Safe Haven has been fortunate to have been featured in both newspapers and television. Below are a sample of news articles written about Safe Haven.

Here is a recent article about our Martha's Vineyard Project that was published by Cape Cod Life Magazine in December, 2006.

You can download a copy of the Cape Cod Life article by clicking here.

At single sittings they have consumed 40 pounds of potatoes, 240 servings of macaroni and cheese, 10 baked lasagnas and 60 pounds of turkey - "Unimaginable amounts of food," Mr. Lombardi says. "Food is always made available because sometimes appetites don't run on schedule."

The Safe Haven Project camp, which costs $30,000 to run, over and above donations, struggles financially. There is a long waiting list of applicants, hospitals who contact the camp with names of potential campers. Forty-two per cent of the people tested who have the HIV virus are between the ages of 15 and 24, Mr. Lombardi says. Despite the tight finances, the long list of Vineyard merchants, organizations and individuals who quietly contribute food, activities and support is enough to rekindle Island pride: Tilton Rentals, Beth Kramer and Biga's, who supply all the baked goods, a talent show at the Chilmark Community Center, a dance at the Atlantic Connection, games at the Boys' and Girls' Club, karaoke at the PA Club, tennis (Tennis Center), miniature golf (Island Cove Mini Golf), softball (MVRHS) and swimming (The Mansion House).

The Harley Riders, who arrange for dinners to be provided, spend a day treating the children to a cookout and motorcycle rides - a high point of the week. Individuals like Jocko McCarthy, Pam Benjamin, Linda DeWitt, Richard Paradise and Joyce Steward are among those who offer their time and talents.
Island native Mary Shea has been working at the camp since its inception as the Vineyard Project, when she was 15. "It's an automatic family," she says, revealing that she and some other counselors, referred to as "Safe Heads," have been tattooed with the Hindu symbol for family. "We do little things for each other that you don't see any where else. It's instinctive."

Even medical attention is thoughtfully dispensed so as to make it as pleasant as possible. Medical times are incorporated into the daily routine. Often counselors give campers rides on their shoulders to the medical unit, a converted, decorated recreational vehicle. Most of the complaints are typical, but taken seriously: colds, sore throats, bruised knees and scrapes. Campers take pills or liquid medication, some have to use gastrointestinal tubes should they require intravenous feedings.

Nursing Coordinator Marsha Natalizia from Boston, with the camp nine years, has installed a precision system: Counselors carry index cards with medical schedules. The campers' names get checked off as medications are administered. There are eight registered nurses, among them Tracy Lessard and Natalina Gomes, who were sent by Family Services of Rhode Island where they treat adults with HIV.

No one is rushed, and many campers use the unit as a quiet place to relax. It's almost time to leave for the Boys' and Girls' Club to shoot some hoops. But not yet. Myesha is sprawled on top of the large orange, blue and yellow flowers on the quilt that covers the bed in the back of the RV. She's on the phone in hushed tones with her mother, and when she finishes, silently slides into the booth next to Ms. Lessard, nestles against her, and looks at the world through serious eyes.

Contributions to the Safe Haven Project can be sent to 73 Barrett St #1001, Northampton, MA 01060
Originally published in The Vineyard Gazette edition of Friday, April 23rd 2004

This Friday afternoon at 4:45 pm, an energetic group of young campers and counselors will pile off the ferry, climb onto motorcycles, and head for the Manter Memorial Youth Hostel in West Tisbury. For the next week the campers, all children with AIDS, will have a joyful respite from the fearful burdens of their disease. Days will be packed with the kind of activity found at any camp. Games, crafts, field trips to beaches for running and ponds for fishing. There will be dancing, basketball, movies. Meals will be hearty, laughter everywhere. The Vineyard Project Camp, held here each April, provides an opportunity for more than 30 campers between the ages of 6 and 18 to feel acceptance and love. The stigma of HIV and the fear of death is replaced by hugs and Harleys from the outset, when the Martha’s Vineyard Harley Riders escort the youngsters to camp. As Paul Humber of the Harley riders puts it, the Vineyard Project is all about love “for kids who don’t have a chance.” “A lot of people don’t realize the predicament these kids are in,” says Mr. Humber.

