About | Mpowerwa_3/18

Since 2001, the nationally recognized HIV prevention organization Mpowerment Olympia operated underneath the umbrella of local AIDS organizations, such as United Communities AIDS Network (UCAN) and Pierce County AIDS Foundation (PCAF).

In 2013, Washington State made a decision to centralize all HIV prevention funding into only larger urban areas. This marked a radical departure from the previous funding landscape, eliminating funding for many less populated counties across Washington State. For Thurston County, this meant the defunding of all HIV testing services, education programming and outreach activities.

That same year, the Olympia community stood up and raised over $20,000 dollars in a single night to self-fund HIV testing services. Those testing services would be administered by Mpowerment Olympia’s prior parent AIDS organization, PCAF. Although testing services continued, HIV prevention outreach and education programming were effectively defunded in Thurston County.

In early 2014, community members and former Mpowerment Olympia staff and volunteers formed a new organization to fill the service gap left in Thurston County, Mpowerment Washington.

We are a non-profit operating in Olympia Washington comprised entirely of volunteers who are passionate about providing HIV/AIDS education, outreach, and wellness activities for the community.

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