Families

Families are eligible to be part of Angels Unaware if there is a child under the age of 24 residing in the home; a parent, guardian or child has HIV, a parent, guardian or child is affected by HIV.

Legacy families are families that no longer has a child residing in the home; spouse, child, or significant other has passed away from the disease; or the family has been with the organization since they had a child was under the age of 24 in the HIV household.

There are additional qualifications that are a part of registering for Camp Ray-Ray.

Family Stories

Eight-year-old Kyler was back at camp with his parents for his fourth time. Wildlife encounters are Kyler’s favorite part of camp. During a hiking excursion, he met up with an elk. When the elk gave Kyler some attitude, he fearfully walked away only to have a bird land on his head. The bird did not frighten him like the elk; his only concern was if the bird was going to leave a deposit behind on his head!

Justin, 15, and Joe, 7, are busy, active boys living in a turbulent home. Their father died of AIDS several years ago. Their mother has AIDS and is getting sicker each day. There are no family members near by. Their mother is trying to find a place for her children to live together. Most adoptive parents only want a young child, no more than one and certainly not a teenager. It’s very likely that the boys will be separated for good, at a time in their lives when they need each other most.

DominiqueSweet little Dominique, neighbors wouldn’t let her play on their lawn because they were afraid she would give them AIDS. She loved preschool, friends, church, her teacher Stacy, and living with her Grandma Winnie. The two of them enjoyed each other immensely. Camp Ray-Ray was a beacon of hope; there were no judgments, no fear, just acceptance, love, and fun. Dominique made us all laugh and wonder at her creativity and wise beautiful spirit.