Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF)

 

Mr Tillman completed both his undergraduate and graduate education in the San Francisco Bay Area at a time when AIDS  was experiencing rampant growth. I lost many good friends in the theatre and dance to this virus. However, during this time, I marveled at how Harvey Milk was able to migrate his leadership in the Castro District to legislation in San Francisco City Hall and then onto other USA cities.

When living in the UK, it was clear that Sir Elton John (through EJAF) brought both HIV awareness- and funding assistance- to the global level. I spent nearly a decade as a contributor to EJAF and seeing the difference EJAF has made globally. Through EJAF functions I also learned how vital it is to have a visible leader on a frequently misunderstood issue, how to manage a UK based charity with minimal “leakage” (EJAF is a leader) and via direct advice from Billie Jean King, to “focus (your charity involvement) on delivering measureable results on a consistent basis”.

During my 8 years as Co-Founder and Chairman of The Autistic Adult Choir, I was not able to find a Sir Elton or a Peter Thatchell autism equivalent (or no proactive support in UK Government), although Chris Packham has increasingly come forward over the past few years to serve as a de facto national UK voice for autism. May both efforts continue to blossom for both organisations.

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