00 to install the irrigation system.

The Garden is a unique volunteer project that has been a cooperative effort among our organization, the State, the City of Charleston, and the community.  The City leases the land from the State and helps our organization maintain the property by providing liability insurance, trash pickup and lawn maintenance.

         The Garden has achieved the regional recognition that we intended when we began this project.  In the Summer 2003 edition of People Places and Plants, a regional gardening magazine that serves the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic states the Garden was chosen as the public garden to represent West Virginia The article, Public Gardens of the Mid-Atlantic, featured public gardens in the Mid-Atlantic States.  The article featuring the Garden is on page 56 of the enclosed magazine.

The Garden was chosen from eight other public gardens in West Virginia which included the Bissonnett Gardens in Wheeling; the Brooks Memorial Arboretum in Marlinton; the C. Fred Edwards Conservatory and Herb Gardens in Huntington; the Core Arboretum in Morgantown; the Joan Stifel Corson Butterfly and Wildflower Gardens in Wheeling; the Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center in Wheeling; Prabhunpada’s Palace of Gold in Moundsville and the Ritter Park Rose Garden in Huntington.

             We have now completed the major elements of the Garden. In 2004, we began our capital campaign to establish a fund that the Garden is professionally maintained now and in the future.  The fund has been established with the The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.

             Based on the support we have received we feel that the Garden is a worthwhile project which has broad social appeal.   AIDS is not just an illness.  It is a powerful force that has torn at the very fabric of our society, and forever changed it. We think that there are few people who have not been affected in one way or another.  Since mid-1998, we have raised over $80,000, in largely individual donations, and we have invested a substantial portion in capital improvements to the Garden. 

            The Garden is not only an important community beautification project for the East End of Charleston, it is also a unique and very visible AIDS awareness project.

The Living AIDS Memorial Garden is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Contributions are tax deductible as allowed by law. West Virginia residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents from the West Virginia Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, West Virginia.  Registration does not imply endorsement.