Eleanor Keil, A Long-Time Supporter of HIV/AIDS Care and Advocacy

"I do what I can and wish I could do more because I know that my donations are helping those most in need," said Eleanor Keil, who has been a member of Partners in Caring, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation's monthly giving program, since 1990. When she joined Partners in Caring, Keil's nephew, Christopher Esposito, was the Foundation's Director of Volunteer Services. But Esposito's work was not what brought her to the Foundation. Instead, Eleanor had heard that that the Foundation was doing good work for those affected and infected by HIV and felt it was the kind of institution that would most benefit from her support. Recalling "the terrible time" of the early stages of the epidemic, she determined that the Foundation would need as many resources as possible. Since then, Eleanor has watched as the Foundation has built a record of client support and advocacy, particularly through legislative work in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento, defending the rights of people living with HIV.

This past May, Eleanor attended the Foundation's annual Leadership Recognition Dinner for the first time with nephew Esposito, now a Foundation Board member, on her arm. Her impression was that everyone who attended appeared to be more-than-usually committed to the cause. She felt particularly moved by the Foundation employees that she met that night, saying, "they were all working so hard. Yet you could tell that the Foundation is not just a job to them."