Cherry Fund: Appears to have Ceased Operations

The Cherry Fund seems to not be operating.  Here's Why:

• No Twitter postings (not even one mention of World AIDS Day) since May 6th 2020
• No Facebook postings Since Sept 2020, (nothing mentioned about World AIDS Day)
• Their website home page continued to display information about how to get some of their money back from the cancellation of Oct's 25th anniversary announcement.
• Speaking about the 25th Anniversary - doesn't appear they have begun selling tickets or promoting the re-schedule of last years cancelled event which is expected to be hosted starting Oct 1, 2021.
• No answer in regards to a request for taxes of which they are required to respond within 30 days of the request.  Not to mention this is the second official request in a few years the first which was ignored resulted in action from the IRS.
  
  

​​​For all of you Cherry can't do anything wrong in your eyes - I hope one day you'll actually care about the people and organizations that fight every day against HIV/AIDS, I hope you'll consider how those living with HIV/AIDS who need assistance and the organizations which benefited from Cherry's fundraising ability rely on every penny raised to help this community.  I hope you'll consider those Board Members from within this organization who did what they could to prevent public inspection of this non-profit's tax and financial information in order to help gain financially themselves.  They and heck maybe you care too much about the party and less about the message behind what Cherry was created for 25 years ago.  They care so much about Cherry and its intended purposes that they didn't even care to mention WORLD AIDS DAY in December, but if they were hosting a event that put money in their pocket you bet it was all over Cherry using its name and resources to promote it.  To imagine folks within our own LGBT community to do its own HIV/AIDS community like that is disgusting.  May you and those who only care about themselves be haunted by those gone before those still living with or affected by HIV/AIDS who stood for, supported, fought for, researched and fundraised for the cause.

Even if they fire things up again, why not post about HIV related things on their social media.  I still want to know what they did with the money they got from last years event and why they didn't refund all monies back to those who purchased tickets.  Shame. Shame. Shame. 

If you knew what was happening, if you overlooked shady transactions if you just didn't care because you too were pocketing from Cherry - hope you feel good about it, hope it haunts you and hope karma is not very kind to you.

PS, Capital Pride - you don't get a pass for not recognizing World AIDS Day either.  Your private apology and refusal to apologize publicly and to commit to those within the LGBT community still living with HIV/AIDS and who have supported Capital Pride should be discussed within our own, but more importantly if you are actually apologetic about the oversight - then account for the oversight and recommit - publicly. 

Tom Donohue
HIV+, advocate & Activist 
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