The camp began on the Vineyard in 1994. The Safe Haven Project, a nonprofit organization, runs the Vineyard Project Camp and several other camps elsewhere and presents AIDS education programs in schools. The camp operates on donations and covers the campers’ total expenses. Because of high costs, the organizers often must scramble for donations until the last minute. Community involvement is a big part of the camp’s survival. Local groups, businesses, and individuals donate food, materials, facilities, and funds, and many volunteer their time to cook, serve meals, and lead activities. Tony Lombardi, a teacher at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, joined the camp in 1994 with David Butler, a health educator from western Massachusetts. Mr. Lombardi is a man whose passion is compassion. He feels a commitment to help others, and he expresses it in action. He urges high school students to volunteer for worthy causes, to “develop their compassion and put their compassion into action.” Contributors and friends gathered at the Atlantic Connection last December to share pizza, soda, and memories of the camp. Mr. Lombardi presented awards from Safe Haven and graciously thanked the volunteers, many of whom have supported the Vineyard Project since it began in 1994. Young Tiara Hill, who has been a camper for seven years, presented framed photographs to businesses in gratitude for their contributions of time, effort, and money. Among those receiving awards were Mike Santoro of the Atlantic Connection for donating his dance floor, Bridget Tobin of the Steamship Authority for special ferry privileges, Lanie Bonito of Linda Jean’s whose intent is to give back to the community, the Harley riders for their meals and wheels, Island Transport, the Portuguese-American Club, and the Martha’s Vineyard Boys and Girls Club. Individual recognition went to Barbara Humber and Linda Fasci, R.N. Mr. Lombardi summed up Safe Haven as “an example of the power of one individual to affect profound change in his community.” Also on hand was Mary Shea, 22, who grew up on the Vineyard and joined the ranks of Safe Haven volunteers after her own battle with cancer. Ms. Shea is now activities coordinator for Safe Haven camps both here and in other states. She plans programs including pottery, arts and crafts, dance, journal writing, and much more. Her role is to keep the children involved and enjoying the camp and she works along with other young adult counselors.

One highlight of the camp is the Harley riders’ party and cookout held at James Paquette’s West Tisbury farm. The youngsters look forward to motorcycle rides and receiving T-shirts that read “I rode with the Harley Riders.” “The Harley riders are a great addition to our family,” Mr. Lombardi said. Although the camp is a fun and nurturing experience, there are always solemn moments. The youngsters traditionally gather at the beach in Aquinnah for a memorial celebration, honoring former campers who have died. Staff, supporters, and campers are always saddened when they learn “there’s a missing face,” according to Mr. Lombardi. “It breaks everyone up to learn a child has died from AIDS,” Mr. Lombardi said. Mr. Butler said he realized the Vineyard was the right place to establish his camp for youngsters with AIDS. He remembers being told “they would be loved here.” And they certainly are.

Although last week was wet and dreary, youngsters at the Vineyard Project camp kept warm, soaking up love as bright and healing as springtime sun. Nearly two dozen children ages 5 through 18, all infected with or otherwise touched by the AIDS virus, settled into the Manter Memorial Youth Hostel in West Tisbury for a school vacation week filled with fun and friendship. Another 15 youthful counselors, 6 volunteer nurses, and dozens of big-hearted Vineyarders pitched in to create a magical world where AIDS could be forgotten, at least for this one week. This was the sixth year for the camp, established here by teachers Tony Lombardi and David Butler in 1994. The annual April camp operates entirely on donations and is fueled by abundant generosity from community members.

