Sunday, Feb 5, 2012    Text size: 

SAN FRANCISCO — As part of its GiVe corporate giving initiative, Good Vibrations has partnered with four regional nonprofits: La Casa de las Madres of San Francisco, AIDS Project of the East Bay in Berkeley, ACCESS Women’s Health Justice in Oakland, and Our Bodies Ourselves in Boston.

Through March 31, Good Vibrations’ customers can support the nonprofits in Good Vibrations retail locations: San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Boston and online. Shoppers can make a financial gift at the time of their Good Vibrations purchase and 100 percent of the contribution goes to the nonprofit of their choice.

Good Vibrations COO Jackie Strano said, “Good Vibrations has always had a mission of being agents for social change and we have partnered with local and national nonprofits for 35 years and are proud of our years of service to our local communities. We are pleased that several of these organizations are proud to partner with us and that together we have created direct action and change.”

Staff sexologist Dr. Carol Queen said, “With people celebrating romance and connectedness during Valentine’s Day, we invite them to experience the pleasure of generosity to these worthwhile organizations that support people through some of the more difficult aspects of relationships and sexuality. We are honored to be able to bring the GiVe program to this remarkable group of nonprofits.”

The mission of La Casa de las Madres of San Francisco is to respond to calls for help from domestic violence victims, of all ages, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. La Casa offers a continuum of comprehensive and empowering services to women, teens and children exposed to and at risk of abuse. La Casa provide access, tools and support — clinical and peer-based — that strengthen their ability to affect change and break the cycle of violence. All of their services are free of charge, confidential and multicultural.

AIDS Project of the East Bay is a community-based organization, dedicated to preventing the spread of HIV and supporting individuals infected with the virus through programs targeted at the vulnerable and marginalized individuals in Alameda County. Since 1983 the APEB Wellness Center has been providing: primary health care, acute care, physicals, vaccines and a variety of HIV related lab work, counseling and free massage and acupuncture.

ACCESS Women’s Health Justice in Oakland was founded in 1993 by clinic escorts who witnessed the many barriers women were facing — especially young or poor women — to obtain an abortion. The vision for ACCESS is not only to provide information and practical support on all aspects of reproductive health, but to build a community actively working to meet the real needs of women. ACCESS combines direct services, community education and policy advocacy to promote reproductive options and access to quality healthcare for California women.

Our Bodies Ourselves (OBOS) is a nonprofit, public interest women’s health education, advocacy and consulting organization based in Boston. Beginning in the early 1970s with the publication of its landmark book, "Our Bodies, Ourselves," OBOS has facilitated the publication and in-country use of women's health materials in more than 25 languages.