Campers come from all over the country. The camp is sponsored by the Safe Haven Project, a nonprofit organization founded by Mr. Butler and Directed by Mr. Lombardi and dedicated to AIDS education and prevention for young people. Mr. Lombardi is a special needs teacher at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School and former manager of the Wintertide Coffeehouse, Mr. Butler a health education teacher from western Massachusetts, founded Safe Haven. The two met by chance and discovered they shared concerns about AIDS and youth. The idea of a camp was born. "We did it to address the social implications of living with AIDS and being a child," said Mr. Lombardi.

With the success of the first Vineyard Project Camp, the two men, both committed to serving young people, began the Safe Haven Project, whose speakers now participate in school programs and conferences around the country. The group made presentations to more than 22,000 youth last year. Most of Safe Haven's featured speakers are young people with AIDS.

Safe Haven also runs a summer camp in Maryland similar to the Vineyard Project, and encourages concerned youth to help begin similar programs in their own home towns. "The Vineyard Project is the model of the dream," says Mr. Lombardi, "to serve the kids, but teach the children, and open the hearts of the community all at once."

The application process is arduous. Children are recommended to the camp by hospital social workers and other care givers. Medical and social information is reviewed carefully. The amount of available funds sets the limit on how many children can be accepted. The per camper cost is approximately $1,000. Once a youngster is accepted, the camp covers all expenses, including travel from home and extra costs for the week - "from toothbrushes to teddy bears," said Mr. Lombardi. Finances are constantly perilous. The pledge that there will be a camp next year is made in a radical leap of faith that resources will come. So far, it's worked. This year major donations came from Altrusa International and Metro West Fights AIDS. "We just continue to beg," said Mr. Lombardi. "We try to call everyone we know and say, we have this need, can you help us."

The rainy week passed all too quickly. Days were packed with activities - classes, outings, parties, sumptuous meals. Local artists and teachers came to demonstrate and let youngsters try their hand at new skills. There were movies, trips to the Ben Davids's World of Reptiles, the Edgartown Boys and Girls Club, dancing with Island teens at the Atlantic Connection. The common room, with its overstuffed chairs and sofas, became a gathering place. One rainy afternoon two campers bent over a chess board, another hammered out "Chopsticks" on the upright, 2 and a counselor wove tiny braids in teenagers's hair while little campers watched, fascinated. Younger children practiced back bends and two older campers snuggled on a couch, talking quietly. Activities coordinator Mary Shea, 20, kept the schedule rolling. Ms. Shea, a student at Massachusetts College of Art who grew up in Edgartown, began as a camper when she was undergoing chemotherapy in 1994. She has not missed a year since, becoming a counselor and now in charge of activities. "The thing I really wanted to do was give back some of what I was given when I was sick," said Ms. Shea, recalling the love and attention she received. "By doing this camp, I'm giving back to them all the support I felt, the knowledge that people care about them and are here for them no matter what." Mary takes pleasure in watching the children come back year after year, a little older, a little taller. "It's good to feel you're watching them grow up, living life with AIDS and not dying from it," she said. Like any camp, Vineyard Project observed its yearly traditions - a talent night, a festive birthday party that included finger painting on Tony Lombardi's bald head. One event was bittersweet, as the youngsters held a memorial at the Gay Head Cliffs for a longtime camper, 18-year old Christopher, who died last year. Grieving for lost friends is part of every camp session.

The sense of community is an overriding value at the camp, and it permeates the nurturing, easygoing atmosphere. Indeed, there is a community feeling to the way counselors relate to campers, the way Mr. Lombardi exerts a firm but gentle discipline, the affection with which older campers tease, teach, and look out for younger ones. "We all make a commitment to each other that we're going to be a community for a week," Mr. Lombardi said. The community connection endures well after the youngsters leave the Vineyard. Campers and counselors keep in touch with letters, e-mail, a camp newsletter, and sometimes visits during the year. "We're really a community," says Mr. Lombardi. "We try to go to their birthdays, we go to their funerals."

With all the smiles and hugs, games and adventures, there was no room for sad stories this week. But the children had left many behind at home. Many of the children were HIV positive, infected with the virus and taking regular medication to stave it off. Harboring AIDS in their bodies as they played and laughed, rough-housed and danced, these children gave moving, new meaning to the phrase "one day at a time." Those not infected with the virus had felt its devastation nonetheless. Campers had lost siblings, mothers, fathers to the disease. Some now live with an aunt, a grandparent, a foster family, since their closest relatives have died. Many of the youngsters come from poverty, from homes in urban ghettos, and represent a number of ethnic groups, Mr. Lombardi said. Although at home their lives appear normal with school, friends, activities, most of the children must keep a cloak of secrecy drawn around their disease. Usually only family members and a handful of teachers and caregivers will know a child is HIV positive or has lost a loved one to AIDS. "They sometimes spend their whole time hiding," explained Mr. Lombardi, adding that the camp offers a rare opportunity for the children to simply be themselves. Mr. Lombardi said that despite the fear of AIDS that still exists in society, the camp gives youngsters the message "there is somewhere on the planet they can come, and they will be cared for in spite of their affliction, a place that is a safe haven." -

The week began with a flourish as the Martha's Vineyard Harley Riders met the campers at the boat and gave them a roaring motorcycle escort to the hostel. They coordinated all meals for the week, along with Linda Carroll who owns Amelia Bloomers. The riders traded leathers for aprons to work kitchen detail every night and cooked several meals. The group threw a Sunday afternoon cookout at the home of its president, James Paquette. All afternoon the men whisked the children off for rides through town on their Harleys, bringing grins to the faces of even shy or homesick campers. Community caring came in many forms. Maynard Silva brought his band. Art teacher Pam Benjamin gave mask-making workshops, Christina Montoya taught salsa dancing, Phyllis Vecchia led the youngsters in theater games, Rick Bausman played the drums. WIMP gave a show for the camp at the PA Club, Vineyard Playhouse turned over its facilities for a talent show, and Ernie Iannacone lent technical expertise. Jean Pierson, who works at the Harbor View and Martha's Vineyard Hospital, took the week off to lend a hand. Jocko McCarthy became a buddy, driving the donated Island Transport bus. Linda Jean's Restaurant contributed two full dinners, Beth Kramer and Doug Reid of Biga Bakery prepared a Thanksgiving feast and three decadent chocolate fudge cakes. Chef Marvin Jones took over breakfast and lunch duties. Local restaurants donated pizzas. Friends dropped off treats. A dozen exuberant, college-age counselors from City Year Boston's HIV/AIDS education team bonded with the campers like comrades. Another three counselors were former campers, moving up to take special responsibility. Campers can enter the Junior Counselor program beginning at age 16, and become counselors at 18. Nurses volunteered their time to staff the nursing unit under the direction of Marsha Natalizia, R.N. A former Islander, Ms. Natalizia comes down from Amherst every year to work the camp. "What's good is being able to see these kids be kids," Ms. Natalizia said. The medical area was designed to put the children at ease, with bright posters and children's art on the walls, cozy seats, a basket of teddy bears, raisins, and juice. There was a nurse on duty 24 hours a day, according to camp policy. Nurses dispensed the array of medicines needed by the campers and were available for emergency care or referrals. Mr. Lombardi explained that the pleasant setting and warm care was a relief for youngsters for whom medical treatment is a grimly regular part of life. One evening, several girls clustered around Mr. Lombardi, sharing their thoughts on the camp. They were relaxed and friendly, comfortable, giggling happily in between questions. "I love the campers. said one girl with a grin. "The best thing about it is being with everybody else who has the same thing you have and not having them think negative thoughts," confided another. "The virus is the least of our worries," Mr. Lombardi said. "Having fun is what we think about, and being nice to each other." Mr. Lombardi's voice is soft, gentle, as though he is telling a bedtime story. Somehow, at least for this one week, through the devotion of many people who care about these children, the words he says have become true.

(For more information on the Vineyard Project Camp and Safe Haven, call 508- 693-1767. Contributions may be sent to the Safe Haven Project, 73 Barrett St #1001, Northampton, MA 01060.)

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